Italian Spaghetti Squash

The very first time I had spaghetti squash it was a no-go for me. I didn’t like it because I was comparing it to spaghetti – my first mistake.  Fast forward a few years and this time I’m enjoying its texture and flavor. It’s a great low-carb, vegetarian/vegan option with a lot of health benefits.

Like acorn or butternut, it’s not an easy squash to slice. No worries because you can just put it whole in your pressure cooker with a cup of water and in 30 minutes you can just peel off the skin.

A couple of tips:

• Don’t cut the squash if you want long spaghetti-like strands. I have made the mistake of cutting it vertically which cuts your strands in half. If you want to cut it, you want to cut it so you have two round halves; not oblong ones. 
• Wring out the water. Wrap your strands in a towel and wring it until all the water is removed. 

This recipe is an easy side dish made with roasted vegetables (more squash), tomatoes and a little bit of pesto for added flavor.

Recipe – Makes 3 to 4 side-dish servings

1 small spaghetti squash

1 cup of yellow squash, medium dice

1 cup of zucchini, medium dice

1/2 cup of cherry tomatoes

1 – 2 tablespoons of pesto

1/2 tablespoon of Italian seasoning

1 tablespoon of oil

Salt and pepper

1//4 cup of Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375

In a pressure cooker add your whole spaghetti squash with 1 cup of water. Set to high pressure for 30 minutes. Once finished, relieve the remaining pressure. Let cool and set aside.

Meanwhile, spray a nonstick cookie sheet and add the diced vegetables and cherry tomatoes with 1 tablespoon of oil, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper and mix with your hands until coated and combined.  Roast in oven for about 30 minutes until vegetables are beginning to brown. Flip half way through cooking time.  Let cool.

Once your spaghetti squash is cool you can transfer to a large bowl and remove the outer skin.  With a fork, remove the interior seeds. Pierce the squash to get to the spaghetti strands. Once you have all the strands place into a large towel and squeeze out all of the water. You want the squash as dry as possible.

Add pesto to the spaghetti squash and combine. Toss with roasted vegetables and cheese.