Spaghetti Squash

I've always wanted to try Spaghetti Squash but never had the nerve. I was really craving spaghetti, but I'm staying away from pasta - stupid carbs. So I decided to give this squash thing a try. I thought, if nothing else - it'll be a learning experience - and I'm always up for learning :-)

Too many times, I've heard people substituting veggies for starches and saying - it tastes just like the real thing - only to try it and be very disappointed because it doesn't taste like the real thing at all. Well I am happy to report, this wasn't one of those times, thank goodness! It was really really good - and I didn't miss the carby pasta at all - well once the squash was hot that is - I'll admit - just warm, the sauce and squash didn't mesh well in my mouth and I thought - here we go again. But I put it in the microwave and nuked it for a minute - and when it came out hot - seriously, I didn't miss the pasta at all! I was surprised with every bite and still am lol.

I went online to research how to cook the squash and there were so many different suggestions - boil/bake, oven temps ranging from 350-400 degrees, bake times ranging from 20 minutes to an hour, bake in water/not in water, upside down/right side up, cut in half/keep whole - (whew!) I once again, found myself a bit overwhelmed. Then I saw there was a cooking label on the squash itself, which got me really excited until I read it - it was how to microwave it :-(  I don't know about you but I only reheat things in the microwave, I don't use it to cook things start to finish. So I decided to combine cooking methods and take the middle ground with regards to oven temp. And away we went! 

This is our whole Spaghetti Squash. They say if you keep the squash in a cool dark place - it can last up to a month!

The instructions on the squash said to heat it in the microwave for 1 minute - supposedly this helps with cutting it in half. It was still a bit difficult so I had my hubby do it cause I kinda really hate knives and have a serious fear I'll chop a finger off or something lol

Scrape out the seeds and fibers with a spoon. I saved the seeds to toast like pumpkin seeds. Why not give it a try right? ;-)

Place squash halves cut side down onto a baking sheet. I went middle of the road with oven temp and cooked squash 40 minutes at (preheated) 375 degrees. I didn't coat them with oil or seasonings of any kind. I knew they were done when the rind was fork tender.After letting them cool slightly - this is what they looked like once turned over.

When squash is cooled enough to handle, take a fork and scrape out the "pasta" strands, top to bottom length wise until you've got it all out. It's remarkable how it completely comes away from the rind!

Empty rind - pretty cool right?! I'm sure someone more crafty than I could turn this into some crazy cool squash bowl or something! Or is that too weird? 

Here's the finished "pasta" next to our homemade spaghetti meat sauce. So delicious! 

My husband took some squash and added butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg for a healthy sweet dessert too! So many options for this stuff I can't wait to try more!