Spaghetti Squash

Since I was a kid my mom has been serving spaghetti squash either with pesto sauce, marinara sauce, or just plain old butter with salt and pepper and maybe a sprinkle of cheese. I'd almost say it is comfort food for me, because I didn't grow up eating the traditional comfort foods like mac and cheese, pizza, lasagna, chili, pot roast, stew etc. Tonight I enjoyed this with marinara sauce, and was thrilled that my friend Rebecca (who doesn't like vegetables) even liked it, without the sauce of course, because she doesn't like sauces either.

Spaghetti Squash

Prick holes in a spaghetti squash with a fork. Bake at 350 for 1-1.5 hours, until the squash is tender. Cut squash in half, hollow out seeds with a spoon, then shred the squash with a fork so that I comes off in spaghetti-like strands.

Simple and Quick Marinara Sauce

-1 28 oz can of tomatoes, and 1 15 oz can of tomatoes, any combination of types that you like. I normally use 28 oz of tomato sauce, and 15 oz of crushed tomatoes, but you could use all of one or the other, or substitute with a can of diced tomatoes if you like your sauce on the chunky side.
-3 cloves garlic, minced
-salt and pepper to taste
-1 tablespoon sugar
-pinch red pepper flakes
-1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
-1 tablespoon olive oil
-either 1 teaspoon each of dried basil and dried oregano, or 2 teaspoons italian seasoning, or fresh basil when I have it (if using fresh basil add it to the sauce just before serving)

Heat olive oil in sauce pan over medium high heat. Saute the garlic for 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add remaining ingredients. Reduce heat and simmer at least 30 minutes, but the longer the better, and if it sits in the fridge overnight and is heated back up and served the next day it's even better.

Shannon