… and fool your kids into thinking it’s pasta!
Well maybe not fool them, but at least get them to try it! A real estate colleague/tennis partner and I get together a couple times of year for lunch and sharing work stories (we were both realtors- I’m on sabbatical this year). She is a great cook and she always shares quick recipes for me. She knows that I break out into hives in the kitchen so over our last lunch she shared a few squash recipes. I usually nod my head and opt out of sharing the closest thing to a squash my family will eat is an Ore-Ida tater tot.
The first two times I tried to make spaghetti squash I gave up when I couldn’t cut the squash in half. Yep, I thought maybe I had to bake it first before I cut it in half. I tried the microwave to soften the spaghetti squash: nothing. So when a Trader Joes’ opened up { kind of} near us, I decided to try it for a 3rd time. Third times a charm, right? Except this time I texted my friend for step by step instructions. Apparently, the first cut into the spaghetti squash is the hardest and then it is relatively easy. She said I could bake it in the oven or the microwave, but I thought the oven sounded well more conventional (sorry- I had to say it).
Per my friend’s instructions I scooped up the seeds from both halves (like a pumpkin), added a 1/2 inch of water to the bottom of a ceramic baking dish and placed the 2 sides of the spaghetti squash facing up and baked for 30-35 minutes. I let it cool for a few minutes and then scraped the sides with a fork and it shredded just like spaghetti. I did it! I was so excited to share this spaghetti squash recipe!
I wish I could say my family loved it, but not quite yet. I think they need to ease into it. Remember the tater tot comment above. . My boys thought it tasted like cooked cauliflower or carrots. My daughter and I loved it. My goal this year is to cook more meatless dishes. This is a great side or served as a pasta substitute.
Linking: Share your Cup
I love spaghetti squash, hubby not so much. I’ll have to try this on him. lol! Thanks for sharing it with SYC.
hugs,
Jann
I make spaghetti squash about once a week for my daughter and me. I’ll make regular pasta for the hubs if he’s home. He’s not a fan. I’m obsessed. I always microwave it because I can’t stand cutting it. Our favorite recipe lately has been to take out the strands and mix with tomato sauce, veggies, cheese and vegetarian sausage then put it back in the shell to bake. So filling and good!
That sounds great Heather! So don’t have to slice it if you put it in microwave? How long do you cook it?