Spaghetti Squash

Facebook has become a place to get inspired for food ideas, as a lot of my friends and family have begun posting what they are having for dinner that night, or what they are baking that day. Spaghetti squash was one such inspiration, as both my cousin and mom were using it for their dinners.

I have tried spaghetti squash once before, and while I am not a big fan of squash, I was pleasantly surprised to find that just like it's name, it looks and tastes much like spaghetti, without the calories and guilt of eating a huge plateful of pasta. In fact, this recipe is all vegetables- so eat as much as you want! It's good for you!

Ingredients:

1 medium spaghetti squash
white button mushrooms
red onion, thinly sliced
olive oil
garlic
your favorite pasta sauce
parmesan cheese (optional)

1.) Wash your spaghetti squash and then pierce multiple times with a knife. Stick the squash into the microwave on high for about 15 minutes, or until tender. (Mine took about 12 minutes.)

2.) While the squash is cooking, put the garlic and red onion with olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Cook until the onion is soft. Add the mushrooms and cook til soft. Take the pan off the heat and set aside.

3.) Let the squash cool, then cut it in half. Scoop out the seeds from the middle. With a fork, scrape the squash strands out into a large bowl- this will take some time. There are a lot of strands of squash!

4.) Once all the spaghetti squash strands are in the bowl, top with the red onion, garlic, and mushrooms.

5.) Serve immediately. You can either put pasta sauce directly on top, or have it in a bowl for people to add themselves. Add parmesan if desired.