Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Gluten Free Goodness: Baked Margherita Spaghetti Squash

Baked Margherita Spaghetti Squash
I love it when a healthy dinner turns into a great blog post.  Unfortunately a hungry daddy has to wait few extra minutes for his dinner, because mommy needs to photograph his plate first!

I was talking to a relative this week about cooking spaghetti squash and how just the slightest bit of overcooking can make it mushy and not "spaghetti" like.  That can be a real bummer for those that are choosing a gluten-free diet when you're missing things like pasta and bread.

I usually wrap the sliced squash in tin foil and bake it like a potato, but today I tried a new method of just placing it face down on a cookie sheet.  It was easier, faster, and the texture of the strings or "noodles" came out just right.  I added fresh tomato, basil and mozzarella, and the perfect, gluten-free side dish was born!

Baked Margherita Spaghetti Squash

Prep Time: 10 minutes / Cook Time: 45 minutes / Servings: 2
Baked Margherita
Spaghetti Squash

Ingredients:
  • 1 large spaghetti squash
  • 2 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 large Roma tomato, finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp. finely chopped fresh basil
  • 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 1 tsp. each salt & pepper
  • 1 tsp. garlic powder
Steps:
  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Using a large knife or a cleaver, slice the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise down the middle.  Use a spoon to remove the seeds and center strings.
  3. Drizzle the two halves with olive oil and then sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic powder.
  4. Place the squash, open side down on a cookie sheet and bake for 30 minutes.  Remove from the oven, check to see if the squash is soft and easily comes up with a fork into a spaghetti like texture.  If it's too hard to remove, cook for another 10 minutes.   Remove from the oven, scrape and fluff the stringy squash with a fork.  Leave the squash in the skin.
  5. Turn the oven up to broil. Add the tomatoes and fresh basil into the squash, stir and top with the mozzarella cheese.  Place in the broiler for 3-4 minutes, until the cheese is melted and slightly browned. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving the squash.

30 comments:

  1. Jenine and I use spaghetti squash all the time....we slice in half, place in a corningware bowl face down, and fill with about one inch of water. Bake 40 minutes @ 350. Cooks perfect every time.

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  2. I love spaghetti squash and this sounds like a delicious recipe to try. Thanks for posting.

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  3. How many calories is on this meal?

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  4. Hi Jennahhh! Calories are about 225 per serving.

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    1. You can eat the shell, I don't but I'm always amazed at my mother in law, she LOVES the shell! It has to be really well cooked or it can be pretty tough.

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  6. This looks and sounds fantastic! (found this on Pinterest)

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    1. Thanks! Let me know how it turns out if you try it!

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  7. Made this tonight but changed it slightly. Used Parmesean cheese since that's what I had. Also added just a little cream and some left over chicken breast to make this a main course. It turned out very delicious!

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  8. This was delicious! I made this for me and my husband as a breakfast dish! (Along with scrambled eggs and very crispy bacon) He loved it!

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  9. I saw this recipe on facebook and went looking for the original to email to myself. Just thought you should know someone is using your actual photo and recipe... https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=542142645835339&set=a.243011499081790.53936.100001188242512&type=1&theater

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  10. Do you have the total nutritional breakdown with carbs, etc.? I made it tonight and it's DELISH!!! Thank you!!

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  11. This was delish, thanks for the recipe!!

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  12. this will be my first time trying spaghetti squash...love that this isn't a fussy recipe with a mile long list of ingredients, but looks delicious! perfect for our lunch today!

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    1. A facebook friend makes this a couple of times a week. I need something like this as I am a diabetic. This fits in perfectly. Many, many thanks.

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  13. I made this last night. Used canned diced tomatoes, and a mix of colby jack and muenster because that's what I had. It was a delicious! We both loved it.

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  14. Why is this called 'Margherita' Spaghetti Squash? It sounds like a great recipe.

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    1. HI there! In Italian cooking a Margherita (the Italian word for "daisy") pizza is traditionally made with olive oil, mozzarella cheese, tomato and fresh basil. All of the ingredients in our spaghetti squash recipe...therefore we called it a Margherita Spaghetti Squash. Hope that helps! Hoopfinity

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  15. This was wonderful and I'm really loving spaghetti squash, even as a side vegetable when cooked this way. However I can't ever cut the stinkin thing!! lol. I can only eat it when my husband is home so he can muscle through cutting the squash for five minutes. lol. Anyone have any helpful tips on this?

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    1. Hahaha, Kendra I completely agree! It is the toughest part. My husband INSISTED I buy him a big cleaver for Christmas a couple of years ago as a joke. It is now the ONLY tool I have that's big enough to cut through those big squash suckers!

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    2. It cuts easily if you start a little cut to set the knife in, then turn it around and tap the end of the knife on a cutting board or something solid! I cut all my squash this way. It works great!

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  16. How kid frienly is this? I know growing up my grandma made SS all the time and I loved it. My daughter on the other hates anything veggie but I have been making small switches here and there and telling her its this or that and she will eat it. I did learn quickly to not tell her after she ate it what it was. I would like to try this because it looks amazing.

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    1. My little boy likes it, he loves anything with butter, so I put a little butter on his and a little extra cheese. I skip the basil, but he LOVES the tomatoes. Give it a try Alishia! Let me know if it works!

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