Twice Baked Spaghetti Squash
Don’t sleep on a well baked spaghetti squash. I have turned many a’folk who thought it was ‘too healthy’ and would be so weird to eat. Let me tell you, they are so delicious and versatile. This is a very simple recipe, you bake the spaghetti squash - then take fork and turn it into ‘spaghetti’. That part is very easy. Next you cook your ground beef on the stove, add tomato sauce and cheese, and bake again. Top with fresh herbs, or just eat it straight out of the squash shell and you have very little clean up afterwards.
There are multiple ways to cook a squash based on your confidence levelon cutting large squash:
Confidence Level High: With a very sharp knife, cut the squash in half lengthwise. Drizzle with olive oil and place cut side down. Bake.
Confidence Level Medium: Bake for a couple minutes whole )punch it with the tines of a fork a couple time). Remove from oven, then slice in half. Drizzle with olive oil, and bake.
Confidence Level Low: Poke with the tines of a fork, and bake whole for 45 minutes, then slice. If it isn’t turning into noodles easily, place back in oven and cook for 5-10 more minutes.
How does this magically become spaghetti?
Spaghetti squash is made of long fibrous strands that run lengthwise. These strands are held together with a lot of pectin, which is a natural plant carbohydrate that gives squash its structure
When cooked, the heat dissolves the pectin leaving you with the strands.
If you bake the squash, the strands are harder and more noodle-like.
If you boil the squash you get very soft strands.
Twice Baked Spaghetti Squash
A healthy alternative to pasta, or also a fun dish to mix in to your table.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients
2 spaghetti squash
dash of olive oil
1 lb of ground beef
1 cup of parmesan cheese
1 24oz jar of pasta sauce
Salt to taste
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Slice your spaghetti squash in half and sprinkle with olive oil. Place cut side down on baking sheet and bake for about 45 minutes, or the skin gets brown spots and it’s very soft to pierce with a fork.
Meanwhile bake the ground beef in a pan, and once it is cooked through add the pasta sauce and mix throughouly.
Mix in 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese with the beef and sauce mixture.
Once the squash is finished cooking, take a fork and rake it through the squash and you will see spaghetti strands start to form. You can do this all the way up to the skin.
After you remove the squash from the oven, increase the heat to 450 degrees.
Remove the spaghetti strands and mix them with the meat mixture, then refill each boat to the top. Top with the rest of the parmesan cheese.
Place the filled spaghetti squash back into the oven, and bake until the cheese is melted and slightly brown.
Let cool a tad and enjoy!
