BAKED SPAGHETTI SQUASH

 

Who doesn't love baked spaghetti?  It's a great way to use up leftovers.  But, I wanted to do something without pasta.  Spaghetti squash was the perfect base.  Yes, you have to bake it first, but it really is easy.  I think the hardest part, literally, is slicing the raw squash in half.

To bake the squash, slice length-wise and scoop out the seeds.  Season with some olive oil, black pepper and garlic powder.  Place cut side down on baking pan and bake at 400 for 45 minutes or until outside is tender.  Take a fork and shred the inside into spaghetti strands.  Be careful as the squash will be hot - use oven mitts to hold it.

BAKED SPAGHETTI SQUASH

One spaghetti squash - I used about 2 cups of the shredded squash

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 jar Prego spaghetti sauce (any flavor)

1 can mushrooms, sliced, drained

1  pound ground beef, browned and drained - seasoned with black pepper, garlic powder, salt to taste

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

1/2 cup shredded cheese for topping

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.  Mix all ingredients together into a casserole dish.  Top with additional 1/2 cup shredded cheese.  Bake at 375 for 45 minutes or until bubbly.

ROASTED SQUASH SEEDS

I have done this with pumpkin seeds and thought I would give spaghetti squash seeds a try.  They came out perfect.  Next time I will likely use my oven instead of the air fryer just because there is more room to spread them in an even layer no a sheet pan.

ROASTED SQUASH SEEDS

Ingredients:

1 cup spaghetti squash seeds

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Mix together and place on parchment paper in your air fryer.  Cook 10-15 minutes at 400 degrees - stirring every five minutes.  Enjoy!