Community Voices for Health

By: Kristen Clifford

Lately, I’ve seen lots of questions and confusions over spaghetti squash in my Facebook feeds. A lot of my friends have been talking about how they don’t know how to cook it or the best way to eat it.

Spaghetti squash is a staple in our house, we eat it at least once a week. I love pasta, but since I’m watching my weight, carbs are not my friend. Instead, I substitute the spaghetti squash to get in my weekly pasta fix. It is super easy to make!

First, preheat your oven to 375. Then, cut your squash in half length-wise.

Then, with a spoon, scrape out all those yucky seeds and stringy things. Next, spray a baking sheet with PAM. I then like to put a little salt, pepper, and some garlic powder on the squash.

Then, flip the squash so it’s flat side down.

Just pop it into the oven for 45 minutes. When it’s done take it out and flip it back over.

Once it’s cool enough, take a fork, and scrape along the squash to get spaghetti like strands.

Then, dump the strands into a bowl, and add whatever you want to it. Some of my favorite ways to eat spaghetti squash include:

• Cook up some ground turkey and make a meat sauce, poor the sauce over the squash and viola!
• Add a little pesto sauce to the spaghetti. A little pesto can go a long way!
• Add just a little butter and whatever spices you like.

A few of my favorite recipes that add a few extra steps to the squash include:

• Spaghetti Squash Cakes: My kids like to dip these in ketchup!
• Spaghetti Squash with Grilled Chicken and Sundried Tomatoes: If you are new to spaghetti squash this is a great first time recipe with lots of flavor!
• Spicy Spaghetti Squash with Black Beans: I have yet to make this one yet, but it’s on the menu for next week!