Spaghetti Squash "Cacio e Pepe"

I love all vegetables, but there are some that I REALLY love, and that favored list includes spaghetti squash. So what better to make for a lazy Saturday lunch for myself?


Spaghetti squash was a total mystery to me until this fall, when I read this recipe on the amazing blog "Always Order Dessert" written by Reamonn's friend Alejandra. When I tried it out, I couldn't believe that I'd never made spaghetti squash before- it is so easy and delicious! As I've mentioned, I adore pasta and am constantly looking out for ways to make a heaping bowl of pasta a little healthier. This, similar to the zucchini/squash pasta preparation, is the perfect way to get that "big bowl of pasta" comfort food feeling and feel a little healthier too.

I loved Alejandra's sage and brown butter preparation, but my go-to for spaghetti squash lately has been a sort of "cacio e pepe"- a play on the traditional Roman black pepper and Pecorino Romano pasta. It really couldn't be simpler- after steaming the squash, I toss the strands with olive oil, lemon juice, a little butter, salt, cracked black pepper, and lots of Parmesan cheese. It's very flexible to pantry items; if I have cream in the fridge, I'll toss in a spoon of that as well to coat the strands, and sometimes add in some chopped Italian parsley or arugula (which I had today, yum) for color and a little additional flavor. It's comforting and delicious, the perfect bowl to curl up with on the couch during a lazy hour of tv watching.

Ingredients
*1 spaghetti squash
*Good extra-virgin olive oil, 1 tablespoon
*Butter, 1 tablespoon
* Lemon juice, to taste (roughly 1/2 tablespoon)
*Grated Parmesan or Peccorino Romano cheese, 1 tablespoon
*Chopped Italian parsley or baby arugula leaves, 1 tablespoon
* salt and cracked black pepper to taste

Method
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Use a sharp knife to split the spaghetti squash in half. Place both halves face down in a roasting pan filled with about an inch of water, and cover with foil. Bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes, or until a fork inserted in the skin of the squash pierces it easily. Flip the squash and cook, uncovered, for an additional 20 minutes.


Let cool. Use a spoon to gently scoop out the seeds from the middle of the squash. Then, use a fork to scrape the flesh of the squash away from the skin- it should pull off in thin strands, like spaghetti.


Toss the spaghetti squash with butter, olive oil, lemon juice, Parmesan cheese, parsley or arugula, salt, and pepper.