Spaghetti squash---uhhh, no.

Spaghetti Squash with Chicken, Mushrooms and Spinach

"This recipe is a variation of a go-to pasta recipe I make often. I wondered how it would work using spaghetti squash for a pasta stand-in.

Yield: 6 Servings

Ingredients
1 (3.5-pound) spaghetti squash
1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
2 slices center-cut bacon, chopped
1 pound chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces
1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1.5 cups chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 Poblano pepper
8 ounces sliced crimini mushrooms
1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/4 cup cup julienne sun-dried tomatoes, packed without oil
1 1/4 cup cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
6 ounces fresh spinach, chopped
1/2 cup grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided
Preparation
1. Preheat broiler.

Cut poblano in half lengthwise; discard seeds and membranes. Place pepper halves, skin sides up, on a foil-lined baking sheet; flatten with hand. Broil 5 minutes or until blackened. Place in a zip-top plastic bag; seal. Let stand 5 minutes. Peel and chop.

3. Reduce oven temperature to 400 °.

4. Cut squash in half lengthwise; discard seeds. Place squash halves cut side down in a 13x9-inch baking dish. Add water to measure 1/2-inch deep. Bake at 400 ° for 45 minutes. Turn squash over; bake an additional 15 minutes or until tender; cool. Scrape inside of squash with a fork to remove strands to measure 6 cups. Keep warm.

5. Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add bacon to pan; cook until crisp. Remove bacon from pan. Cool and crumble. Increase heat to medium-high; sprinkle chicken evenly with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add chicken to drippings in pan and cook 4 minutes; remove from pan.

6. Heat remaining 11/2 teaspoons oil over medium-high heat. Add onion to pan and cook 3 minutes or until soft, stirring frequently. Add remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, reserved bacon, Poblano, garlic and Italian seasoning to pan; cook 1 minute. Stir in mushrooms and cook 4 minutes or until softened, stirring occasionally. Add wine to pan and cook 3 minutes or until liquid evaporates, stirring occasionally. Add tomato paste and cook 1 minute stirring constantly. Add reserved chicken, chicken broth, tomatoes, and spinach to pan. Cook 2 minutes or until spinach wilts, stirring constantly; stir in 1/4 cup cheese. Place about 1 cup squash on each of 6 plates; top each serving with about 1 cup chicken mixture and 2 teaspoons remaining cheese.

Nutritional Information
Calories:
296
Fat:
9.3g (sat 3.2g,mono 3.4g,poly 1.4g)
Protein:
31.2g
Carbohydrate:
23.8g
Fiber:
2.4g
Cholesterol:
67mg
Iron:
3mg
Sodium:
707mg
Calcium:
241mg

We always put brown sugar and butter with it like a sweet potato and mixed it up.

I'm sure you could use a no calorie sweetener, some light butter or fat free sour cream.

YES! That way is kind of yucky. My whole family, even my picky teen daughter likes it this way:
Cook as usual, scraping your noodles out and putting them in a bowl. We then make individual servings by adding
a Laughing Cow light swiss wedge, some butter spray, garlic powder & salt. Heat in microwave for 1 min to melt cheese and stir.
Top with grated parmesan cheese and stir. ENJOY!! We think it tastes like alfredo "noodles". Very good...promise!

Oooh have I got something for you!
Even my kids liked this one. I was surprised by how good it tasted.
You take your spagetti squash and spoon over top of it some black beans, then you can top it with cheese if you like-I did,just a smidge-and then a homemade salsa-tomatoes,jalepenos,green onion..you get the idea- and some avocado cubes. It was really good. And super easy to make

Frittata with Leeks, Spaghetti, and Zucchini

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 wedge)

Ingredients
1 tablespoon butter or stick margarine, divided
2 cups thinly sliced leek
1 1/2 cups diced zucchini
1/3 cup 1% low-fat milk
2 teaspoons chopped fresh basil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 large egg whites
3 large eggs
2 cups hot cooked spaghetti (about 4 ounces uncooked pasta)
1/3 cup (about 1 1/2 ounces) shredded Gruyère or Swiss cheese
Preparation
Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add leek and zucchini; sauté 6 minutes or until lightly browned.

Combine milk and next 5 ingredients (milk through eggs) in a bowl; stir with a whisk. Stir in leek mixture and spaghetti.

Preheat broiler.

Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons butter in skillet over low heat. Add egg mixture. Cover; cook 10 minutes or until almost set. Top with cheese. Wrap handle of skillet with foil. Broil 5 minutes or until cheese melts.

Nutritional Information
Calories:
298 (34% from fat)
Fat:
11.3g (sat 5.3g,mono 3.6g,poly 1.2g)
Protein:
17.1g
Carbohydrate:
31.9g
Fiber:
1.6g
Cholesterol:
186mg
Iron:
3mg
Sodium:
337mg
Calcium:
199mg

I love it on it's own with a little butter, salt and pepper. I have heard of using it in place of pasta but can't imagine it tasting really great. If you are looking for a pasta replacer check out Shirataki noodles. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shirataki_noodles

I love it on it's own with a little butter, salt and pepper. I have heard of using it in place of pasta but can't imagine it tasting really great. If you are looking for a pasta replacer check out Shirataki noodles. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shirataki_noodles

Whoa, I you Omicron. Low carb noodles? FA-BU-LOUS. I'm already planning my trip to the Asian supermarket to find these.

I love it on it's own with a little butter, salt and pepper. I have heard of using it in place of pasta but can't imagine it tasting really great. If you are looking for a pasta replacer check out Shirataki noodles. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shirataki_noodles

Whoa, I you Omicron. Low carb noodles? FA-BU-LOUS. I'm already planning my trip to the Asian supermarket to find these.

Some whole food stores have them as well. Happy hunting!

Throw some laughing cow cheese in it and melt it---more like lasagna then

I top mine with some turkey chili, onions and cheese, like a chili spaghetti.

great ideas and recipes here. thanks for sharing!