Jackie Damboragian (New York, New York)
Serves 4
Personally, I love pasta because I love sauce, pesto, tomato, garlic, oil, etc. Any sauce that you put on pasta, you can mix with spaghetti squash. It is easy to make and is a simple, quick dish for those nights when you are craving pasta, but want something a little lighter and healthier.
1 spaghetti squash, cut in half
1 teaspoon plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Chives or basil, chopped
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Take the squash halves, rub with 1 teaspoon of olive oil inside each half, and then season with salt and pepper. Place each half, skin-side-up, on a baking tray. Place in the oven for 45 minutes or until done (check it with a fork to make sure that the squash is very tender).
Remove from the oven and allow it to cool slightly (be careful, as the skin will be very hot). Wrap a dish cloth around the outside of the skin to hold it. Once you have the squash in hand, scoop out the seeds with a large spoon and discard. Use a fork to pull the strands of squash away from the skin. Place in a mixing bowl.
Place 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet, and then add the garlic and red pepper flakes. Heat on medium-high heat until the garlic is just starting to turn brown (about 1 minute).
Pour this mixture over the squash, add herbs, and mix well.