Running Mama Cooks

I love spaghetti squash, but have to admit that I never knew what to do with it besides bake it, scrape out the "spaghetti" and top it with sauce. Good, yes, but a bit boring. The other night I was watching Diners, Drive Ins and Dives on the Food Network andthey were making this dish. It looked SO good, and different, that I jotted down some notes and put it on my to do list for this week.

This is my version. It was delicious, healthy and very filling. A five star meal!

Baked Spaghetti Squash
Serves 2, 9 WW points plus per serving

Ingredients:

1 Medium Spaghetti Squash
1 tbs Olive Oil
2 shallots
1 tsp minced garlic
1 medium onion, chopped
1 orange bell pepper, chopped
2 large carrots, cut into small chunks
2 celery stalks, cut into small chunks
2 large zucchini, cut into chunks
Salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups marinara sauce, divided
1/2 cup reduced fat mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan
2 tbs fresh chopped tarragon

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cut the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and boil for 15 minutes. Remove seeds and scrap out "spaghetti."

Heat olive oil on medium heat. Add shallots and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add onion, carrots, celery, pepper, and zucchini. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until vegetables begin to get tender, about 5 minutes.

Still in one cup of marinara sauce, parmesan, spaghetti squash and tarragon. Stuff veggie mixture into squash shells, top remaining sauce and mozzarella. Bake on 350 for 20 minutes.

ZACH'S RATING - *****

I've blogged about this dish once before, when I made it with all the fresh veggies our friends Fabiana and Anthony gave us. I've since made it a dozen times and have perfected it with store bought ingredients. This is definitely up there on my favorite dinner list. Its good comfort food, yet it's not too heavy and full of healthy veggies.

I start by mincing 6-8 garlic cloves and slicing a turkey kielbasa on an angle into chunks. Heat oil on medium low and add the garlic. Cook a minute or two until slightly browned and then add the kielbasa. Saute for 3 mins or so until it crisps up a bit (I usually crank up the stove to medium at this point).

Then add one sliced onion, one sliced green pepper (or red, but the green is nice for color) and one package of sliced cremini mushrooms. Cook on medium for 5 mins or so, until veggies are tender.

Add a splash of white wine and a can of Italian diced tomatoes (undrained). Add a generous shake of dried basil. Bring to a boil, reduce to low and simmer.

Serve over 3/4 lbs pasta (Ive found that a half pound is too little and a pound is way too much) and a handful of shredded asiago cheese.

We have been very into turkey kielbasa lately, but not served the traditional way (sauerkraut is a no go for me). We have been grilling it for for sandwiches and also in pasta sauce (a great suggestion from my father in law). My daughter calls it her "favorite steak" and it is also pretty healthy.

On Saturday, we had our friends Fabiana and Anthony over for dinner. They brought us a great gift, wonderful fresh veggies from their organic garden. Monday night I decided to make a fresh pasta sauce with the turkey kielbasa I had on hand and most of the veggies they brought us.

Tomatoes, fresh basil, peppers, onion and garlic all chopped up

I heated up approx 2 tbs of olive oil in the pan and browned the garlic. Then added the sliced kielbasa followed by the peppers and onions. Once they softened up (5-10 mins), I added about 1/2 cup of white wine and allowed it to simmer for a few minutes. Then all the tomatoes and fresh basil were added

Cooked about 1/2 lb of medium shells (Cecily's choice, she loves "helmets") and tossed with the sauce.