Spaghetti squash is a great alternative for pasta, and much healthier! (About 42 calories per cup and pasta is about 220). When my kids were little, they thought the squash was really pasta, unfortunately now they know better. The hardest part of this is cutting the squash.
Preheat oven to 375. Get a large knife and cut in half. Scoop out the seeds like you would with a pumpkin. Once you have it cleaned out, put it into a large class pan 9x13 or larger depending on the size of the squash. Place it skin side up in the pan, fill with 1/2-1 inch of water and bake for 45 minutes to an hour. You want it tender and stringy but not mushy. Remove from oven and let it cool for about 5 minutes before handling. I use an ice cream scoop or a pasta fork to get the squash out of the skin. Serve with you're favorite sauce. I like marinara and a little Parmesan cheese on mine, pesto would be good. I tried it one day with salsa and pepper jack. When my son was little he didn't like tomatoes, so the only thing he'd eat on his was butter and Parmesan. As always, play with you're food and let me know what you think. A Votre Sante!
