Spaghetti Squash with Eggplant

I started cooking spaghetti squash years ago when I saw a display of them in a grocery store. I read the how-to-cook-it sticker on one and was intrigued. A winter squash that's a stand-in for pasta? Why bother? How could anything be as tasty as pasta? I thought I'd give it a try anyway. I was pleasantly surprised. It has a mild flavor, and it has a bit of bite to it. It's so much fun to use it as a sub for spaghetti.

Spaghetti squash is easy to prepare, and it's high in nutrients while low in calories. Toss it with your favorite pasta sauce and maybe some cooked lean ground meat or other veggies. You won't be missing the pasta.

Ingredients

• 1 medium spaghetti squash
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 medium eggplant, chopped
• 1 jar of your favorite pasta sauce

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°.
2. With a very sharp knife, cut the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise. Remove and discard the seeds.
3. Place the squash halves cut side up in a microwave-safe dish, add about a 1/4 cup of water to the dish, place a clean towel on top of the squash, and microwave for about 10-12 minutes. The spaghetti squash strands should have a slight crunch to them, and not be mushy. If it's really tough to scrape the squash away, cook it a bit longer in the microwave. Once the squash is done cooking, set it aside until it's cool enough to handle.
4. In the meantime, heat the oil on medium heat in a saucepan, and then add the onions. Cook the onions for about 3 minutes.
5. Add the eggplant and cook covered, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, or until the onion is translucent and the eggplant is tender.
6. While the eggplant and onion are cooking, use a fork to scrape the inside of the squash and remove long strands of pulp. Scoop the strands into a glass baking dish. I used a 9 x 13 inch pan.

7. Stir the pasta sauce into the eggplant-onion mix, and then scoope the sauce and veggies over the spaghetti squash.
8. Bake the squash in the oven until bubbly, about 20 minutes.

She said

If you have trouble cutting the squash in half, you may want to try softening it first by warming it a bit in the microwave. Just make sure that you first cut slits in various places all around the squash to prevent it from bursting. Then place the squash on a microwaveable dish in the microwave for a minute or two.

Make sure that you pick a good pasta sauce for this dish, or make your own if possible. I like using sauces that have pieces of bell pepper and mushroom, or sometimes a basic marinara sauce or a meat sauce. Feel free to sprinkle Parmesan on top, and add any other ingredients that you typically like to include with spaghetti.

He said

I first encountered spaghetti squash while away at college. I don't remember too clearly, but I think I roasted the squash with some oil and nutmeg, and may have added just oil or sauce after shredding. The general sentiment out there is that, unlike many other squashes, microwaving and roasting do not yield different tasting results with spaghetti squash.

There's no fooling people by substituting spaghetti squash (though you may confuse someone with the interesting texture of your "pasta"), but it's worth it for other reasons. If you're looking for a lower carb load, or want to be able to eat more volume to satisfy your calorie intake, this is a yummy way to do it.