Roasted Spaghetti Squash
Photo: DocteurCosmos 17:15, 13 November 2007 (UTC), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Halve it, roast cut-side down until a fork pulls long dry strands, then toss with garlic and crushed tomato. The squash weeps if you roast it cut-side up or cook it past tender; stop when the flesh yields and the strands stay separate.
Ingredients
- 1 medium spaghetti squash (2 ½ to 3 ½ pounds)
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 (14-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- Pinch of red pepper flakes, optional
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
Heat the oven to 400 F. Line a sheet pan with parchment.
Trim the stem. Split the squash lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Rub the cut faces with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Set them cut-side down on the pan.
Roast 35 to 45 minutes, until the skin dents under a finger and a fork slides into the thickest part. Flip the halves cut-side up and rest 5 minutes so steam can escape.
Warm the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook the garlic 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Simmer 8 to 10 minutes until the sauce thickens a little. Taste for salt.
Drag a fork the long way through the flesh to pull strands. Leave them in the shells or tip them into a bowl. Toss with the sauce and parsley. Serve at once.
Notes
Orthodox fasting: olive oil only. On oil-free days, roast the halves dry on parchment and warm the tomato with garlic in a splash of water instead of oil. A hard squash cuts easier after 3 to 4 minutes in the microwave. Leftover strands keep 3 days and reheat in a dry skillet so they do not go soggy. Off-fast, the same strands take grated Parmigiano.
Nutrition
- Serving
- about 1/4 squash with sauce
- Calories
- about 160
- Fat
- 8 g
- Carbohydrates
- 22 g
- Fiber
- 5 g