Pasta Fake-Out

So, I decided to jump on the spaghetti squash bandwagon and give it a try. I love me some pasta, but it's loaded with so many carbs so I was eager to try a low-carb replacement for it. I had been meaning to pick a spaghetti squash up for a while now, but finally remembered to the other day when Hudson and I were at the store. I let it sit on my counter for a couple of days, because frankly, it was intimidating. Every time I'd walk in my kitchen, it'd just stare at me, intimidating me even more. I finally decided to tackle it last night for dinner. I was told it was hard to cut, but holy moly, I was not prepared for how hard it really is!! There are a few different cooking methods you can use, but I opted for the quick and easy.....pierce it, then microwave it. I used one of the sharpest knives I own and that sucker still seemed to trap it in there after every single piercing. I felt like I needed the jaws of life to retrieve my knife each time. It was craziness, and a little scary, to be honest. BUT, I did manage to pierce it several times, popped it in the microwave for about 10 minutes, and viola!

The hardest part after that was getting it open because it was so hot!(and I don't have the patience to wait for it to cool.)

Once I got it open, I thought, "OK, now what??" HA! 

I removed the seeds and "gunk" from the center (the half on the left has been done, the one of the right has not), then scraped every little bit of "spaghetti" out. And I mean ALLLLL of it. Once you're done, you're left with nothing but what looks like an eggshell.

Some of the seeds and "gunk", as I like to call it.

All of the goods.

So, I wondered what in the world to do with this stuff. They say it can be used in any dish that would normally have pasta. I didn't have any marinara, alfredo, or any other sauce to use, so I just made a simple "pasta" dish. I diced some tomatoes (using fresh tomatoes from my friends' garden), added garlic, basil, oregano, parsley, and parmesan cheese. 

It turned out pretty good, but I think I'll like it more with just some marinara/meat sauce on it. Joseph actually liked it too. I was surprised. Now, the texture is a little different and might take some getting used to for some people, but it can be done. I'll definitely try it again. It's light, healthy, versatile, and makes me feel like I'm eating a pasta dish, without all the guilt! ;-)

I always feel accomplished when I make something for the first time. It's always intimidating, but as long as you follow the correct steps and use flavors you enjoy, you can't go wrong! I hope you try it and like it, too!