Ramblings On Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti Squash

As an Italian, I have an appreciation for anything involving the word spaghetti. Even better when it involves the word marinara. As a woman who is fighting her genes and her cravings, however, the word spaghetti can be a little terrifying. So. Many. Carbs. I've evolved over the years from a giant plate of white pasta to a single serving of wheat pasta. Definitely an improvement. But I still don't eat it as much as I would like. 

By now, most people (if not all) in the healthy eating world know about Spaghetti Squash. To say I was reluctant to try it would be a massive understatement. There was just no way in my mind that a vegetable could replace all that carb magic. I bit the bullet and tried it anyways. 

Here's my reaction: No, it's not pasta. It will never be pasta. 

Shocker right? Most posts you read say "It's just like real pasta!" No...Just No. It IS, however, a wonderful pasta alternative. It's a little bit crunchy, has very little taste, and twirls around a fork pretty well. You can season it however you want, add whatever you want to it, and BONUS when you eat it, you get a serving of veggies. 

My favorite way to eat it (so far) has been with some marinara and Parmesan. I'm not too picky in that respect. I don't insist of freshly grated cheese. The regular junk from the pasta isle in the grocery store works for me. I do love me some homemade sauce (the thought of sauce from a jar used to make me cringe). These days, however,  I'm decidedly low maintenance (cough*lazy*cough). I use Prego Lite Smart. Its simple and easy. I sometimes dress it us with veggies and meat, but I'll make a post about that later. 

The moral of this rambling adventure into the squash world is this: if you're a die-hard spaghetti lover who doesn't like vegetables, I would probably stay away. I'm all for people trying new foods, but this is not spaghetti, and if you get it into your mind that it will be just like the real thing, you probably will be disappointed. But, if you're willing to venture into the unknown and try it, you probably won't regret it. I have spaghetti squash a couple of days a week now, and I really do love it. So hey, give it a shot. They're pretty cheap at the grocery store and you may end up loving it. :)

How to cook a Spaghetti Squash

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F.
2. Wash the outside of it. (Yes, I'm serious. It grosses me out when people don't wash fruits and veggies before eating or cooking them)
3. CAREFULLY (could I be more obnoxiously insistent?) cut the squash in half from the stem to the bottom. This will be very very difficult. Use a really really big knife and be really really careful. 
4. Scoop the seeds out of the squash (like a pumpkin). 
5. Brush the inside and the outside of the squash with EVOO (Olive oil for people like me who had no idea that that's what that stood for).
6. Sprinkle it with any desired seasonings. I sprinkle the crap out of it with garlic. 
7. Put on a cookie sheet covered in foil and bake for about 40 minutes. The outside of the skin should be easily pierced with a knife. 
8. Run a fork along the inside of the squash to pull out the "spaghetti". This might not make sense, but once you start, I promise you will get the hang of it. 
9. Enjoy :)