While my daughter, Lindsay was visiting this week, she showed me how to roast a spaghetti squash and shred it to replace the pasta in my old spaghetti & meatball ‘go to’ recipe. In spite of being raised amidst a plethora of garden veggies as a child, I had never tried cooking a spaghetti squash. Lindsay is a huge fan of this veggie done in all kinds of ways… so now was the time to try it, when she was around to show me how to handle it.
Wow…was it easy and delicious!!! And amazingly, I did feel like I was eating spaghetti and meatballs, while my brain was congratulating me on eating the spaghetti squash in place of the usual plate of carbs!!! Who knew??? Thanks Lindsay, for dragging me kicking and screaming into the 21st century of new veggie ventures!
So I made a batch of marinara and tiny meatballs. All that remained was to roast the spaghetti squash the night of the meal.
Spaghetti Squash with Marinara & Meatballs
Ingredients:
- favorite marinara recipe, or 1 jar of marinara sauce (I like Rao’s)
- 1 dozen smallish meatballs
- 1 medium spaghetti squash
One hour before you wish to eat, preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment.
Cut the squash in two, lengthwise. Using a spoon, scrape out the seeds. Lay the halves, cut side down, on the cookie sheet. Roast for 40 minutes, just until al dente tender. You don’t want to over cook the squash as it will turn mushy. To end up with strings of squash, it should be tender but with a little ‘tooth’ still.
Allow the squash to cool for a few minutes. Holding a half with the aid of a dishtowel, use a fork to scrape long strands of the squash out of the shell.
Top with hot marinara and meatballs.
Sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese.
Delish!
