So Spaghetti Squash looks like the picture, but what do you do with it?

Spaghetti Squash can be made into a fabulous side dish or a substitute for pasta. It is chock full of vitamins and minerals too. So let’s roll with this bad boy.

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Halve the squash lengthwise, then use a spoon to scoop out and discard the seeds from the middle of each half.
3. Position the squash in a 9×13 casserole dish with the cut sides down. Pour 1/2 cup of water into the dish and bake until tender. About 30-35 minutes.
4. Rake a fork back and forth across the inside of the squash to remove its flesh in strands. It will look like spaghetti.

You can melt some butter over it and enjoy it as is. Or you can try out this yummy recipe from Whole Foods and make it into a main dish. Serves 4 people.

You will need:

1. The spaghetti squash you just made (About a 3.5 pound squash)
2. Two links of fresh Italian pork sausage, removed from casings (You can substitute this for other meat or leave out all together, depending on your cultural or dietary needs)
3. 1/2 cup finely chopped yellow onion
4. Two cups of pasta sauce
5. 1.5 tablespoons of softened butter
6. One clove of garlic, mashed into a paste (Or you can just buy the pre-pasted stuff)
7. 1/2 teaspoon of dried basil
8. Four slices of bread (Any kind you would like)

Steps:

1. While the squash is baking per the directions above, heat a skillet and cook sausage (or other meat), breaking it into smaller pieces until almost done. About 5 minutes.
2. Add onion to pork and cook 6 to 8 minutes more.
3. Add pasta sauce to pork and onion and simmer 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Keep it warm while you lather the bread with garlic and butter. Put the bread on a baking sheet and cook for 10 minutes in the oven at 375 degrees.
5. Portion the squash into bowls and top with the sauce mixture and serve with garlic bread.

YUM!!

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Image Credit: mattox via stock.xchng.com