S’s Swap: Sept 21-Spaghetti Squash with Marinara Sauce

The Meal:

– Spaghetti Squash with Marinara Sauce
– Basic Salad with Ranch Dressing

So, I’m experimenting this week.  When we were first married, Dave and I used to have spaghetti squash quite frequently.  For some reason, I haven’t made it in years and as a result, the kids have never had it!  Well, given that it’s gourd season (and my local grocery store is practically giving the stuff away), I had to revisit this old favorite of ours.  Plus, my younger one loves spaghetti…..so, I’ll give him “spaghetti”…worth a try!

Also, as far as swaps go…this is a really easy one to prep!  All I had to do was make the marinara sauce and chop/pack the salad items!  Heather will have to cut and bake the squash before dinner (detailed instructions below).

Marinara Sauce

This is my standard way of making marinara sauce.  I’ve made it like this for years and years. I’m 100% sure I got the recipe from a book…can’t remember which one!

Here’s my recipe (serves 4-6):

– ~2 tablespoon olive oil
– 1 cup finely chopped onions
– 1 cup finely chopped celery
– 1 cup finely chopped carrots
– 3-4 cloves garlic finely chopped
– 1 medium tomato chopped
– 1 2 lbs. can of peeled, chopped tomatoes
– 1/2 teaspoon sugar (or to taste)
– 1 bay leaf
– 3-4 sprigs of fresh thyme
– 2 tablespoons chopped basil
– Salt, to taste
– Pepper, to taste
– 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or to taste)

1) Heat olive oil and add onions, celery and carrots.
2) Sautee till brown at the edges.
3) Add garlic and sautee for a minute or so and then toss in the chopped tomato.
4) Sautee for two minutes and then add the canned tomatoes.
5) Lower heat and cook for a few minutes (5-7).
6) Add sugar and simmer for another 4-5 minutes.
7) Add herbs and remaining seasonings and cook for another 8-10 minutes over low heat. Remove from heat.

Here is the full dinner:

Along with the marinara sauce, there are three spaghetti squashes, a container full of good Parmesan cheese, some salad items and a (store-bought) ranch dressing.

How to Prepare the Dinner:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2) Cut the squashes in half (lengthwise)….seriously, this is the hardest part!
3) Scoop out the seeds and pulpy middle.
4) Line baking tray with parchment paper (or foil) and lay the squash halves (flesh side up) and drizzle olive oil, salt and pepper.
5) Turn the squash halves over (so hard skin side is up) on the parchment paper.
6) Bake for ~40-45 minutes.
7) Towards the end of baking serve salad.  Also towards end of baking reheat marinara sauce in microwave.

Once done, place each individual squash-half (flesh side up) on each serving plate.

Now you have two options:

Option A: Use a fork and scrape the insides of the squash to get the spaghetti strands. Top with marinara sauce and sprinkle parmesan cheese. Serve.

or

Option B: Serve the squash on the plate as is and let the kids scrape out the noodles themselves and let them top with marinara & cheese.

In either case, enjoy!

The Verdict:

Tuesday:  We mixed things up a bit this week and had Heather’s dinner first.  Even though this was not a kid-tested meal, it actually went well!  Kavya was complaining of a tummy ache before dinner so she didn’t really eat much but Alex ate the whole thing up (eggplants, zucchini and all!).  My mom was over today and she enjoyed the dinner as much as Dave & I did..which was a lot!  This is one of our favorites!  Thanks, Heather!

Wednesday:  They both liked the spaghetti squash!  Kavya (my self-proclaimed paleontologist) found the “digging for noodles” to be JUST like “digging for dinosaur bones” so she was delighted with this meal and ate as much of it as Dave and I did.  Alex wasn’t pleased with the marinara sauce (I had a suspicion he might not be so I gave him little bit only).  He really liked the “noddle” part and ate that up really well.  Hope it works out for you, Heather…have a backup just in case!