I’m trying to keep calories and carbs low, but I get starved for a good Italian marinara. One of the best solutions I know is to use spaghetti squash. You might have seen it in the store, but you weren’t quite sure what to do with it. If you’ve never tried it, you’re in for a treat.
I get two to four meals out of a squash, depending on the size. Cut it in half first, then if it’s a large squash, into quarters. Scoop out the seeds first, or you’ll be sorry! Trying to pick them out of the squash when it’s cooked is not something you would want to do twice! Yeah, I did it once by mistake!
Once the seeds are out, place the cut side down in a glass dish with a little water (about ½ inch) in the dish. Some might bake it in the oven, but I find the easiest way to prepare it is to cover it with plastic wrap (punch a couple holes in it) and nuke it for 8-10 minutes. You might want to check it because time depends on the size of the piece.
In the meantime, open a jar of the best marinara you can buy and heat it, or make your own if you have time and prefer your own. I’m usually in too much of a hurry!
When the squash is done, hold it carefully with a good potholder, because it’s HOT. With a fork, scrape out the insides. If you’ve never done this before, you’ll be amazed at the spaghetti-like strands coming out. Keep scraping until you get all you can out of it.
Cut up the rind and put in your compost or feed to your chickens!
Pour the hot marinara over it, mix slightly, and eat! Sometimes I skip the marinara and use a lot of freshly shredded Romano Pecarino. It’s absolutely delicious – and light on calories! Experiment with spaghetti squash and let me know what you create.
A hui hou!
Oh yes, I do love spaghetti squash! I’m accustomed to the very young squash that is still slightly lime-green in color, rather than the yellow squash that I see at the market. I slice it in half, remove the seeds and place 3 or 4 cloves of garlic in each side, a couple of tablespoons of butter (I know, I know) and bake till the squash strands pull away from the shell easily – season with a little salt. It’s a great side dish and I usually can eat one half by myself.
Oh my! That sounds delicious,Evie – and I don’t even mind the butter. It’s better for us than margarine! I’ll have to try it that way, especially since I’m a garlic fanatic. I hope we get other ways of fixing it from our readers. Thanks so much for contributing your own version! (I’m still full from your Chili Colorado Burrito I ate this afternoon – so it’s hard to think about more food!)
Aloha,
Lucy