Spaghetti Squash Italian Style Recipes

ITALIAN SPAGHETTI SQUASH

Steps:

• Halve squash lengthwise; discard seeds. Fill with tomatoes and mushrooms; sprinkle with seasonings. Place in an oval 7-qt. slow cooker, tilting 1 slightly to fit., Cook, covered, on low until squash is tender, 6-8 hours. Sprinkle with cheese. Cook, covered, on low until cheese is melted, 10-15 minutes. To serve, cut each half into 2 portions.

ITALIAN SPAGHETTI SQUASH

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Pour water in baking dish and place halved squash cut-sides down in the dish.
• Bake squash in preheated oven until a fork pierces the skin very easily, about 45 minutes. Let squash cook while preparing remainder of recipe.
• Melt butter with olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute onion in hot butter until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and continue to saute until fragrant, about 1 minute more. Pour diced tomatoes over the onion mixture; season with basil. Place a cover on the skillet, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook at a simmer until the tomatoes are soft, about 30 minutes; season with salt and pepper.
• Once squash is cool enough to handle, use a fork to strip flesh from the skin in strands. Stir squash and Parmesan cheese into tomato mixture. Replace cover on skillet and cook until squash is heated through, 5 to 10 minutes more. Sprinkle additional Parmesan cheese over the dish to serve.

ITALIAN-STYLE SPAGHETTI SQUASH

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Prick squash skin all over. Rub cut sides of the halved garlic over the flesh. Lightly brush each squash half with some olive oil. Place cut side-down in a 3-quart baking dish.
• Bake in the preheated oven until tender, 45 to 60 minutes. Let cool until easily handled. Separate the squash flesh into strands using a fork. Leave strands in the shells.
• Divide mozzarella cheese between the shells. Toss lightly. Press mixture up the sides of the shells.
• Combine remaining olive oil, tomatoes, pine nuts, green onions, basil, and minced garlic in a bowl. Divide tomato mixture between the shells. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top. Return squash halves to the baking dish.
• Continue baking until filling is heated through, about 20 minutes.

SPAGHETTI SQUASH ITALIAN STYLE

Steps:

• Cut the squash in half lengthwise and remove seeds.
• Place cut sides down in a glass baking dish.
• Add 1/4 cup water and cover with plastic wrap.
• Microwave on high for 8-10 minutes until tender; cool.
• In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoons of oil.
• Add the onion and cook until translucent.
• Add the zucchini and cook for 4-5 minutes until the zucchini begins to brown.
• Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper.
• Reduce the heat; simmer gently for 10 minutes.
• Using a fork, scrape the squash strands into a bowl.
• Toss with the remaining oil.
• For presentation you can do two things.
• Just toss the squash with the cooked vegetables and sprinkle with cheese or as recommended in the book: Mound the squash in the center of 4 pasta bowls.
• Spoon the vegetable mixture around the squash.
• Drizzle with more oil if desired, and garnish with parmesan cheese.
• Add the lemon slices.

SPAGHETTI SQUASH WITH ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND SAUTEED VEGGIES

Steps:

• Pierce squash all over with the tip of sharp knife. Put in a microwave-safe dish and microwave 15 minutes on high, or until slightly soft. Let cool 10 minutes or until cool enough to handle, then cut in half crosswise, scoop out and discard seeds. Flesh will be in long spaghetti-like strands.
• Scoop squash into large bowl and season with butter, parsley, oregano, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. This stage alone yields a delicious side dish.
• While squash cooks and cools, make your sausage and peppers.
• Slice red bell pepper and red onion into lengthwise strips. You may need to cut the pepper strips in half to be fork-size.
• Heat 1 T olive oil in a large non-stick pan over med-high heat. Squeeze sausage out of casings in little meat balls and fry until browned and cooked through. You may need to do this in two batches depending on the size of your pan. Remove sausage and set aside to keep warm.
• Toss peppers and onions into pan. Cook until softened. You may need to add a bit more oil, or a few tablespoons of wine to deglaze the pan. When vegetables are about 2 minutes away from being done, add minced garlic to pan and heat till fragrant. Then return sausage to pan and add several handfuls of spinach. Toss to coat spinach until just wilted and sausage is reheated.
• Serve immediately over prepared squash. If you can tolerate dairy, I'm sure fresh parmesan would be great, but it was already delicious without it.