I asked a couple of people the best way to cook a spaghetti squash and the unanimous answer was in the microwave, cut in half with the cut side down in about 1/2 cup of water, covered in plastic wrap. I am not a fan of using plastic wrap in the microwave as I'm pretty sure it leeches chemicals into the food. So I took to the internet to try and find a way to cook it in the microwave without covering it in plastic warp and, lo and behold, I found one! Here's the link: http://fishcooking.about.com/od/howtochoosefreshfish/ht/How-To-Cook-Spaghetti-Squash-The-Easy-Way-An-Easier-Safer-Method.htm (not quite sure why it's under the "fish and seafood" category of the website, but whatever). It actually works really well. I have simple instructions also included in the recipe below.
I've heard of people using spaghetti squash as a substitute for regular spaghetti so I though why not? It's worth a shot. The sauce is just a slight variation on a regular sauce I use. I often use kielbasa style turkey sausage but I wanted to use steak strips this time around. Unfortunately, the steak was a funny colour and I didn't want to risk using it; luckily my mother in law gave me some leftover cooked ham from Christmas dinner, so I used that. It gave the sauce a nice smoky flavour.
Spaghetti Squash "Pasta"
Ingredients:
1 large-ish spaghetti squash (you could use 2 as the sauce makes more than you will need)
1/2 cup chicken broth (or water)
black pepper
dried minced onion
1 cup cubed cooked ham (or steak strips, or diced chicken, or turkey sausage, or meatballs, etc)
1 large shallot, diced
1 each green and red pepper, diced
1 can diced, stewed tomatoes
3 TBSP olive oil
1 tsp oregano
black pepper and salt to taste
1 TBSP corn starch (optional)
Method:
1. Cut the squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and the stringy bits (for each half) and discard. Do not cut the ends off. Rinse out the cavity. Sprinkle each half with black pepper. Place one half in a microwave safe casserole dish, cut side up. Sprinkle that half with some dried minced onion. Fill the cavity with the 1/2 cup chicken broth. Poke holes in the skin side of the other half of the squash (make sure they poke all the way through). Carefully place that half of the squash on top of the first half, cut side down (this is going to enclose the liquid in the middle). Cook on high heat for 10-12 minutes. The squash will be done when the top feels flexible or a little squishy. (Be sure to wear an oven mitt as it will be hot). Using a fork, string the squash into strands and put in bowl. Set aside.
2. While the squash is cooking, heat 1 TBSP olive oil in a large pan. Cook the shallot and peppers for about 5 minutes. Add the ham and cook until heated through.
3. Drain the tomatoes, reserving the juice in a small bowl. Add the tomatoes to the pepper mixture. Add the remaining olive oil, the oregano and the salt and pepper to taste. Stir to mix
4. Here, you have 2 options. if you have time and you want very low carb, add the liquid from the tomatoes and simmer until the liquid is reduced by half (about 30 minutes). If you have less time or you don't mind a few added carbs, mix the cornstarch with the liquid (use a fork to get all the lumps out) and add to the mixture and cook for about 8 minutes (this is what I did tonight).
5. Serve the sauce over the squash and enjoy!
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