Fake Spaghetti

I have been wanting to try making spaghetti squash for about a year now. Spaghetti squash is a type of squash that when it is roasted, the insides become soft enough for you to scrape them out with a fork creating a spaghetti like noodle. Any sauces or toppings can then be added to mimic a standard pasta dish. Spaghetti squash is paleo, vegan, low-carb etc. and most importantly delicious!

I finally got around to making spaghetti squash last week and tested it on a few friends. I used Cassie's, from Bake Your Day, recipe for spaghetti squash with a spicy red wine sauce. I was unsure how the flavor of the squash would turn out, but we all loved it.

{The best guinea pigs to test new recipes on!}

Spaghetti Squash with Spicy Red Wine Sauce
serves 2-3

Ingredients:
1 large spaghetti squash
olive oil, salt, pepper
3 tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
2 tbsp. tomato paste
1/4 cup of any red wine (cheap is totally acceptable)
1 tsp. chili powder
1 cup grape tomatoes, sliced in half
1 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes (or a dash of cayenne pepper)
1/2 tsp. dried rosemary
grated parmesan cheese for garnish

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut the squash in half and scrape the seeds out. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper.

Place the squash, flesh side down, on the baking sheet and bake for 35-40 minutes*, until the skin can be easily pierced with a fork. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

While the squash bakes, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat and saute garlic and onion until fragrant. Add the tomato paste and stir until the paste is incorporated. Deglaze the pan by adding the red wine and stir in the chili powder if desired. Add the grape tomatoes, basil, red pepper flakes and rosemary, and cook on very low heat, covered, for about 20 minutes. The tomatoes will break down and add to the sauce.

When the squash is cool enough to handle, use a fork to scrape the flesh and create the strands of flesh. Add the strands to the sauce mixture and toss to combine. Add in the remaining olive oil. Garnish with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

*I had trouble getting the squash soft enough, so I stuck it in the microwave for 8 minutes on one side and 8 minutes on the other side. This method was super quick and did the same thing that roasting would.