The best GUILT FREE spaghetti

spaghetti squash 011

spaghetti squash 011

So I am not much of a pasta person. I lived in the North End, Boston (aka little Italy) for 2 years; I ate at a local Italian restaurant ONCE! People always tell me I should try Spaghetti Squash.  I finally came across this "spaghetti squash" at Trader Joes, and was excited to experiment and cook with this new found vegetable. I decided to make Spaghetti squash topped with an abundance of julienne cut vegetables, mozzarella, garlic and EVOO.

To start I cut the squash in half the long way and placed it in water and boiled it for about 20-30 minutes. I used thongs to take the squash out of the water and let it cool off a little before stringing.

spaghetti squash 002

spaghetti squash 002

While the squash was boiling I julienne cut one red pepper, one yellow zucchini and one green zucchini, all with the help from a special peeler. Next time I will add some carrots!

spaghetti squash 003

spaghetti squash 003

I warmed up a pan with EVOO and fresh crushed garlic. After the garlic simmered for a bit I added the julienne veggies and gave it a little toss. By this time the Squash was ready for the fun part... stringing!

spaghetti squash 005

spaghetti squash 005

You have to string the squash the long way. It can be hot so be careful! Don't forget about the veggies... keep mixing!

spaghetti squash 006

spaghetti squash 006

In order to spice up the veggies I added grape tomatoes cut in half, diced fresh mozzarella cheese, and a medley of ground up spices. It was such a filling dish, and I can not even begin to describe how buttery and delicious the squash tasted. I kept saying, "is there butter in this"? The best part it was ALL veggies!

Other methods to cook the squash:

Bake

 about an hour in the oven at 375 F.

Microwave

 10 to 12 minutes, then let stand for 5 minutes or so afterward to finish steaming.

Boil

 for about half an hour.

Slow Cooker/Crock Pot:

 Put it in with a cup of water and let it go on low all day (8 to 10 hours).

How do you make your spaghetti squash?

Posted on October 6, 2011 and filed under food, entree, savory.