08 Jan A Spaghetti Squash Begs "Don't Judge Me Until You've Tried Me"

I see you walk by me. I see you looking at some of my cousins-acorn and butternut. Have you ever noticed how much more space acorn and butternut get on the produce floor? A foot? 2 feet? 5 bushel baskets full? What do I get? 1/2 a foot? Maybe 1 bushel basket with most of the bottom filled with…filler?

Why do you pass me by? I know, I know-I’m hard to cut. I look expensive because I’m a bit on the hefty side. You don’t know what do to with me. I promise I am as tasty as the others not to mention just as nutritious if not more than the cousins. I’m easy to prepare and I’m a huge hit with the kids-not only because of my name, but because of how I got it.

Let me let you in on a few secrets-I promise to make myself more appealing to you!

Microwave me for 5 minutes before you try to slice me open. Softening my skin helps a lot! Or, have the produce guy at the store cut it for you before you head home. I know you are thinking “they’ll never do that!”. Just remember, if you don’t ask, you don’t get.

The latter part of the year is when my pricing is at its best. This is because its my harvest time and my peeps and I are plentiful. Look around, I’m still at great prices at your local grocery store or Farmer’s Market!

The VERY easiest thing to do with me is split me in half length wise, scoop out my seeds and put 1/2 of me in a shallow bowl with about 1 inch of water. Cover me with plastic wrap and microwave for about 5-10 minutes depending on how thick I am. You may have to play the start and stop game with your microwave until you can tell if my innards are soft enough to be pulled out with a fork. Caution: My skin will be hot and stay hot for a long time, so use a towel when handling me after I cook. Holding me at the top, use a fork to scrape out my strands of yummy goodness. You can scrape all the way down to the bottom skin–depending on the size of me, you could get as much as 3-4 cups! You’ll see that my strands look quite similar to that of spaghetti, although much yellower, lighter and much more nutritious! Kids think I look like hair! Once you’ve got me in the bowl, pour marinara over me (This blogger likes to use Paul Newman’s Marinara) and then sprinkle with a tablespoon or two of Parmesan. Pop back into the microwave and cook until the sauce is warm and the cheese is melted. There you go-one easy, delicious, fiber filling vegetarian dish fit for any age!

Once you try this, check back with me and let me know how you did or what you did differently. Please, don’t pass me by when you see me in the store! I beg of you!