I have an aunt who was recently diagnosed with Celiac Disease. I know from her experience that trying to start the process of eating without gluten can be a daunting, sometimes overwhelming task.
Breads, cereals, cookies, and pasta immediately come to mind when you think of foods containing gluten. While the grocery store is lined with gluten-free pasta options based on different grains (quinoa, brown rice, and the list goes on), the simplest and most natural option comes right off the vine. Introducing spaghetti in it’s most natural state… spaghetti squash.
Spaghetti Squash
Photo stolen from steamykitchen.com, because I forgot to take a picture before cutting into mine. Oops!
To bake your squash, here’s what you need:
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
Cut your spaghetti squash in half and remove all those guts. Be careful when cutting, that squash is HARD. At this point, I sometimes enlist The Carnivore’s muscles.
Cut in half lengthwise. Watch out for your fingers!
After cleaning, drizzle olive oil, salt and pepper over your squash halves. I use about 1/2 tbsp of olive oil on each half, and then use my hand to rub it all over the flesh. Line a baking sheet with foil, and place your squash flesh side down.
Left: The squash should look like this when going into the oven.
Right: Drizzled with olive oil, salt and pepper
Bake at 450 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes until squash is soft. When the squash is ready, you will be able to stick your fork into the skin. My 4lb. squash was perfect at 30min. If the fork goes through easily, pull it on out! Let cool 20 minutes, or until you’re able to handle it without blistering your fingers.
Now is the fun part. Scrape your fork along the flesh of the squash, all that goodness will come right out.
Shred that squash!
Mmm…s’ghetti.
Serve with your favorite marinara, meat sauce, pesto, this creamy avocado sauce, or simply a little garlic and parmesan.
We ate ours with marinara and baked italian chicken. Well… I did.
For my husband, who is still working on eating his veggies, he used 1/2 regular pasta and 1/2 spaghetti squash… baby steps.
Leftovers:
Saute leftover squash with a little olive oil and garlic and serve with a sprinkling of parmesan.
- Add a minced clove of garlic to a sauté pan with a little olive oil. Saute until garlic is fragrant (don’t let it burn). Throw in your spaghetti squash and sauté until warm. Add a sprinkling of parmesan before serving.
For an added kick, sauté some of your kale with the garlic until wilted.
Enjoy!
Wonderful.!!! I love the pictures and simple instructions to follow. I can’t wait to try it.
Thanks, Gram! 🙂
Will definitely be trying this! Makes me hungry just reading about it.
Thanks, Merilee! I hope you like it! Just top it like you would regularly top pasta – sauce, parmesan, parsley, the works! It makes a great substitute.