I believe you all know I love pasta. But it’s not just the carbs. I must have some kind of lycopene deficiency or something, because I totally crave the tomato sauce. So, if I can’t have spaghetti, I need another vehicle for the sauce.

I had never eaten spaghetti squash before, but I figured it was worth a try. I actually had been meaning to try it since my friend Olga asked me last year how to get the squash to come out in spaghetti strands. This seemed like the perfect time.

This being a squash, it smells kinda like a pumpkin when you cut it open. And the seeds and guts are similar. You just need to scrape that out with a spoon. Then put it cut side down in a baking dish and cook it…

Then just poke it with a fork and use the fork to pull the strands out, like so:

While that was cooking, I was cooking a bit of multi-functional marinara. Which was the reason behind this whole experiment anyway.

Now, I won’t lie. The texture of spaghetti squash is very different than pasta. And there is a bit of a squashy-sweet flavor to it. But it was still pretty good, and it definitely served its purpose. Just be aware that one spaghetti squash is a LOT of pseudo noodles. And the whole thing is definitely better topped with a bit of Parmesan cheese.

Spaghetti squash with tomato sauce (serves about 3)
1 spaghetti squash
1 recipe multi-functional marinara (or other tomato sauce)
Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Start cooking spaghetti sauce if it isn’t already made.

Cut squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out and discard seeds. Place squash, cut side down, in a baking dish. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes — until squash is tender.

Poke squash with a fork to loosen strands, then use the fork to pull the strands out. Place in a bowl and top with sauce and parmesan cheese to taste.