This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
12/06/2017 11:01 PMMy least favorite part of spaghetti squash is getting to the good stuff inside. Unless you have a really great, sharp knife, and good knife skills, it can be daunting to slice it in two while prepping it to be cooked.
Then I recently read some tips on the blog Eat Within Your Means, and now I am better equipped to handle this. Beth, the author of the blog, gives three great tips:
First, cutting it around the circumference, rather than longwise, results in longer strands of “spaghetti,” since the strands spiral around the width of the squash, rather than the length of it.
Her second tip? Prick it all over with a knife, and then pop it in the microwave for five minutes or so, to soften it up first before you attempt to cut it half. And, in fact, this did soften it up to the point where it was more manageable.
Her third tip is to, after you cut it in half, to salt it generously and let it sit for 15 minutes to draw some of the water out of the strands before you cook it entirely. Then, rinse it and wipe off all the water, and prep it to be cooked.
For this recipe, I covered the halves with olive oil, and cooked them in a preheated 400-degree oven for half an hour, on a parchment paper-covered cookie sheet. It came out just right. Thank you, Beth! To find out more tips, her reasoning behind her techniques, and to view a video, visit eatwithinyourmeans.com/how-to-cook-spaghetti-squash/.
To make this an easy weeknight meal, prep the squash in the morning while you’re getting ready to head out for the day’s adventures, and finish up when you get home.
Here’s the rest of the recipe. This version is vegan and gluten free, but, please, don’t feel the need to tell people that up front because they will blanch and move on to the next dish. If I don’t tell people it’s vegan and gluten free, they usually love it and gobble it up.
Super Simple
Spaghetti Squash
by Pem McNerney
Ingredients:
One cooked spaghetti squash, hot out of the oven
2 tablespoons good quality olive oil
2 teaspoons Herbs de Provence (I use Penzey’s or buy them by the small bag at Foodworks spice counter)
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 cups Rao’s marinara sauce or tomato and basil sauce, or spaghetti sauce of your choice
1 to 2 cups mozzarella balls (I used Three Girls Vegan Creamery cashew mozz balls)
1 cup good parm or Three Girls Vegan Creamery cashew parm
Directions
Using two small casseroles, divide the hot squash into two portions. Drizzle each with one tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon Herbs de Provence, plenty of good sea salt, and freshly ground pepper. Mix gently, so as not to break the strands.
Put a cup of tomato sauce on each. Slice in mozz, and distribute gently.
Top with the parm.
Serve immediately or can be rewarmed and served later. If using the vegan cashew mozz balls, watch carefully while reheating, so that they do not melt entirely into the casserole. If it does, it will still taste great, but it won’t look as good.
Note: The Three Girls Vegan Creamery items can be obtained at the creamery store 350 Stepstone Hill Road, Guilford, on select Sundays when the store is open (you can follow them on Facebook), or it’s sometimes stocked at FoodWorks in Guilford in the dairy case.