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9/30/11

How to cook a Spaghetti Squash? KISS: Keep It Simple (Stupid)

When I was at the grocery store last weekend, I noticed a spaghetti squash. Without giving it too much thought, I picked one up.

To be honest, I had no idea what I would do with it.

It seems like in the US, people love roasting squash with butter and brown sugar. That is so NOT my idea of what I want to eat for lunch or dinner. Instead, I make all my squash dishes savory.

After getting home and thanking the cooking gods that I was able to  cut the spaghetti squash in half without hurting myself, I decided to simply roast it in the oven and then add a few ingredients to make a light, healthy, yet flavorful dish.

Note 1: you can save the seeds from the spaghetti squash, wash them and then roast them with salt and pepper.

Note 2: if you have a microwave, you might want to microwave the squash prior to slicing it in half to soften it up just a little bit.

I showed the squash who is the boss!


KISS: Keep it simple stupid: Roasted Spaghetti Squash with Parsley and Red Pepper Flakes

Ingredients
1 spaghetti squash, sliced in half, seeds removed
olive oil
salt & pepper
2-3 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 pinches red pepper flakes, or more if you like your food spicier
2 teaspoons lemon juice

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 375. Drizzle two halves of spaghetti squash with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
2. Place the squash on aluminum foil cut side down and bake for 35 minutes.
3. Turn the squash cut side up and bake for another 15 minutes.


4. Allow the squash to cook for a bit and using a fork scoop it out from its shell. Add parsley, red pepper flakes and lemon juice. If necessary, add more olive oil, salt and pepper. Serve hot, at room temperature or cold.


How do YOU like to serve spaghetti squash?

 

Have a wonderful weekend!

17 comments:

Rachel @ Not Rachael Ray said...

Yum. This looks so great--love this take on spaghetti squash.

Lighthousegal said...

I have never had spaghetti squash. I think what I usually buy or have grown is the summer squash. I generally grill them, boil them and add a little butter and black pepper(my daughter's favorite), or steam them with a dash or 2 of red pepper flakes sprinkled on them as them steam. But your recepie looks yummy! I think I would prefer it warm. I'll have to get back to you on that one after I try it.
Have you ever had or cooked baby eggplant? I discovered them at our local farmer's market a couple of weeks ago and have bought them three times now. I love them. I wasn't sure how I was going to prepare them, but thought they were interesting. I surfed the web and found a recipe that I liked, modified it a bit, and loved it. Hubby likes it too, always a plus!If you have tried these I'd love to hear how you served them!!

Aviva Goldfarb, CEO, www.thescramble.com said...

This looks wonderful! I have a squash on my counter and may try this recipe this weekend.

FOODalogue said...

I'm glad you mentioned microwaving first. That's what I do because you have to be Superman to cut through it totally raw.

The Duo Dishes said...

Savory or sweet, squash works for us. Usually we wouldn't do spaghetti squash sweet though, so you have it just right. There is a restaurant here that serves it similar to this with sliced garlic, parsley, a few red pepper flakes and lots of chopped tomatoes. Delicious.

Meister @ The Nervous Cook said...

I 100% agree: KISS when it comes to squash, or basically any fall vegetable. I could (and have!) happily sit down with a simply salt-and-pepper roasted squash and just eat it with a fork for dinner. Very little else is needed, as far as I'm concerned. (Though I still think just about anything is improved with an egg on it.)

Unknown said...

Way to show the squash whose boss daaaahling :D
Have a fab weekend.
*kisses* HH

Unknown said...

My current favorite is something I call squasharoni & squash. It's spaghetti squash with a butternut cheese sauce. I roast both squashes, peel and puree the butternut, add milk, cheddar, sour cream, and onion powder and simmer until the cheese melts. I then combine the squash and the cheese sauce in a pan, with an extra layer of sauce on top and bake until hot, then brown the top a little under the broiler. It takes a long, long time to prep (I do it over the course of a couple of days to spread it out), but it is tasty!

Squash is very cheap here this time of year (they grow big fields of it in driving distance of my apartment), so I'm buying tons of it. My next meal with it will be either chicken or a pork tenderloin (for the boyfriend) crock potted with butternut, apples, raisins and some other stuff I haven't chosen yet. Maybe apple cider if I can find it on sale.

Robin said...

I'm like you, I prefer savory squash dishes. I never have mine with butter and sugar/syrup.

Anna said...

I am adamant to try the precooked squash spaghetti...I don't know, probably the appearance is not that inviting for me at the shop. Thanks for posting, I can enjoy this recipe, since it is homemade!

Ali said...

This would do good served with a sauce. Simple yet a delicacy. the spaghetti is appealing. Nice blog.

Lizzy said...

I agree with you, no drowning spaghetti squash in sugar and butter for me! I make Moroccan Spaghetti Squash.

Esi said...

Sounds good. I haven't tried spaghetti squash yet (I think it's the only squash I haven't had)

sally said...

I like this savory take on spaghetti squash. I haven't seen any at the market recnetly, but I'll be sure to pick one up and try your recipe if I do.

Anonymous said...

Just tried spaghetti squash for the first time. It took a lot longer to cook, but afterwards I added a bit of butter and garlic salt. Quite tasty!

Delicious Dishings said...

I normally like my squash with a big pool of butter, maple syrup, and brown sugar, but tonight I made an acorn squash with just some s&p and butter. Simple is definitely the way to go sometimes! I still have never cooked a spaghetti squash.

Linn said...

Spaghetti squash is great, and I also like the simple approach when preparing it. It's a great accessory to different meat dishes, instead of potato.