I’m sure you have seen this squash at the store and not known what it is or just assumed that this thing would be too much work. While this big yellow squash may seem intimidating, it’s so much simpler. Just bake it whole in the oven as is. No cutting, no peeling, no marinating, no massaging. Just the whole thing!

 Directions

  1. Pre-heat oven at 350. Bake squash for about an hour. Yes, the whole squash. Simply place it on a baking sheet or the oven rack directly.
  2. The bake time for this squash is 45 minutes to an hour. Bake time will vary depending on the size of the squash. To check whether it’s done cooking simply pierce it with a knife. The knife should be able to penetrate the skin easily.
  3. After you remove it from the oven, set the squash aside until it’s cool enough to handle.
  4. Once cooled cut the spaghetti squash in half length-wise.
  5. First scrape out the inside seeds with a spoon or fork. You’ll notice that the squash really does resemble spaghetti noodles, some of which you may pull out with the seeds. That’s ok.
  6. Then scrape out the entire inside of each half and place into a bowl. This will yield 4-6 servings.
  7. Portion individual sizes and top with a fresh tomato salad like this one.

Spaghetti squash with tomato salad is just one recipe idea. There a lots of ways to pair the squash. Think of it as a natural gluten free pasta substitute and truly as you would dress up your pasta dish you can do the same with “spaghetti” squash too.

image credit: mynewroots.org (picture of squash, the finished recipe is my own)