Monday 10.29.12

The Magical Spaghetti Squash

Since starting Paleo cooking, Phil and I have talked about recipes with no less than 10 people who had no idea what "spaghetti squash" meant. Whether you're eating strict Paleo or not, that's just a doggone shame. This squash is easy to find, easy to prepare, delicious, can be used exactly like spaghetti noodles and doesn't leave you feeling like your stomach just expanded to 5x its original size the way that pasta does.

So what it is? It's an oblong, bright yellow squash that looks kind of like a football and can be found in just about any grocery store. It's perfect in the fall and winter. When you pick one out, you'll want it to feel heavy for its size and without any big spots or bruises.

How do you cook it? The most popular ways to cook this squash are to bake it or microwave it. In my opinion, baking is absolutely better, but under time constraints, microwaving will definitely work. To bake, cut it in half, scrape out the seeds and put it face down on a cookie sheet. Put it in the oven on 375 for 25-30 minutes. The sticker on the squash will say that you should add water to the pan, but it's unneccessary.

To microwave, pierce liberally with a fork or knife and microwave on a plate for 10-12 minutes. Turn it over a few times during that time period. When finished, you should be able to pierce it with a fork with little resistance. Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting in half and scraping out the seeds.

Once your squash is cooked, take a fork and scrape out the insides. Scrape them against the grain and they should come out easily and look like noodles.

Now for the flavor. Like I said, you can use it exactly like a spaghetti noodle. Grab a jar of spaghetti sauce (make sure that you've sprung for the good stuff that has natural ingredients and NO SUGAR), heat some ground beef/turkey/venison in a pan, add it to the sauce and cook a little longer and pour over your squash. Or, you can use it like a side dish: toss some garlic and grass-fed butter (Kerry Gold is available at most grocery stores now) in a pan and heat them up. Add the spaghetti squash and toss to combine. You can also throw in some fresh herbs like rosemary, basil, or parsley. Season all of these with salt and pepper. An entire squash can yeild 4-6 servings.