Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Spaghetti Squash Bake


Making any dish with spaghetti squash is a little bit of work, but well worth it. You save a boatload of calories by using this veggie instead of pasta noodles, and it's so versatile you'll never get sick of it!

What you need:
For the sauce
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
1 small can tomato paste
1 small onion, diced
5-6 mushrooms, chopped
1/2 green pepper, diced
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
To your preference: sugar, fresh basil, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper

For the rest:
1 medium spaghetti squash
fresh mozzarella, sliced
chicken, optional


What you do
1. Saute the onions, mushrooms, garlic and pepper on medium heat until tender. Add in the canned goods and season with herbs, sugar and parmesan. Let simmer on low for 15-20 minutes.
2. To prepare the squash, first cut in half long-ways. Spoon out the seeds and stringy-guts and discard. Cut the halves in half again. Fill a baking dish with about an inch of water. Place the squash in the dish on its side, cover with plastic wrap and microwave for 8 minutes. Caution, this WILL be hot! Rotate the squash and microwave for another 8 minutes. You'll know when the squash is done when you can run a fork through the flesh and it easy strings apart.
3. To assemble the dish, spread a little sauce on the bottom of the pan. Layer half the squash, add a little butter, salt and pepper. Next, spread about a third of the sauce, then the rest of the squash, chicken and the remaining sauce. Top with your sliced mozzarella and place in the oven for 25 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly.