Spaghetti Squash Pasta

I have this little trick that I do.

When I feel like eating pasta but I don't want to be totally bloated for a couple days afterwards, I make this.  I'm calling it my spaghetti squash pasta because you can eat it just like pasta but it is squash.  But let's be honest here.  It doesn't taste exactly the same as real pasta but this is a fantastic, healthy substitute.  

Makes 4 servings

1 2-lb spaghetti squash

Preheat the oven at 375 degrees F.

Prick the squash with a fork repeatedly.  Place the squash on a baking pan and cover it with foil.  Bake the squash for 30 minutes.  Take the pan out of the oven and rotate the squash.  Bake it for another 30 minutes.  

Once the squash is slightly cooled, cut the squash in half.  Scoop out the seeds and use a fork to scrap the flesh of the squash into strands.

I took step-by-step pictures for this post so it is super easy to follow along.  This is the spaghetti squash.  It looks like a large yellow egg-shape squash to me. 

I used a regular fork to prick the squash all over.  This is a very important step.  If you skip this step, the squash may explode in your the oven.  The possibility of that happening sounds a little scary and messy so poke holes everywhere.

I covered the baking pan with two layers of aluminum foil just in case something does explode and it helps the squash to steam.  Be careful when you take out the squash after the 1st 30 minutes of baking.  It rolls around in the pan and you don't want the squash falling out accidentally.  That sounds like something I would do.

Scoop out the seeds and start scraping down the squash with a fork.

Ta-da!  Low carb pasta!  I can't say it's no carbs because vegetables are carbs but this is pretty darn close.  The squash tastes nice and crunchy and that is exactly the texture that you want.  If the texture is mushy, the squash was cooked for too long.  I'm going to share what I put on top of the spaghetti squash pasta tomorrow so stay tuned.

Simple Cherry Tomato Pasta

Yesterday was one of those days I didn't feel like doing anything.  I didn't want to go to work, commute, walk my dog, nothing.... it was just one of those days.  However, I still had to eat something and make sure that there was something to eat when my husband came home from work so I made this very fast.  As soon as you are done boiling the pasta, toss with the ingredients, and you are done.  I used the thin spaghetti or angel hair pasta so it cooks extra fast.  It took me about 15 minutes.

Recipe
Makes about 3 to 4 servings

Ingredients
6 to 8 ounces thin whole wheat spaghetti (about 1/2 a box)

2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
2 c cherry tomatoes
1/2 c grated Parmesan Reggiano
2 tbs preserved meyer lemons minced (I linked a recipe for the preserved lemons here)
6 to 7 basil leaves julienned
Pasta water
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Boil salted water in a medium saucepan.  Add the pasta and cook according to the directions on the box.

While the pasta is cooking, put olive oil and cherry tomatoes in a separate saucepan over medium heat and lightly season with salt and pepper.  Smash the cherry tomatoes down with a spatula or potato masher.  Cook the cherry tomatoes for about 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the cooked pasta directly into the cherry tomatoes. Grate the Parmesan Reggiano directly on top of the pasta and toss.  Then, add the preserved meyer lemons (you can just add lemon zest too if you do not have this easily available), basil, and a few tablespoons of the pasta water.  Season with salt and pepper.



I usually work with the pots side by side so I can just add the pasta directly into the saucepan with tongs.  Also, preserved lemons are awesome.  I think they are magic.  They make any dish taste delicious with the perk of lemon.

G, if you are reading this, do you recognize your potato masher?  I will return it back to you.... I promise!

I tossed the Parmesan Reggiano in the pasta first because I wanted the cheese to stick to the pasta.

Add the other ingredients and toss.

 

Add grilled chicken in here if you like and/or an extra grating of cheese for serving.  I converted my husband into eating vegetarian most days so he doesn't mind the absence of meat for dinner.

Penne Puttanesca

I had my first puttanesca sauce in SF on a pizza at A16.  I thought the sauce was so good especially since I never tasted capers, olives, anchovies, and tomato sauce together.  I fell in love.  This pasta dish reminds me of that night.  I made it even though Mat doesn't like capers, olives, or anchovies!  After he took a bite of this pasta, he was surprised that he liked the flavor combo too.  I always make him try new things.  You don't know 'til you try!

