You know, I am a mom of a three-year-old, and sometimes it’s challenging to get the “good things” in her. I honestly think my child could exist solely on peanut butter, Pop Tarts, popsicles, and cereal.
Enter Spaghetti Squash.
There are several things that I like about SS.
- First, you can roast the seeds just like pumpkin seeds.
- Second, it’s just cool how the squash comes out stringy like noodles. I can even call it a magic trick and my child believes me.
- Third, my child will eat it and she doesn’t even know she is eating veggies.
- Fourth, I will eat it and later be proud that I ate extra veggies.
Side note: I so used to laugh at those moms on commercials who would say their kids were so picky, and that’s why their kids drank PediaSure. I used to say, “My child will NOT be like that.” Famous last words. I’m pretty sure God laughs about that a lot.
A few weeks ago, I was reading Kohler Created, and Jessica had made Veggie-Stuffed Squash Boats. I loved the idea of serving the spaghetti squash in the shell. Why had I never thought of this before?
Now, spaghetti squash has a little bit of a different texture than noodles. So I like to make it into a lasagna-type meal.
Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Boats (serves 4)
Ingredients:
- 2 small spaghetti squash (you could also use one really large one—but then you wouldn’t have the cute boats.)
- olive oil (just enough to drizzle)
- salt and pepper
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1 lb. ground beef, turkey, or sausage
- 1 jar of spaghetti sauce of your choice (I used a chunky garden variety)
- Light mozzarella and parmesan cheese
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out seeds and “guts”. Rub a little EVOO on the squash (insides) and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the squash on a baking sheet (cut side down). Roast at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until the skins are soft enough for you to pierce them easily with a fork. Set aside.
While the squash bakes, heat about a tsp. of EVOO in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add diced onion. Sauté 3-4 minutes. Add garlic. Cook garlic 1 minute. Add meat. Cook until well-browned. (I use extra lean meat so it doesn’t need to be drained.) Add spaghetti sauce. Bring to a boil, then simmer until squash is fully cooked.
Let squash rest about 5 minutes after you remove it from the oven. Then, using a fork, rake the insides. They will come out in stringy pieces, sort of like pasta. Rake all 4 halves. And don’t toss out the shells—remember these are going to be your serving bowls!
Now, it’s time to make the boats, lasagna style. Each of the 4 boats should have these layers: squash, sauce, tsp. mozzarella, tsp. parmesan. Repeat with another layer of each. Then serve!
This is great comfort food: hot, ooey-gooey, and melty. Yummmmm. What a delicious way to eat your veggies.
