Spaghetti Squash

This week, I tried several new recipes.  One I'm most excited about is the Spaghetti Squash.  I had never had it before, and I honestly didn't know what a spaghetti squash looked like.  I love squash, and I know that it's healthy.  So, I wanted to try it!  I found the recipe on Skinny Taste, so I knew that it was going to be both healthy and tasty!

Ingredients:

• 1 large spaghetti squash
• salt and pepper (to taste)

For the Meat Sauce:

• 1 lb ground beef or turkey 
• 1 tsp butter
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 onion, finely chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
• 1 celery stalk, finely chopped
• 1 28oz can of crushed tomatoes
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1 bay leaf

Well, I didn't have an onion, so I substituted minced onion.  I also didn't put celery in the sauce, and I used chicken broth instead of white wine.  I didn't have whole bay leaves, so I substituted 1/4 tsp crushed bay leaves (it's mainly for flavor) and it worked quite well!

Oh, and once I started looking around the produce section of Wal-Mart, I found a spaghetti squash!  I was so excited!

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  
• Cut spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds (much like a pumpkin).  Season with salt and pepper and bake in the oven (cut side up) for 1 hour.

• Meanwhile, in a large saute pan, melt butter and add oil.  Add onions, celery, and carrots and saute them on medium-low for 2-3 minutes, until soft.
• Add meat and season with salt.  Brown the meat and break down into smaller pieces with your spoon.

• When the meat is cooked through, add tomatoes and adjust the salt and pepper to taste.
• Add wine (or chicken broth) and cook until it reduces a little bit, then add the bay leaf and cover.

• Reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for about an hour.  Stir occasionally.
• When the spaghetti squash is cooked, let it cool for about 10 minutes.   

(Here's what mine looked like when it came out.)

• When cool (I still used a pot holder to hold the squash), use a fort to remove the flesh, which will come out in long spaghetti-like strands.

• I dumped the squash into a bowl and kept it warm until the sauce was finished.

From there, make your spaghetti!  I paired the spaghetti with homemade whole-wheat bread sticks, and a salad with homemade Italian dressing!  I was very pleased with how it turned out, and I think I will keep it in our meal rotation!

Happy cooking!! :]