Recipe
From My Father's Daughter and I added minor notes
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients
Coarse salt
3/4 pound (3/4 box) penne (I used whole wheat penne and I would recommend reducing the pasta to 1/2 pound if you prefer your pasta more saucy)
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
Pinch red chili flakes
5 olive oil-packed Spanish anchovies (I couldn't find Spanish but I did find Italian anchovies and it worked just fine)
1 heaping tbs salt-packed capers, rinsed
1/3 cup pitted nicoise olives (I couldn't find nicoise olives so I used kalamata olives)
2 cups Basic Tomato Sauce
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper, plus more for serving
A few tbs pasta water, to thin
1/4 cup torn fresh parsley, for garnish

Directions
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and salt generously.  Drop in the penne.  Cook according to package directions.

Meanwhile, put the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat and add the garlic and chili flakes.  Cook for about 1 minute, adjusting the heat if necessary to avoid burning the garlic.  Add the anchovies and stir for another minute, or until they begin to break down.  Add the capers and olives, crushing them gently with the back of a wooden spoon, and cook for 1 minute, or until quite fragrant --- it should smell divine.  Stir in the tomato sauce and black pepper.  Turn the heat to high, bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to medium and let it bubble for about 10 minutes, or until quite thickened.  The penne should be perfectly cooked at this point.  Drain pasta, reserving a few tablespoons of pasta cooking water.  Add pasta to the skillet with the sauce and stir to coat, adding a bit of the pasta cooking water if necessary to get the sauce to the right consistency.  It shouldn't be too thick, but also not too soupy.  Scatter the parsley over pasta, add a bit more fresh black pepper, and serve.

When I'm preparing to cook something, I always keep organized to ensure that I am following the directions perfectly.  I organized the garlic and red pepper flakes together in a bowl, then the anchovies in a separate bowl, and finally the olives and capers.  It is so much easier to follow a new recipe when I do this so I add the right ingredients together and in the correct order.

You can see that I lined up my different ingredients next to the stove so that I'm ready to add them in.

I added the cooked pasta directly into my pot of sauce with a slotted spoon.  I learned to do this from watching a lot of Giada on Food Network.  It reduces the dishes you have to wash since you don't have to clean a separate colander or strainer!  Another tip I learned on watching a lot of Food Network is to cook the pasta based on the cooking directions but reduce the cook time by 1 minute.  You want to be able to cook the pasta pretty al dente so you can finish off the cooking process in the sauce.  The pasta will then soak up the flavors from the sauce and your dish will taste even better.

This pasta dish pairs really well with a glass of red vino.  

Lemon Parmesan Spaghetti

I am plowing through my new cookbook and going through the recipes that seem the easiest.  And this one was super easy and really delicious!  I couldn't believe how good the fresh lemon zest flavor was with the Parmesan and basil.  This is a perfect dish to make extra and take with you to work the next day for lunch.

Recipe
From My Father's Daughter and I added minor notes
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients
3/4 pound (3/4 box) spaghetti (I used whole wheat thin spaghetti)
Coarse salt
1 lemon
1 1/2 cups finely grated fresh Parmesan cheese (about 3 1/4 ounces), plus extra for serving (I used a coarser grater)
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 1/2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
3 to 5 tbs of past water, to thin
Handfull fresh basil leaves (from 4 leafy stems)

Directions
Boil the spaghetti in salted boiling water, according to the package directions.

Meanwhile, using a Microplane, grate the zest from the lemon into a large mixing bowl.  Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice into bowl.  Add the 1 1/2 cups Parmesan, pepper, and a pinch of salt, and mix in the olive oil to form a wet paste.

When the spaghetti is perfectly cooked, add 2 or 3 tablespoons of the cooking water to the lemon and cheese mixture.  Add the spaghetti to the bowl and toss thoroughly, adding another tablespoon or 2 of pasta water if necessary so that the sauce coats each strand.  Roughly tear in the basil leaves.

Serve each portion with a sprinkle of coarse salt, a fresh grind of black pepper, and a few gratings of extra Parmesan.



I used a coarse grater for the parmesan cheese instead of a fine grater.  I still loved the pasta just the same!

I didn't feel the need to add extra Parmesan here.  It tasted yummy without the extra.  I can totally see myself making this pasta dish again and again.