The first, and only, time I had spaghetti squash was years ago in college. While studying at the Biosphere 2, I was invited to a dinner at another girl’s apartment. Spaghetti squash with a tomato sauce was one of the meals she served. I remember being apprehensive, but trying it. I was shocked. It really tasted good.

Why haven’t I ever made it myself? I don’t know. When I tried it, my cooking skills were subpar — I didn’t know what to do with it and I was afraid to try. As I’ve gotten older and developed my hand in the kitchen, I just haven’t taken the time to make this. But I’ve been thinking about that tasty dish a lot lately and decided to make my own version. It’s been years since I had it last, so I cannot remember exactly what was in it so I just threw some things together to make this.

MMmmmm, Mmmmm, Mmmmm. This was so tasty, I could have eaten the whole thing myself. Nonetheless, I shared it with Will. I told Will this was spaghetti and excluded the word squash. Why? Not because I thought he wouldn’t eat it, but because I think the specification might be a little much for him. In any case, he gobbled up a big bowl of this and told me it was “yum.” Good enough for me.

The cool thing about this dish, I think, is that it’s naturally low in carbs and gluten-free (and vegetarian too), so this is something I could serve without worries whenever anyone comes to my house.

1 spaghetti squash (I used a smaller one)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 plum tomatoes, diced
2 tsp capers
sea salt and pepper
freshly grated Parmesan

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray. Cut the squash in half, length-wise and seed. Put squash halves cut-side down on the baking sheet. Cook for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a small skillet. Add garlic and cook for about 2 minutes. Don’t let the garlic brown. Stir in tomatoes, capers, salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes.

Scoop squash into a bowl. Pour in tomato mixture. Stir together. Serve warm, topped with freshly grated Parmesan.
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This veggie rich dish is a good submission for Sweetnicks‘ ARF/5-A-Day Tuesdays. Check out Cate’s site tomorrow night for a roundup.