05
Mar
If you haven’t heard about it yet, spaghetti squash is all the rage these days. For the carb lovers out there, this vegetable is touted to be your answer to prayer. I, myself, am not a pasta-kind-of-a-girl, but if I were, I’d be hitting up the spaghetti squash aisle at my local grocer. Since I am not so much the pasta lover, I cannot personally verify all of the claims that spaghetti squash can fulfill all of your carb longings and meet all of your comfort food needs. I just can’t do that. Despite my lack of love for noodles and pasta, what I have been striving for is a more veggie filled lifestyle. That led me to pursue the cooking of this so-called miracle food that tastes “just like pasta” but is actually a vegetable.
I just happen to be the person who pins recipes on the Southern Valley Pinterest page (and if you haven’t checked it out, I highly encourage you to), and in doing so, I get first dibs at all the recipes that come across the page. As part of my healthy eating plan, I searched and I schemed and I found a recipe that I thought might be A. Easy and B. Delicious C. Healthy. That recipe can be found here: Ari’s Menu – Lasagna Stuffed Spaghetti Squash
Problem is, I’m not too much of a recipe follower, which can be potentially disastrous when you are making something for the first time – just ask those who have eaten my cooking. Yikes. Anyway, I did use the recipe at the above link as a base for how I cooked my spaghetti squash lasagna.
I started off by cooking my Spaghetti Squash whole, instead of cutting it in half first. This could be because I am lazy, could be because it is easier, could be because I have dull knives. Either way, it’s just easier this way folks. Once it is cooked, it is much easier to slice in half and scooping out the seeds is no biggie at all. Cook it like a potato – pierce it with a fork prior to cooking and cook at 400 until fork tender (approximately 1 hour).
Beyond that, I used beef instead of turkey because that was what I had in my freezer. I used pork sausage instead of chicken or turkey sausage cause that was what was in my freezer. I know beef and pork producers, but no turkey farmers, so there you have it. I also used whatever amount of crushed tomatoes I had on my pantry shelf – no measurement involved. She said the sauce was forgiving and I took her word for it. She was right. Moral of the story is, feel free to change it up according to your preferences and product availability.
The last change I made was using all cottage cheese instead of ricotta cheese. Just like every other form of lasagna, you really can’t mess it up. Layer some sauce, meat, cheese, and noodles – or in this case squash – and you’ve got a recipe for lasagna. I layered it as she suggested and cooked it as she suggested and what we were left with was a beautiful lasagna stuffed spaghetti squash with each bite encompassing a scoop of sauce, cheese, and spaghetti squash.
Will I ever suggest that spaghetti squash tastes just like pasta? No. And judging by my own admission of not being a pasta lover, I will never have the credentials to do so. But, I found this dish to be relatively easy, fairly delicious, and surprisingly satisfying. I am convinced that you will too!