Pesto Spaghetti Squash with Mozzarella

I don't know if you've ever cooked with spaghetti squash, but this was a first for me tonight, and it was AWESOME!  It was seriously just like spaghetti noodles w/out all the calories!  I made mine with a pesto sauce, but this could be good with really any kind of sauce you'd want to add to pasta...or just add a little butter and brown sugar for a yummy treat!  And Alia LOVED this!  Between the three of us, we easily polished off the squash with some steamed veggies on the side.

 
Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 medium spaghetti squash, cooked and shredded into strands
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 - 3/4 cup pesto sauce (I used my homemade pesto sauce, see recipe below)
• 4 ounces smoked or plain mozzarella, shredded
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation:

Place skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add olive oil and cooked spaghetti squash. Stir in pesto with a fork. When spaghetti squash is heated through, add mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses and stir. When cheese begins to melt, remove from heat and serve hot.

How to Cook a Spaghetti Squash: (I baked mine, super easy)

Method -  Steaming

Cut the Squash into half. Yes, it takes little muscle and pressure. But its worth it since the cooking process is faster.

See all those seeds and fibers. They need cleaning up.

Scoop out the seeds and fibers. Don’t throw away the seeds. You can toast them just like how you would for Pumpkin seeds.

Once cleaned, I further cut the pieces into quarters.

Boil water for steaming. Once your steamer is ready, add the pieces face down and steam for 10-15 minutes or until tender.
 
You know its ready when your knife cuts into the flesh very easily

Cool for few minutes and then using a fork, scoop out the flesh. You will get these strands. You can now use them in your favorite recipes.

Method -  Baking
If baking whole squash, then pierce the flesh all over with a fork. Bake for 45min – 1 hour in a 375F oven. Once tender, cool for few minutes till you can handle it, chop it into half, scoop out the seeds and prepare just as above.

If baking already cleaned and chopped pieces, place them rind side up and bake for 20-30 minutes (or until tender) in 375F oven.

Method – Microwave
You can cook the whole squash in a microwave. But make sure you pierce it with a fork to avoid it bursting inside the m/w. Placing smaller pieces is a better bet.

Cut squash in half lengthwise; remove seeds. Place squash cut sides down on a microwave safe bowl.

Cover it with a plastic wrap leaving little to create a steam vent. Cook for about 7-8 minutes (depends on m/w power and side of the squash). If you do not have carousel, then turn the dish every 3 minutes for even cooking.

Method – Boil
Cut the squash into smaller pieces. Bring enough water to a boil to cover the squash. Boil for 15-20 minutes or until it gets tender.

Source: The Internet (About.com, Chefinyou.com)