Spaghetti Squash

Let’s talk spaghetti squash!  One of my favorite parts of Autumn food is all the different squashes.  Spaghetti squash is definitely a Waller Family favorite.  It doesn’t have a strong flavor, and it substitutes perfectly for pasta.  For my guys, they seem to really like the texture.  The other day I made Chicken Parmesan with spaghetti squash in place of pasta, and it was completely devoured. 

Below I have my basic steps for preparing spaghetti squash.  After it’s been fully cooked, I usually sauté it in a pan with olive oil, garlic, S&P and finish it off with parmesan cheese. 

First, slice off the ends so that you can stand it upright and cut it easily down the middle without it wobbling around.

Next, cut it straight down the middle and scrape out all the seeds (Xavier loves scraping out the seeds).

I then place the prepared squash into a large pot and cover with water.  I set over high heat to come to a boil and start checking after 10 minutes for doneness.  I just poke the skin side with a fork and if it penetrates easily, then it's ready (in the pic below, you can see how the fork easily broke the skin of the squash.) 

After the squash is done, I lay the halves on a cooling rack or just set it on a baking sheet to drain well & cool. 

When its cool enough to handle, you just scrape out the strands of squash (also one of Xavier's favorite parts) into a bowl and refrigerate until ready to use.

Lil' Chef X scraping out spaghetti squash.