Paleo Pasta: Spaghetti Squash

Wow...so it has recently occurred to me that I gave you a fab recipe for paleo chicken meatballs, but I left out the preliminary part of the "spaghetti" and meatballs!  Just a little bit cruel and unusual...

Well, fear not!  All your problems are solved today!  Go get your butt to the grocery and pick up a spaghetti squash.  Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Chop that squash in half and shell out the seeds and innards (discard innards).  I seasoned my seeds with a tomato-garlic mixture and some sea salt.  If you want it quick and easy, just salt on the seeds is perfect.

Place the squash halves face-down on a greased pan (bacon grease, butter or coconut oil are great oils for high heat).  Sprinkle the seasoned seeds around them.

Bake!  30 to 40 minutes, depending on the size of your squash.  If you're not sure what the size is, go for 40.  It'll work out just fine.

Voila!  You might have to wait for the squash too cool some before you can handle it, but in the meantime, you have delicious seeds to eat!  My guess is that the seeds will last for a few days in an air-tight container, but I've never had leftover seeds, so take that advice with a grain of sea salt!

Okay, this is the amazing part.  I couldn't believe it the first time I tried it.  Take the squash half and draw a fork through it to loosen up the "noodles" of squash.  Use the fork to scrape all the squash out of the skin.

It is so noodly and stringy!  Now, it bears mentioning that spaghetti squash does not taste like spaghetti.  The squash has a very mild flavor, and once covered in sauce and meatballs, that flavor is pretty well masked (although I don't think the flavor is bad at all).  The texture varies, some bites are a little crunchy but most of the "noodles" are soft.

How to Cook Spaghetti Squash:

1.  Pre-heat the oven to 350*F
2.  Cut the squash in half.
3.  Scrape out the innards and seeds. Discard the innards, but save the seeds for roasting.
4.  Season the seeds with sea salt, and if desired, other seasonings.
5.  Place the squash halves face-down on a greased pan (bacon grease, butter, or coconut oil work well).  Sprinkle the seeds around the halves.
6.  Bake for 30-40 minutes
7.  When the squash has cooled (feel free to snack on the seeds while waiting), draw a fork through the flesh and scrape it out of the squash skin.  The flesh gets stringy just like spaghetti noodles.

Serve with some sauce and these chicken meatballs!