When I first heard of Spaghetti Squash – I just didn’t get it! I didn’t even know if I liked Squash but the thought of using a vegetable (some would argue that it’s technically a fruit) as a pasta substitute baffled me. Could anything be as delicious as regular, carb filled pasta??
I decided to give it a try & this is how it turned out:
Not only does it look amazing but it taste DELICIOUS! I was really surprised by the texture and I plan to start incorporating Spaghetti Squash into my weekly dinners more often. Anytime I work with recipes I find online, I always substitute ingredients & put my own spin on it so here is the recipe I used to make my Spaghetti Squash with Shrimp.
What You Need:
sharp knife
cutting board
baking sheet or roasting pan
1 fork & spoon
small bowl
pastry brush (optional)
Ingredients:
Spaghetti Squash – I used a 2lb squash, but adjust size to the amount of servings you want.
Olive Oil
Sea Salt
Black Pepper
Butter
Garlic
Herb of your choice (rosemary, basil, thyme etc.) – I used a little ground Italian seasoning
Shrimp
Instructions:
1. Cut your squash in half lengthwise. Be very careful and go slow as it is not easy to slice.
2. Scoop out & discard the seeds. (If you would like to keep the seeds to roast them click HERE)
3. Preheat your oven to 375 °F. Take your olive oil, sea salt, black pepper & herbs and mix them together in a bowl. Using a pastry brush or spoon, brush both sides (top & bottom) of your squash generously and place them on your baking sheet with the opening facing down.
4. Bake for 40 minutes – if you have a larger squash, you might want to bake for an additional 5-10 minutes. When I removed the squash, my top was browned.
5. Remove squash from the oven and allow it to cool for about 5 minutes. Take your fork & go around your squash separating the skin, you will instantly start to see your string noodles. Then just scrape the center the same way and place in a small bowl. Use your fork or your fingers to separate any pieces that do not appear “stringy.”
*Taste the noodles. Feel free to skip the remaining steps if you are satisfied with the taste & do not want to add extra calories with the butter or add shrimp. The taste of the spaghetti with the mixture of the olive oil with salt, pepper & herbs is delicious as is.
6. Heat a pan with garlic and butter – use as much or as little as you would like. Toss in the spaghetti squash and mix for about 2 minutes so it soaks up the butter and garlic then plate.
7. These particular shrimp were already cooked so I just let them sit in room temp water and after I removed the spaghetti squash from the pan, I threw the shrimp in to catch some of the butter & garlic flavor and topped them on to the spaghetti.
Here are the steps with pictures I took while cooking:
I was surprised at what an easy meal this turned out to be. Next week I will be trying it with a meat sauce but there are endless amounts of possibilities when cooking with Spaghetti Squash. Here are a few other recipes that caught my eye.
Spicy Roasted Tomato Marinara with Spaghetti Squash
Spaghetti Squash & Meatballs
Spaghetti Squash Tostados
