I don't know why but I've always been intimidated by spaghetti squash. Since I've moved into the world of zucchini hybrid spaghetti dinners in the summer time, I figured I'd grab a good spaghetti squash when I saw one at the store. How different could they be?
Way different!
As in, more awesome.
Please excuse the bad pics, these winter hours of no daylight are not conducive to very pretty pics when your kitchen is a cave!
I did a little research on the quickest way to prepare them and you can
As you can see the seeds still needed to be removed but some of the spaghetti stringing had already begun during cooking.
I removed the seeds and got to shredding with a fork.
It shredded so easily and had a great sweetish smell from the steam but no overabundance of water like you get with zucchini.
This is what it would look like if you wanted to go for it in a big way on a salad plate.
You can see you wouldn't be lacking for bulk and it's only about 60 calories for that whole heap undressed compared to 200 calories for 2 ounces of pasta.
Because it's pretty much a blank slate on the flavor scale, I roasted a head of garlic and added black pepper and italian seasoning to soak in the fridge while I waited for the Mr to come home for dinner.
When it was dinner time, I added 2 ounces of whole wheat spaghetti to half of the spaghetti squash so I could compare it to the zucchini version.
As you can see, you can barely tell the difference between the two especially once you add the sauce.
That night I was making a chicken parm type dish so I split the pot and topped with some chicken breast and shredded gruyere.
I saved 180 calories by using the spaghetti squash than if I'd had two portions of whole wheat spaghetti. Now I know many people will use all spaghetti squash but we're not down with the complete removal of pasta so this is a great compromise.
I'll definitely be making it again!
Do you eat spaghetti squash? What are some of your favorite ways to use it?
====================
Like this post? Don't miss another one...subscribe via email or RSS feed. (Or you can follow me on Facebook )
The ultimate test of this was that you served it to me without telling me. I sensed something was different but it was hard to discern until I remembered that you had gotten the squash and figured it out. But the point is I could just barely tell anything was even different. The texture was nearly spot on!
ReplyDeleteI was surprised how close the texture was and I will definitely be making more of this soon. I've got a 3 pounder in there waiting to be used!
DeleteSpaghetti squash is pretty much the only squash I like. I don't use it as pasta though, because it's just not. I cook it up, add in some frozen veggies and a little Italian dressing or butter and some cheese.
ReplyDeleteNo it's not but it's way closer than zucchini will ever be. I'm going to do it with a little olive oil and parm next time for the Mr since that is one of his faves with regular pasta. :)
DeleteI love spaghetti squash! Try it with olive oil, parmesan, some toasted walnuts, a pack of frozen spinach (thawed) and lots of salt and pepper. YUM!
ReplyDeleteWill do! Sounds delish!
DeleteHey Mrs! Whenever you can, please try spaghetti squash with some Thai peanut dressing, steamed broccoli (or whatever veggie you'd like) with roasted, shredded chicken. Big BANG for the flavor and nutritional buck! My hubby wasn't a big believer in ye olde squash until he had that with some Sriracha. Have a good day!
ReplyDeleteOooh, that sounds delicious! Will definitely give it a try!
Delete