I was an odd child growing up. I preferred steamed vegetables over cake and candy. I cried when it was pizza night but cheered when we were having brussel sprouts or squash. Like I said, I was odd. My dad was the cook in the family, and he loved vegetables. I remember him making spaghetti, butternut, and acorn squash. This morning I was reading the latest issue of Runners World Magazine, and I stumbled across instructions for cooking spaghetti squash. Then I recalled that my mom told me she recently tried spaghetti made with the squash instead of pasta. I decided I'd do that myself. I actually had never tried spaghetti squash in spaghetti, so I was excited. I captured the process in photos.
 |
| November 2010 issue |
 |
| My squash. After removing the sticker, I put several holes in it then baked at 400C for an hour. |
 |
| Since my meatballs do not come close to Chris's mom's meatballs, I opted to buy the delicious Publix meatballs. They come on a bed of spinach, which I tossed in the pan as well. These really are delicious! They do tend to run a little on the greasy side, so I cook them then pat them on paper towels. I added mushrooms too after the picture. |
 |
| Sauce. These were on sale, buy-one-get-one-free at Publix. Being on a budget, I love a good sale. |
 |
| I wasn't sure how much of the squash would be edible, and Chris seemed hesitant to try the squash, so I decided to cook some pasta as well. This tri-colored fettuccine has a whole serving of vegetables, and it was also on sale. |
 |
| While the meatballs and pasta were cooking, I let the squash cool before cutting it. |
 |
| The cooked squash. |
 |
| I scooped out all of the seeds. |
 |
| Scraping out the deliciousness. |
 |
| It looks like spaghetti! |
 |
| I added some salt and pepper. Delicious by itself! |
 |
| I used a few noodles, but mostly the squash. Then I topped with sauce (including meatballs and mushrooms) and some Parmesan/Ramona (?) cheese. |
 |
| After mixing it all together. |
DELICIOUS!!!! The squash added a bit of a crunch which I enjoyed. Chris even enjoyed it and had seconds (including squash!). I will definitely make this meal again. I also intend to cook butternut and acorn squash while they are in season.
EmoticonEmoticon