Raise your right hand
And repeat after me....
"I promise - to try something new".
Like Spaghetti Squash. Really, I'm not kidding. I've seen this dish prepared several times in magazines and on TV, but haven't been brave enough to try it myself until last weekend. I love all members of the squash family, except yellow squash. It's weird. And Big Granny makes a mean squash casserole. Squash, butter, cheese, saltine cracker crunchies on top....I should love this dish but somehow I don't. And since spaghetti squash is yellow I automatically decided that I wouldn't like it. But the intrigue of finding noodles inside a squash was just too powerful - I had to give it at least one shot. And it was great! Not at all what I expected. The taste was almost sweet, like a sweet potato. And the texture was a little firm. Overall, a great dish. And a good swap for any noodle dish. I'm not saying they taste exactly like noodles because they don't. But they taste good enough and the concept is fun enough to soften even the toughest critic.
Here's what I did:
Using a very big knife, cut the squash in half. Be careful, this is VERY tough. I was very concerned about losing a finger in this process.
Once you have it open, scoop out it's guts (seeds and stringy things)
Place it face down in a pan with about an inch or so of water.
Bake in oven at 425 for 45 minutes or so (or top of skin gives way when pressed)
Take a fork and just run across the cooked meat. It will instantly break off into noodles.
Throw all squash noodles in a bowl. Toss lightly with melted butter, garlic and fresh Parmesan cheese.
I served with chicken breast.
Next time I want to do the whole pasta thing and try with a marinara sauce.
5 comments:
I'm willing to try this. Really. But, I got lost in this sentence:
Take a fork and just run across the cooked meat. It will instantly break off into noodles
Is a squash that's been cooked considered "meat" at this point?
Help your old friend out here...:-)
Sorry, I guess I should have said "flesh". I'm not sure where I got that - I've often called the middle part of fruits or vegetables as the "meat". I wish I could tell you it would taste like steak, but I can't. I can still vouch for a strong sweet potato likeness though :)
It's sure worth a shot! I like squash......especially GRANNY squash. Come to think of it, anything mixed with cheese, creamy sauce and ritz crackers is a winner in my book!
And, I love sweet potatoes so I really think this might be a winner in our house. I'll keep you posted!
I feel that I must rise to the defense of my daughter. :)
I hereby offer the following definition from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary.
Meat:
1 a: food ; especially : solid food as distinguished from drink b: the edible part of something as distinguished from its covering (as a husk or shell)
So Spaghetti squash prepared with marinara made me wanting the good ol' carb loaded Italian noodles, but prepared with butter and cheese sounds like a winner. I will definitely try that.
Have you given butternut squash a try? Still very hard to cut, so watch those fingers. Yummy when prepared roasted in the oven with a sprinkle of brown sugar and cinnamon.
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