Caprese Spaghetti Squash

While in Spain my family began to rave about their favorite new recipe involving spaghetti squash. I was very excited and slightly intrigued by the idea of a squash that when baked resembles pasta. I’ve seen recipes in the past for baked spaghetti squash and passed the rotund yellow squash numerous times in the vegetable aisle. Im always up to try new recipes and new foods and I have yet to find a squash that I don’t like, so for me this wasn’t a stretch. But for all who may be skeptical or scared of something new don’t be! Spaghetti squash is so versatile, and easy to make, not to mention super healthy and the perfect light summer meal!

How to Bake Spaghetti Squash:

Method: Pierce the squash several times with a sharp knife.
Bake: About an hour at 375 F, rotating about half way through.

stab the squash when an hour is up to check if its done. The knife should come out easily when done.

– cut squash in half(we cut it the short way but either way works), remove seeds and set aside (if you want to bake them like pumpkin seeds, if not throw them away), scrap the inside of the squash with a fork to make long spaghetti-like strands.

Mixins: Like I said, spaghetti squash is so versatile and you can treat it like any pasta so feel free to mix it up and get creative. The following are the ingredients that we used.

– Mozzarella

– Tomato

– Spinach

– Basil

– Salt and Pepper

– Olive oil

Once the squash has been completely scrapped there are two ways that you can finish the meal:

a) Mix the squash with the ingredients listed above, stuff them back in the squash and drizzle with a little olive oil put in the oven to bake in the residual heat until cheese starts to melt and spinach starts to shrink. To make the cheese extra bubbly put the oven on broil and broil squash until just slightly brown, keep a close eye on the squash so it does not burn. serve and enjoy

b) heat olive oil in a sauté pan. once warmed add squash, spinach, tomatoes, salt and pepper and sauté till squash is soft and spinach cooked down. shut heat off add mozzarella and cover till cheese melted. serve and enjoy