Spaghetti Squash Casserole

This is for Lindsay (Mohn) Poehlmann, who not only shared my link to my blog on Facebook yesterday, but also shares that annoying double "n" at the end of our last names!  She said she likes my blog for recipes, which I realized I haven't posted in awhile.  SO, here's the recipe that I made last night for dinner.  I got it A LONG time ago from Dr Andrew Weil's website.  I'm cutting and pasting from his site here, but I'll also attach the link.  I got a quite a few good recipes from him. 


This remains one of my favorite recipes, despite the time I made it with crushed tomatoes from Wal-Mart that had a dead grub in it...which I didn't realize until I'd eaten most of the casserole.  Yes, it's THAT good, to make you forget about the grub you almost ate!  Also, I don't recommend buying Wal-Mart brand crushed tomatoes for this recipe. (I don't recommend shopping at Wal-Mart in general, but that's another blog.)

Spaghetti Squash Casserole

Description

Spaghetti squash may look funny, but it's chock full of vitamins and minerals, especially carotenes - so don't be afraid to try it. This vegetarian casserole is low in calories and fat, and very satisfying as a main dish. Add a mixed green salad and some whole grain bread and you've got a great meal. Food as Medicine Spaghetti squash, like all winter squash, may be particularly good for men. Juice from winter squash has been shown to help reduce symptoms of the enlarged prostate condition known as benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH.

Ingredients

1 spaghetti squash 2 large carrots, diced 2 stalks celery, diced 1 large yellow onion, diced 1 red bell pepper, diced 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 large can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes Red pepper flakes 1 teaspoon dried basil 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano Pinch of ground allspice 3 cloves garlic, chopped 3/4 pound part-skim mozzarella 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Place the spaghetti squash in a large pot of water (it should float) and bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover and boil gently for 50 minutes. 2. Another option is to bake the squash first. Cut it lengthwise and place the halves skin-side down in a baking dish with an inch of water. Cover the dish with foil and bake at 350º F for about 45 minutes, or until meat is tender. 3. While squash is cooking, peel and slice the carrots, celery, onion and bell pepper. 4. Heat olive oil in a skillet and add the onion and carrot, with some water to prevent sticking. Sauté over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add remaining vegetables with some red pepper flakes and a dash of salt, if desired. Sauté, stirring frequently, till vegetables are barely tender, about 10 minutes. 5. Add crushed tomatoes, basil and oregano to taste, and a sprinkle of ground allspice. Squeeze in 2-5 cloves of garlic. Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, grate the mozzarella and Parmesan. 6. Remove squash from pot or oven and allow to cool until you can handle it. If it is whole, cut it in half lengthwise, then remove seeds with a spoon and squeeze any excess water out of meat. 7. Remove meat and break it up into strands with a fork or potato masher. Mix squash well with vegetables and put half in the bottom of a large baking dish. Top with half the cheeses, the rest of the squash, and then the rest of the cheeses. 8. Bake for 30 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and slightly browned. Let cool 15-20 minutes before serving. I notice that there STILL isn't a temperature for that last step, so I always do 350 and it seems to work well. Yet another fun fact about Dr Andrew Weil, for all you dog nerds like me, is that he was featured on Animal Planet's Breed All About it for his Rhodesian Ridgebacks! A dog breed to keep lions at bay?  This dog might actually thrive in MY house...but will they protect us from the unicorns that only THEY can see outside? (For those of you who know her, yes, that's a VERY old picture!  She's not quite so thin anymore! And it's our old house, also a dead giveaway that it's an old pic!)