My new love - spaghetti squash

I was a little skeptical of trying spaghetti squash for the first time.  When I thought of squash I always went straight for the little crook neck yellow squash, but now I have branched out to spaghetti squash, acorn squash & butternut squash (my absolute favorite).  Spaghetti squash is a perfect alternative to pasta (but I still eat pasta).  I love this recipe because you actually serve the sauce right in the squash!

Spaghetti Squash Boats

1 medium spaghetti squash (or more depending on how many you are feeding)
1 Tbl. olive oil
salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Slice spaghetti squash lengthwise in half and scrape out the seeds.  Rub with olive oil and season with salt & pepper.  Place squash face down on a foil lined baking sheet and bake for about one hour.  Squash will be tender to the touch and a little brown on top when done.

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce (or whatever sauce you use when making spaghetti)

1 lb. grass fed ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cans of organic diced tomatoes
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried basil
crushed red pepper or cayenne pepper (to taste)
Parmesan cheese for topping

In large pan, saute onion, bell pepper & garlic in olive oil until softened.  Add ground beef and cook until browned.  Add tomatoes and spices.  Once sauce starts to boil, reduce heat and let simmer for at least 30 minutes.

When spaghetti squash is fully cooked, flip over on your baking sheet so it is skin side down.  Evenly divide the sauce and top each "boat" with a little parmesan cheese.  Turn oven to broil and cook for another 2 minutes or until cheese is browned and bubbling.  Watch it closely because it doesn't take long.

NOTE:  I don't always use this particular spaghetti sauce recipe, sometimes I use Newman's Own Sockarooni and just add a few more things to it.  You can also just serve this with a marinara sauce for a really quick meal.

Don't forget to foil line your pan - easy clean up!

Right out of the broiler.  Just scrape the sides down with every bite.  It's so good, you will not even miss the pasta.  Can you guess which one belongs to my husband?:)

I've got a few more squash recipes that I'll be sharing soon.  Hope you enjoy!