Maybe you're familiar with spaghetti squash.  Maybe you have no idea what I'm talking about. 

Spaghetti squash is a fall or winter vegetable that, when cooked and a fork is run through it, resembles spaghetti.  It can be the answer to a gluten free or low carb dieter's spaghetti craving, and I finally made and ate it last week.  Drew and I really liked it.  We're fortunate not to have to limit our pasta intake for health reasons, but the squash might replace spaghetti for us, at least on occasion.  It's a great way, though, to add some good nutrition to your meal.  The squash has beta carotene and vitamins where spaghetti doesn't. 



Like a lot of winter squash, it has a slightly sweet taste that can throw you off a bit, but still plays well with parmesan and tomato based pasta sauce.  It also has an al dente texture, so don't expect anything really mushy.  That is a technical term.



You can find lots of recipes online using spaghetti squash.  We used it as a straight substitution. 

Here's how I prepared it:
Preheated the oven to 400.  Stabbed squash like crazy with a fork (to allow steam to escape).  Put squash in, whole, and baked for approx. one hour or until a fork can farily easily slide into the squash.

I then cut it open, scooped out the seeds, and ran a fork through it to get the "noodles."  We then poured doctored up jarred pasta sauce over the squash and ate it like spaghetti- nice, satisfying meal!