Spaghetti Squash and Sweet Marinara

[christina f]

It seems that more and more of my friends are going gluten free - and for good reason. At times wheat can be hard to digest, especially if you eat later in the night or have a sensitive stomach. Also, if you alternate fresher foods for carb heavy options, you have a better chance of maintaining a healthy weight.

We recently had a small dinner gathering at our house with three friends who are gluten free. My specialty happens to be homemade marinara sauce. Clearly I could not serve pasta, so I decided to try using spaghetti squash in its place. The results were delicious.

If you are unfamiliar with the squash, cooking it is a breeze. Grease and line a cooking dish with tinfoil. Cut squash length-wise and scoop out seeds. Put a pad of butter into each and bake at 425 degrees until tender. Once done, use a fork to pull out the meat of the squash. You'll see that it comes out in strings, much like spaghetti strands.

Serve as you would any pasta and serve a helping of sauce over the squash. Serve with a nice side salad and you have yourself a meal.

Moms, what are your favorite gluten free meals?

[michiganmom116]

We eat gluten-free and I love it!  Foods are so tasty instead of tasteless pasta, breads, or cereals.  I've used thinly shredded cabbage cooked in meaty spaghetti sauce and topped with cheese as a spaghetti meal.  I use zucchini in place of noodles in lasagna, or else skip the noodles altogether.  I use steamed cauliflowerets in place of macaroni in a pizza casserole and mac & cheese.  Mashed cauliflower makes a great base for a twice-baked non-potato casserole (add sour cream, chives, bacon, cheese).  Almond and/or coconut flours make delicious baked goods that are naturally gluten-free/low-carb/high-fiber/nutritious.

We just had a spaghetti squash casserole two nights ago:  spaghetti squash mixed with homemade spaghetti sauce, browned ground beef, sauteed carrots/celery/onion/garlic, and topped with cheddar and parmesan cheeses. 

[4kidz916]

I don't really cook gluten free.  I would really love to get started though.  Thanks for this idea. 

[4kidz916]

I have made a cauliflower pizza crust that was great.  I guess that would be our favorite gluten free meal. 

[daerca574]

 I have to say that Spaghetti squash is probably one of my favorite vegetables!  I love to make it with just butter and salt and pepper. 

[lillucky8]

Ive never tried spaghetti squash, i think dh would flip lol, he said hed never talk to me again if i started buying wheat pasta, this would send him over the moon lol

[goddess99]

We haven't really gotten on the gluten free bandwagon yet.

[emilyrosenj]

This sounds easy and delicious.  I'll have to try this with my family!   We are not gluten free so I don't know which of our meals are.

[elasmimi]

We don't do gluten free, but I do love spaghetti squash.

[natesmom1228]

I don't really pay attention to that. None of us have a problem with gluten. We do love squash.

[timon95]

Can't say that we have any favorite gluten free meals, we do not cook that way.