Spaghetti Squash with Marinara Sauce

Spaghetti squash is a great substitute for pasta!  It might not sound like it, but it really does have a similar texture to spaghetti.  It doesn't have much flavor on its own, but if you mix it with your favorite pasta sauce it really mimics pasta.  It's simple to make, it's filling, and it goes great with any sauce.  It is also great to use in chilled pasta salads.  This time, I decided to mix mine with marinara sauce.  Here's how to make it:

You'll need:

1 Spaghetti squash

Marinara sauce

Extra virgin olive oil

Salt

Parmesan cheese (for topping)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Being VERY careful, cut the squash in half lengthwise.  This is a hard squash, so make sure you have a really sharp knife and are being extra careful.

Scrap out all of the seeds with a spoon.

Coat a sheet tray with olive oil.  Rub olive oil all over the squash, inside and out,  and season generously with salt. 

Place the squash cut side down on the sheet tray.

Roast in the oven for 25 minutes.

After 25 minutes, lower the heat to 350 degrees and cook for another 20 minutes.

Let it cool just a bit until it's comfortable to handle.  It's easier to scrape out the flesh while it's warm.

Using a spoon, scrape the flesh.  This will make the noodles!



Season with salt and crushed red pepper (optional).



Toss it in your favorite pasta sauce and it's all done!  Here is mine tossed in marinara and sprinkled with Parmesan cheese!