Sunday, November 18, 2012

Spaghetti Squash Parmesan

I haven't spent as much time in the kitchen as I'd like - life has been busy and lately its been a matter of just eat and run, or depending on how late I get home from work, eat and sleep.
I've also recently switched from wanting to bake tons of sweets (I LOVE baking and sharing sweets - just saying!) to discovering really tasty  "healthy" food - mostly meaning more vegetables. Veggies and I just don't get along as we should, and I'm not really sure why. Probably because I'm supposed to eat them. Whatever the case, I've been trying to do better on that front.
One veggie that I'm still battling with is squash. I go through phases of loving it and hating it. I'm heading back into an "I love it" phase, but it's a slow process. On Pinterest (oh, beloved Pinterest), I found several spaghetti squash dish recipes and decided that I wanted to try one. My concern was that it made a pretty large amount and I didn't want to make something new just for the three of us at home, so I decided to make it for the ward Thanksgiving potluck last night (sorry- it's true...if you try something I've brought to a ward function, 9 times out of 10 it was the first time I made it...and I am ALWAYS crossing my fingers that it's not horrible). As I put the squash in the oven, I began dreading it. I was fairly certain that I had lost my mind and that this wasn't going to even turn out, let alone taste good.
But I followed the instructions and behold, I have a new FAVORITE dish. Seriously!! I told my mom I may never crave macaroni and cheese again (which is HUGE if you know me well)!
I've heard people say "it's just like eating spaghetti" - wrong!! DON'T expect that! Expect squash with a noodle-like shape. If you're expecting pasta, you're sure to be disappointed. I'm also planning on playing with this recipe, and of course making my own version at a later time. I'm imagining pesto for starters...
Here's the recipe...original recipe and comments can be found here:


Spaghetti Squash Parmesan
1 (1 1/2 lb) spaghetti squash
4 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1/2 cup hot water
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, shredded, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white or black pepper


  1. 1
    Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
  2. 2
    Cut the squash in half lengthwise; remove and discard seeds. Place squash on a baking sheet. Bake until tender, about 1 hour. Separate the strands of squash with a fork and place in a medium bowl; discard shells. Maintain the oven temperature.
  3. 3
    Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour. Reduce heat to low. Cook mixture, stirring continually, for 5 minutes.
  4. 4
    Dissolve bouillon cubes in hot water. Stir into flour mixture. Add milk gradually, whisking continually.
    1. 5
      Cook the sauce, stirring frequently, until thickened, about 10 minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan, salt and black pepper.
    2. 6
      Add squash to the sauce and mix well. Spoon into a 3-quart baking dish. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan. Bake until bubbly and golden, about 30 minutes.

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