Has Spaghetti Squash Worn Out Its Welcome? Seems So!!

It wasn't too long ago that every blogger, chef, cook and cooking show was championing spaghetti squash. You have to try it, you have to have it in place of beloved pasta. You will think you are eating pasta and saving many many calories in the process was the battle cry. Hmmmm. Don't get me wrong I too ate a lot of it, and even posted a recipe for it on here, way back then. However, as I stated in that particular blog, it would never be or replace real pasta in my mind! That was just too much of a stretch. If, however, you are/were looking to cut out carbs, starches and calories it is a great alternative. The big problem with it is simple, if you don't cook it just right and don't add in lots of flavor and additional ingredients it leaves you feeling disappointed in all the hoopla!! IMO that is why it has faded slowly away to the fad graveyard. I cannot count how many times someone messaged and asked my why their squash was watery or mushy, etc. It definitely took practice and patience.

Today as I was tooling around my market, I came upon a bunch of them. In my mind I thought "wow, I haven't thought of cooking one of these in forever" and then and there started forming my recipe in my mind. I had fresh garden tomatoes, precooked fresh garden green beans and corn and some leftover roasted turkey to work with. In my cart it went, and now I am sharing what I did with you.

Here is what I did today:

Baked my spaghetti squash (in way of choice)

While that was baking, I whipped up my filling as follows:

1/2 cup of chopped tomatoes

1/2 cup of diced dark meat turkey (thanks Heidi and Clayton)

1/2 cup of green beans

1/3 cup of corn

Spices of choice, amounts of choice, I used oregano and basil

3 TBSP of diced cream cheese

1/3-1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella

Removed my squash from oven, made the strands with my fork, stuffed with the filling, placed back in oven until everything was bubbling and hot

I must confess this was delicious and very much enjoyed for a change of pace. If like me you have not done one recently, give it another try. My tips for getting it just right:

Bake in a 375-degree oven, cut in half width wise instead of length wise, spray lightly, place cut side down so if watery bakes off, about 30 minutes. Press on side and should give slightly, when it does, it is done.

Happy Cooking!!