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Spaghetti Squash Bolognese

Tracy Scheckel
6 days ago
3 min read

One of the sew squash varieties that I do like is spaghetti squash when you dress it like real spaghetti. Over the years I've perfected the cooking method for the squash. I first simply cut it in half lengthwise and baked it cut-side down in a pan in the oven. Then I would scrape the 'spaghetti' out with a fork and drain it in a colander. Just like eggplant and zucchini, spaghetti squash contains a lot of water than can dilute the flavor of whatever you mix with it.

To say I hated the straining part is an understatement, so here's another example of how laziness is the mother of invention. I started baking the squash on a wire rack set in a rimmed cookie sheet at a lower oven temp for a longer period of time. No more scrape and strain, all the excess liquid evaporates during baking.

Typically, I keep things vegetarian and use marinara sauce and sometimes a combination of sauteed vegetables (caramelized onion, peppers, mushrooms and or spinach) to dress the 'spaghetti', and then toss it with lots of parmesan cheese.

Bolognese on Spaghetti Squash?

When I made the dish to get the photos for this post, I happened to have some leftover Bolognese gravy frozen and decided to use that. Another tweak I made was to add about 1/2 pound of freshly cooked thin spaghetti. (I hate when recipes call for less than a full pound of pasta and you're stuck with some random amount in the box). Anyway, I figured that the richness of the Bolognese and the added carbs from the pasta would help to fill the belly of my resident 22-year-old bottomless pit for food. The little added pasta turned out to be a great call and something that I'll continue to do when I prepare spaghetti squash. in the future.

THE RECIPE:

2 spaghetti squash

3 cloves of garlic minced

1 medium sweet onion, sliced into thin strips

2T olive oil

Salt / Pepper to taste

1/2 LB thin spaghetti

4T butter

2-3 cups of Bolognese (or other tomato sauce if you prefer)

1C grated Parmesan

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

Slice each end off of the squash and cut them in half lengthwise.

Scrape out the seeds and stringy center

Place the halves cut side down on a wire rack on a rimmed cookie sheet. I line the pan with a silicon mat but only to help with clean-up.

Bake for an our until they are tender when you put some pressure on the skin.

Allow the squash to cool so it's easy to handle.

With a large fork, scrape the 'spaghetti strands into a large container.

While the squash is baking

Break the spaghetti in half and cook until al dente. Drain and set aside

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet and slice the onion into thin slices.

Note: I like the onion to be 'twirlable' like the pasta so I make a cut halfway through each slice (basically you cut a slit from the edge to the center than the rings aren't rings anymore and act more like spaghetti.

Saute the onions and garlic with a good sprinkle of salt until aromatic and translucent.

Melt the butter in with the garlic and onions and add a good sprinkling of black pepper.

Add the drained spaghetti to the stir it around a bit to coat it and very lightly toast it.

Stir in the squash until it's well combined with the pasta and coated with butter and oil.