Recipes

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Cheesy Spaghetti (Squash) with Sauce

I've only had spaghetti squash a few times in my life.  The first time I had spaghetti squash was at my friend Michelle's house when I was in elementary school.  I had never heard of the veggie, and I vividly remember being apprehensive with the thought of trying a new food (I wasn't the ultimate picky eater growing up, but I was pretty darn close - probably would have been more fun to read my mom's blog about me...but alas the internet didn't even exist then).  My friend made it sound pretty appealing though, so amazingly I tried it and didn't mind it (that was HUGE).  The next time I had spaghetti squash was probably about 2 years ago when I decided to make it myself.  I wasn't quite sure how long to cook it, and assuming that the longer you roast a veggie the better it is, I roasted it for waaaaay too long.  It tasted fine, but with all the roasting it was one big mush and I missed out on the fun spaghetti strands.  Luckily, when I bought the spaghetti squash this week, my squash came with an instruction sticker:
This time the spaghetti strands came out perfectly!  After mixing it with some sauce and cheese, and throwing in some tofu, my meal was done.  Henry was actually pretty excited about the "spaghetti" and kept calling for "noo-noo" (noodles).  He ate a few hefty bites of the squash, but did not find the tofu that appealing.  I was impressed, however, because tonight when I asked if he wanted to try the tofu, he said "okay", took the piece of tofu, and put it right in his mouth.  Unfortunately within a second of biting into it, he found it revolting and spit it right out - gotta love that he was so willing to try it though! Overall, thumbs up for spaghetti squash, and we'll need to try again with tofu :)


Cheesy Spaghetti (Squash) with Sauce & Tofu
1 spaghetti squash
2 tablespoons olive oil
12 ounces tofu, cubed
1/2 jar spaghetti sauce
3 slices muenster cheese (or any cheese), torn into small pieces (or use shredded cheese)

1.  Preheat oven to 375.  

2.  Microwave spaghetti squash for 4 minutes.  Then slice in half and scoop out seeds.  Place cut-side down on baking sheet, and bake in oven for about 25 minutes.  Once cooled slightly, use a fork to shred out the spaghetti strands.  Set aside.

3.  In a pan, heat oil.  Add cubes of tofu and lightly brown on all sides.  Pour out excess oil, and add in the spaghetti squash.  Add sauce and cheese.  Stir together and let warm through.

Happy and (mostly) healthy eating!

2 comments:

  1. Hey Ali,

    I also have a great "recipe" that I use for sp. squash. I cook the squash in the microwave, 7-9 min (depending on the size) per side (you rotate halfway after 7-9 min) then scoop out all the seeds and this stringy parts. While this is all going on I saute garlic, chopped basil (I usually use that fresh frozen cube kind), tomatoes and summer squash. After it's all gotten to the desired consistency I add the sp. squash and a little EVOO. I top with parmesean and it's delish! Thanks for the posting!

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  2. Yum! I'll have to try that next time...I love anything with Parmesan cheese on top :) Thanks for sharing!

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