Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

I subscribe to one philosophy when I'm cooking, which is that if you don't put anything bad into the dish, it probably won't taste bad. Likewise, if you only put tasty things into a recipe, odds are it's going to wind up pretty tasty. That's how I cook.

This philosophy proved true last night when I concocted a version of a recipe that I've seen floating its way around the interwebs lately - stuffed spaghetti squash.

My old roommate used to cook spaghetti squash all the time, but I'd never tried it myself until last night. For those of you who aren't familiar, it's a big, hard-skinned squash that you can roast and then scoop out the insides. They look just like spaghetti and have a mild taste.

Many people serve the "spaghetti" as a side dish, but I'd seen these stuffed versions and I was intrigued.

I started by browning some spicy "Italian-style" chicken sausage. (Had I been by myself, I would have omitted the sausage, but SK is mid-western and prefers his meat with a side of meat.)

 While that cooked, I split the squash in half and laid the two halves face down on a baking sheet with a little water on the bottom. I roasted them in a 375-degree oven and got to work cutting my veggies.

Tomato, Zucchini, Red Pepper. There's also Onion, Garlic, Spinach and Mushrooms off to the side.

 As I cooked all the vegetables together in a saute pan, I removed the squash (It was about 30 minutes) and scooped the "guts" into a separate bowl.

Then I tossed the cooked sausage, scooped squash, and spinach into the saute pan with the veggies and mixed it together with some bread crumbs and "quatro formaggio" mix from Trader Joes. (Don't be like me. Use an appropriately sized pan.)

Once the mixture is combined - you guessed it -- stuff it back into the squash "shell."

Then, CHEESE! (I used shredded mozzarella.)

I baked them in the oven (which I left on, so it stayed at 375 degrees) for 20 minutes until the cheese melted.

As you can see, this makes a LOT of food. It turned out completely delicious, but those shells are enormous. I could only finish half of one.

Give this one a try - you won't be disappointed! What I like most is that it's infinitely adaptable - I've seen Southwestern versions, pizza versions -- anything you want!

xoxo,

b