More No Spaghetti Spaghetti
Since my first post on No Spaghetti Spaghetti, I have become obsessed with the majestic spaghetti squash and I do not use the term lightly. Spaghetti squash promises to be the stuff of a dieter's dreams, but last week I got ahead of myself and tried to cook spaghetti squash bolognese and it was NOT good. I used the same ragu recipe as always (Antonio Carluccio's - its the only authentic way - no tomatoes, no worcestershire sauce, no dried herbs) but alas, the spaghetti squash made it into a bowl of swede-like mush. I was crestfallen.
I happened across this post, where Love & Lemons bemoans the same fate when combining spaghetti squash with what Americans call Marinara sauce. Too wet. She had success with using drier ingredients, like my initial chicken pesto recipe, so I returned to the spaghetti squash floor with renewed vigour. My friend Lucy also highlighted that I had been cutting my squash all wrong; if you do it like this into rings, then the strands are a lot longer than halving it.
So, here is my latest spaghetti squash attempt, and very tasty it was too.
Ingredients (serves 2 dieters)
Large spaghetti squash
70g pancetta, cubed
About 6 cubes of frozen spinach (fresh will be too wet)
Small red onion, sliced
Clove garlic, crushed
Handful fresh parsley, chopped
100g cream cheese - I used goats curd from Waitrose, but cannot find it anywhere to show you. Something low fat and similar is fine.
Parmesan to serve
Method:
Cut spaghetti squash as described above and place on a baking tray to roast in the oven for around 45 mins at around 220C. Cook and drain the spinach taking care to squeeze as much water as possible out. Saute off your red onion, garlic and pancetta on a low heat for about 10 mins - you shouldn't need any oil due to the fat content of the pancetta. Once there's a bit of colour on there you can throw in your spinach and cream cheese - don't increase the heat or the cheese may split. Stir in your chopped parsley.
When the squash is done, pull the strands away from the skin and stir into your spinach sauce mixture. Treat it gently. Serve with a meagre sprinkling of parmesan and you should get a lovely dinner for 350-400 cals.