Spaghetti Squash and Spinach Marinara
While we are still dealing with cold winter nights and long winter days, we need to spruce up our hearty foods with lighter fare but with the same full flavor that warms our bellies! Bathing suits are part of my life now everyday, so I never stop thinking about lighter ways to achieve flavor and satisfying meal options! Northerners are not far from spring break and bathing suits either, so here is a great dish to start off your spring training while you still keep your bellies full and warm!
Ingredients:
1 medium spaghetti squash
1 large bag of fresh spinach
4 garlic cloves minced
4 T. total of olive oil
1/2 c. grated Romano cheese, Plus 1/2c. for topping and serving.
1 jar of your favorite marinara sauce,,or my red sauce( my favorite jar sauce is Mario Batali's marinara).
crushed red pepper to taste
Italian seasoning to taste or herbs de Provence to taste
In deep 13x9 pan, add water and a cleaned spaghetti squash cut in half length wise and seeded. Salt both squash halves and turn upside down into pan. The skin side up. Add water into the pan enough to steam the squash. Cover with foil and bake at 400 for 30 minutes or until tender.
In medium saute pan on medium high heat, add 2 T. olive oil , 2 cloves of chopped garlic and red pepper flakes if you like. Add in the whole bag of spinach..will seem like a lot and it is,,but, we all know this cooks down to nothing fast. Stir constantly until tender, salt and pepper to taste and herbs de Provence dusting..very light just for a back note! Put aside.
Take the cooked spaghetti squash and with a fork, dig out all the squash into a bowl. Try to keep it long and stringy like spaghetti! Don't worry if it breaks,,,it still tastes great! Season all the squash with salt and pepper, red pepper flakes and 1/2 c. Romano cheese. Mix it up.
To serve: Take a personal sized pasta bowl and put the spinach on the bottom, top with some extra Romano cheese, put the spaghetti squash on top again topped with some cheese and finally a big dollop of sauce to your taste. ENJOY!
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