Foodie Friday – Spaghetti Squash

I am going to start a weekly post about recipes that I’ve either come up with on my own or found (and I will always give credit to where I found it).  I’ll also add a button to my toolbar for easy access to all the recipes I post!

This week I’m going to share a spaghetti squash recipe.  I absolutely LOVE this vegetable.  It’s a great alternative to pasta and it still give you that feeling like you’re eating a plate of spaghetti with less carbs. 

If you’re like me, you enjoy browsing through Pinterest, checking out all the cute craft projects and yummy food you can make.  I was searching for some inspiration for dinner a couple of weeks ago and stumbled upon a recipe by The Comfort of Cooking for a skinny spaghetti squash alfredo. 

I generally stay away from alfredo sauce because it is so high in calories, but this recipe really cuts down on them, and I thought it was more delicious than a normal alfredo sauce!

I did not think to take pictures during the cooking process, but I wlll share one from her website

Here is the recipe -

INGREDIENTS:
1 medium sized spaghetti squash
1 tablespoon butter
3 garlic cloves, finely minced
2 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups milk (fat free)
1 tablespoon cream cheese or Neufchatel cheese
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus 2 tablespoons for topping
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
crushed red pepper flakes and fresh parsley for optional topping

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

First, prep the squash.  Cut spaghetti squash in half using a large sharp knife, scoop out the seeds (I used an ice cream scoop) and place cut side down on a rimmed baking sheet covered with water.  Bake until tender, about an hour.  OR, poke a few holes deep into the whole squash with a paring knife.  Bake for 60 minutes, remove from the oven and let rest for 10 to 20 minutes before slicing in half with a large serrated knife.  Scoop out the seedy insides leaving the spaghetti strands.

Once squash is cooked, use a fork to gently scrape the “spaghetti” strands into the center.

For the sauce, melt the butter in a small pot over medium-low heat.  Once hot, add garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes.  Whisk in flour, cooking for another minute while stirring.  Whisk in milk until no lumps remain.  Once hot, add cream cheese and stir until smooth.  Remove from the heat.  Stir in Parmesan, salt, and pepper.

Spoon sauce equally into each spaghetti squash half.  Gently pull up the spaghetti strands to coat as much as possible with the sauce.  Top with extra Parmesan and place under the broiler of your oven for 2-3 minutes or until golden and bubbly.

Top each half with a pinch of red pepper flakes and fresh chopped parsley, if desired.  Serve hot.  Makes 2 large servings or 4 side dish servings.

Hubby and I both enjoyed this.  Instead of serving them in the “shell”, I spooned the strands into a bowl and mixed the sauce with it.  I think next time I will only use 1 cup of milk as the amount in the recipe seemed to make the dish quite soupy.

If you try this dish, please let me know what you think!!  I hope you all have a fantastic weekend!

Until next time,