Tonight I made a delicious dinner with spaghetti squash and vegetables which my husband really loved, so I thought I would share the recipe. I had a spaghetti squash sitting on my counter for a few days and I was not sure how I was going to prepare it. When I spotted the zucchinis and yellow squash at my CSA pick-up yesterday, I immediately found my answer. I think I baked my spaghetti squash a little too long tonight because it was somewhat mushy (I like the squash strands to mimic real spaghetti) but the meal was delicious, nevertheless. At the outset, let me state that this is not a difficult meal to make, but it is not a “quickie” either. In any event, it was well worth the small effort!!!
SPAGHETTI SQUASH MARINARA WITH VEGGIES
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 Spaghetti Squash
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped into thin slices
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 zucchini, chopped into matchsticks
1 yellow squash, chopped into matchsticks
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped into thin slices
3 cups canned crushed tomatoes (I like the “Muir Glen” brand)
1 cup chopped fresh basil
Salt & Pepper, to taste
Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F. Halve the spaghetti squash lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and lay squash halves flesh side down on sheet. Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until you can easily pierce the shell with a fork (it could possibly take up to 1 hour so pierce with fork every 10 minutes to check if it’s done). Remove squash from the oven and let it cool.
Meanwhile, warm 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and garlic to pan and stir until onions brown (about 10 minutes) making sure to add small amounts of water to the pan, as necessary, to prevent burning. Then, add zucchini, yellow squash and red bell pepper to pan, stir and cook for about 10 more minutes (until veggies soften up).
Add tomatoes and basil and stir everything together. Simmer over low heat for about 10 to 15 minutes.
Then, add salt and pepper to the pan, to taste. Scrape the flesh of the spaghetti squash crosswise with a fork to pull strands from its shell. Add the spaghetti squash strands to the pan, stir everything together and cook for a couple of minutes more until squash is heated through.
Serve on individual plates. Bon appetit!!