Some days, I just want veggies and no pasta. Do you ever have “no pasta” days? Admittedly, I go both ways…some days I really want pasta and other days, I don’t want it at all! Given that this was a “no pasta” day, I cooked up a spaghetti squash to pair with the Chunky Vegetable Marinara that I made yesterday. It was super tasty!
Despite how big and daunting a spaghetti squash might appear, it’s a pretty easy vegetable to work with. The hardest part is cutting it…very carefully. Don’t worry, you’re not going to hurt the squash. It’s your fingers that you gotta worry about! To avoid slippage, I like to place a clean dish towel on top of my cutting board and then place the spaghetti squash on top of the towel. Steady the squash with one hand, and use your other hand (in case that wasn’t blatently obvious) to carve with the a big knife. I typically stab the squash up near the stem and carve with a downward motion. Repeating all the way around the squash until it’s severed into two pieces long ways.
Place each piece with the skin side up into a large, but shallow baking dish. Pyrex dishes work great for this! Fill the dish with 1-2 inches of water and make sure that the bottom sides are fully submerged (but you don’t submerge the whole squash). Microwave uncovered for 10 minutes and then poke with a knife or push down on the skin with your finger. It will likely take 20-30 minutes to cook, depending on how big the squash is and how powerful (or not) your microwave is. I prefer to check periodically to avoid overcooking.
Once cooked, you can drain off the water and let them cool for 5-10 minutes so you can handle them. Scrape out the seeds and surrounding mushiness with a spoon. They are safe to put in a garbage disposal, but you can bag and throw them in the trash or compost, if you like. Once the seeds and mush are removed, get a good sized bowl, grab one half of the squash and stand it on end and scrape the spaghetti squash out of the skin! (I think scraping it is fun!) Repeat with the other half. The area that’s close to the stem might be too tough to spaghetti, but the rest of it should be easy to remove. You’ll be left with a very thin skin when you’re all done scraping. Throw the skins in the trash or compost; they will muck up the disposal for sure!
Serve up however much you like and for today, top with Chunky Vegetable Marinara and a bit of parmesan to taste. We’ll cover some other options another day.
Spaghetti Squash with Chunky Vegetable Marinara
Ingredients
- 1 spaghetti squash
- Chunky Vegetable Marinara
- 4 Tbs parmesan cheese
Instructions
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Carefully cut the spaghetti squash lengthwise.
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Place each piece with the skin side up into a large, but shallow baking dish.
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Fill the dish with 1-2 inches of water and make sure that the bottom sides are fully submerged (but you don't submerge the whole squash).
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Microwave uncovered for 20-30 minutes, checking every 10 minutes by poking with a knife or push down on the skin with your finger. When fully cooked, it will be soft and will give to the knife or your finger.
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Once cooked, drain off the water and let them cool for 5-10 minutes so you can handle them.
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Scrape out the seeds and surrounding mushiness with a spoon.
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Then get a good sized bowl, grab one half of the squash and stand it on end and scrape the spaghetti squash out of the skin. Repeat with the other half.
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You'll be left with a very thin skin when you're all done scraping.
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Place a good sized serving in a bowl and top with Chunky Vegetable Marinara and a bit of parmesan to taste.
Do you like spaghetti squash? Snap a pic of your creation and share on social with #vegetariant.
Enjoy!
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