Spaghetti Squash Pizza Crust

Ok folks; this is spectacular. Now I cannot have regular pizza crust; so perhaps my excitement is overrated. However, I will make this is again. I cooked a very large spagetti squash for another recipe and had about half leftover. I used shredded pepper jack goat cheese in replacement for the mozzarella and shredded pecorino romano in place of the parmesan; simply because I had on hand. I topped the crust with cooked choizo sausage and more shredded pepper jack. My icing on the cake; chopped fresh jalapenos! A simple salad dressed with olive oil and balsamic; you are in heaven! Of course the sky is the limit as far as what to top with. I wanted to keep the crust firmness; so did not want to add anything saucy. sharedappetite.com

Ingredients:

• one small to medium spagetti squash
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 tablespoon shredded parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

I soften the spagetti squash in the microwave on high for about 4 minutes. This allow you to easily cut the ends off the squash and then cut into four rounds. Remove the seeds once cut.

Place the rounds on a parchment lined baking sheet. Lightly coat with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake in a 400-degree oven for one hour; turning rounds over halfway through.

Scrap all the flesh into a beautiful pile of spagetti strands and allow to cool. Wrap cooked squash into cheese cloth and squeeze out as much moisture as possible.

In a medium bowl combine the squash, egg, cheeses, salt and pepper. 

Press squash in a thin even layer on a parchment lined baking sheet. 

Bake at 400-degrees for about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and carefully flip and cook another 10 minutes. Use a spatula to loosen from the parchment paper easily.

Add desired topping and bake until done.

Spaghetti Squash Lasagna

This dish uses spaghetti squash in place of lasagna noodles. It is really good people! I did some prep the day before: baked the spaghetti squash and removed from its skin, cooked the Italian sausage with the chopped onion and shredded the mozzarella cheese. That way the next day was simply assembling the dish and baking. I used hot Italian sausage and think next time around will use Sweet Italian sausage; for those who prefer a less spicy dish. One could also use ground beef or ground turkey; although the sausage give a nice umph.  I am going to serve with a green salad. Thank you for dinner!

Ingredients:

• 4-5 pound spaghetti squash (one large or two small)
• sea salt
• 4 ounces grated parmesan cheese
• 12 ounces grated mozzarella cheese
• 25 ounces thick marinara sauce
• 1 large onion (chopped)
• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage
• 16 ounce ricotta cheese
• 3 eggs (beaten)
• ground pepper
• chopped fresh parsley

Direction:

Preheat oven to 375-degrees. Line a 13x9-inch baking pan with parchment paper.

Pierce whole squash in several places and microwave on high 5-6 minutes. Allow to cool slightly. Much easier to cut!

Cut spaghetti squash in half and cut the two halves again in two rounds for a total of four. Deseed the rounds and place on the prepared baking sheet and salt lightly. Bake for one hour turning halfway through. Set aside to cool.

Once squash is cool; run a fork around the inside of the rounds to shred the "noodles". Set aside in a bowl.

Cook the Italian sausage in a skillet and once cooked through; using paper towels pat out excess fat.

Return to skillet and add onion and cook till onion is soft. Set aside to cool.

Combine beaten egg, ricotta cheese, parsley, salt and pepper to taste and half of the parmesan. 

Combine the marinara sauce and the cooked sausage and onion.

Grease a 13x9-inch pan.

Place a thin layer of meat sauce in the bottom of the pan. Next distribute the 1/2 spaghetti squash ( I usually add just a thin layer; saving extra spagetti squash for other recipes) evenly atop the meat sauce. Add 1/2 the ricotta mixture and 1/2 the mozzarella. Repeat layers; reserving enough meat sauce to be the last layer. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 parmesan cheese on top. 

Cover with foil and bake for about one hour; Take foil off the last 10-15 minutes. Cool briefly and cut into slices.

Spagetti Squash with Spinach & Bacon

Comfort food at its best! I combined a few recipes on Pinterest to create this dish; which could be either a side dish or stand on it's own entree. Despite our warm, Colorado fall days, I am craving creamy, comfort food...

Ingredients:

• 1 spagetti squash
• grapeseed oil, for lightly greasing parchment paper
• salt to taste
• 6 nitrate-free bacon, cooked until crispy and torn into pieces (save the bacon grease)
• 1 large shallot, minced
• 5 ounces fresh spinach, cut into strips
• 6 ounces plain greek yogurt
• 6 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup mozarella, shredded

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375-degrees.

Wash and dry the spagetti squash. Pierce whole squash in several places and microwave on high 5-6 minutes. Allow to cool slightly. Much easier to cut! Cut crosswise into 4 equally thick rounds.

 Lay on the prepared parchment paper lined baking sheet. Sprinkle tops with salt.

Bake 1 hour, turning over the slices halfway through.

When squash is tender and cooled slightly, run a fork around the inside of the rounds to shred into noodles. Place in a large bowl.

I cook the bacon in a toaster oven at 425-degrees for 15 minutes for less mess.  Save the bacon grease.

Place the bacon grease in a large skillet and saute the shallot. Once the shallot is tender add the spinach and cook till just wilted. Add this to the spagetti squash noodles along with the cooked bacon pieces.

In a small bowl, combine yogurt, Parmesan and mozarella cheese. Add the the squash mixture and combine well. 

I made the dish ahead of time and will heat up at 350-degree oven about 20 minutes. Thinking of adding some gluten-free cracker crumbs to the top for added crunch.