Garlic Spaghetti Squash Recipe

Growing up my Aunt Lana would make spaghetti squash from time to time, and from my memory it was flavorful, and it really resembled spaghetti. It’s a good way to trick kids into eating vegetables, evidently. It is also a very healthy side dish if you are trying to cut calories from your diet, and makes a great replacement for your starchy sides like pasta or potatoes.

Garlic spaghetti squash

Over the years I would buy a spaghetti squash with all the good intentions, but it would sit in a pretty bowl on the kitchen counter for months until I would just give in and throw it out. The other night I had my girlfriends over for dinner and wine, and I bought a spaghetti squash just for the occasion. This time I was determined to not let another squash go to waste. I had help from my friend Kelsey who gave me a simple and delicious method for preparing the dish.

Ingredients

• 4 garlic cloves minced
• 3 tablespoons of butter or butter replacement
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 medium size spaghetti squash

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Cut spaghetti squash length-wise and spoon out the seeds
3. Fill a baking pan with an inch of water and lay both halves of spaghetti squash face down in water
4. Bake for 45 minutes
5. Take spaghetti squash out of oven, drain water out of baking pan and turn squash open side up
6. Put 1 to 2 tablespoons of butter into each spaghetti squash half
7. Evenly sprinkle minced garlic inside of each shell
8. Bake for another 15-20 minutes
9. Once out of the oven, use a fork to scrape out the “spaghetti” (it should peel out nicely)
10. Place “spaghetti” into a serving dish and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese
11. Enjoy