I love spaghetti squash. I remember being fascinated with it as a child, believing that real spaghetti noodles lived inside the bright yellow skin of the squash. As it turns out, it’s as close as you can get, at least as far as vegetables vs. pasta are concerned. This is an incredibly flavorful, seasonal dish that happens to be “low carb”. I suggest experimenting with this squash as though it were pasta. Pretty much any sauce or combination of ingredients that you would add to pasta can be added to the squash with a healthier result.

Spaghetti Squash with Spicy Sausage and Cherry Tomatoes

-3 lb spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise, and seeds discarded
-4 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
-½ lb spicy Italian sausage, casings removed
-¼ cup shredded fresh basil leaves
-1 Tbs fresh oregano, minced
-1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
-¼ cup finely shredded Parmesan

1) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2) In a glass baking dish, place the two halves of the spaghetti squash, cut side down. Pour about ¼ cup of water in the bottom of the baking dish.

3) Place in the oven, and bake for about 40 minutes, or until the squash is very tender. Remove from the oven and cool slightly.

4) Take a fork and scrape the insides of the squash in gentle, ling motions. This will create long, “spaghetti” like strands. Set the strands aside in a bowl.

5) Add half of the olive oil to a large sauté pan, and heat it over medium. Add the sausage and garlic, breaking up the sausage with a spoon.

6) Cook the sausage and garlic until the garlic is soft and translucent, and the sausage is only barely pink. Empty the sausage and garlic into a separate bowl.

7) Add the remaining olive oil to the pan, and heat it over medium. Add the spaghetti squash, and lightly sauté, warming it through and letting any excess moisture cook off.

8) Add the sausage, cherry tomatoes and fresh herbs and gently toss together. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and sprinkle with shredded Parmesan to serve.