gluten free spaghettil squash – Trading Paper Crowns

Let’s just talk about all the pluses of this simple little dish. It’s cheap (my squash cost a total of $1.50 at the grocery store). Its vegetarian and gluten free. And, you don’t have to dirty up any dishes with this meal- simply eat out of the squash itself.

You will love making this really easy dinner. One squash = dinner for two. How perfect! Or if it’s just you, eat one side for the dinner and take the other to work. Perfecto.

With spaghetti squash you get all the yummy tasty benefits of eating pasta without the wheat, heaviness and fatigue afterward.

You will need: 1 medium sized spaghetti squash, pesto sauce (store bought or homemade), parmesan cheese, garlic powder.

This is how it should look when you scrape the sides! Photo: Roasted Root

This recipe is as simple as 1, 2, 3. Put your spaghetti squash in the microwave for 1 minute. This softens it up for the cutting you are about to do! After the minute slice your squash half in two long ways.

Gut your squash. So take a spoon and get rid of all the seeds and extra junk inside that resembles a pumpkin. You are going to be eating the fleshy walls of the squash, not the soft gooey insides.

Once the insides are out, sprinkle some garlic powder over the fleshy sides. And lay the two parts of the squash face down on a baking sheet. Set the oven to 375 and cook your squash bowls for around 25 minutes.

After 25 minutes, pull them out of the oven. Use a fork to scrap the inside walls toward the direction of the center. You will see that the flesh looks very much like noodles.

Once you have scarped and filled the squash bowl with its natural ‘noodles’, add some pesto sauce and parmesan cheese.

Serve and enjoy this filling, gluten free dinner.

If you are looking for another awesome recipe for spaghetti squash, I made this yummy meal in the fall – Garlic Spaghetti Squash. It’s awesome.

Taylor and I had a little harvest dinner last night. I like to have fish once a week, so this seasoned salmon with homemade dill sauce was perfect.

But the show stopper was the garlic spaghetti squash. I made a believer out of my boyfriend who typically hates squash. So, this gluten free, veggie dish has to be pretty stellar.

It literally did not take me that much time to whip this together. Went to the local Trader Joe’s and bought a $1.99 squash and the rest is culinary history.

You will need: 1 large spaghetti squash, 2 cloves minced garlic, ¼ chopped onion, ¼ cup half and half creamer, ½ cup chicken broth, salt and pepper to taste.

First, cut the squash in half. This might take some time – the exterior is pretty tough. Place the flesh side down on a baking sheet. Set the oven to 375 and bake for 25-30 minutes.

Once the squash is tender, take it out of the oven and let it cool. Then scrape the seeds and darker orange out of the center. With a fork, scrap out the spaghetti like noodle flesh from the side of the squash into a cooking bowl. Let cool.

Happy Camper!

Splash some olive oil in a frying pan and add in the minced garlic and chopped onion. Sauté for a bit then add in the squash flesh. Slowly add in chicken broth and creamer. Salt and pepper to taste. Let cook for about 15 minutes on the stove!

I will make this again!

I let the insides cool in the fridge for about an hour. Then placed the spaghetti flesh back in one side of the squash shell and lined the top with fresh mozzarella cheese. I placed the whole thing in the oven at 375 for about 10 minutes to warm up and melt the cheese on top.