Tuesday, August 1, 2017

Spaghetti Squash Tomato Cheese Bake

Husband-Tested Recipe from Alice's Kitchen
Serves 4

I made this up with a spaghetti squash that a friend had given to me.  I had some cheese and a partial jar of marinara sauce and put this together.  It’s simple, tasty comfort food without the pasta.  Spaghetti squash is a good source of niacin, vitamin B6, potassium, fiber and vitamin C.  Serve this with a crisp salad and a piece of fruit for a very nice Meatless Monday meal.

1 large spaghetti squash
Kosher salt, to taste
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
Olive oil spray
2 cups or so marinara sauce (I used Local FolksTomato & Herb Marinara Pasta Sauce.)
8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
2 fresh tomatoes, sliced thinly
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 F. With a fork, pierce the spaghetti squash all over.  Place on a baking sheet; bake, turning the squash once, until easily pierced with the tip of a knife, 45 to 60 minutes.  (You can also microwave the pierced squash on high for 10 to 15 minutes.)
When it is cool enough to handle, halve the squash lengthwise; scoop out the seeds and discard them.  Working over the baking dish, use a fork to gently scrape flesh to release the strands from the squash.  (This can be done in advance.  Store the spaghetti squash strands in an airtight container in the fridge for a couple of days.)
Lower the oven temperature to 350 F.  Spray the bottom and sides of a 2½-quart casserole dish with the olive oil spray.  Mix the marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese with the spaghetti squash strands.  Cover the bottom of the casserole dish with half of the spaghetti squash mixture.  Place the tomato slices over the entire top of the spaghetti squash mixture.  Cover with the remaining spaghetti squash mixture.  Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese.  Bake uncovered for about 25 minutes or so until heated through and the cheese has melted.

Note:  I think you could easily add other veggies to this dish such as blanched broccoli pieces or even chopped baby spinach and mushroom slices.


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