Spaghetti Squash with Sage, Roasted Garlic, & Gruyere

 

 Why do I always forget about spaghetti squash until someone or something reminds me of just how awesome it is? This time, my memory was jogged thanks to fruit and vegetable day in culinary class. As a demo, Chef whipped up a wickedly tasty dish of spaghetti squash and cheese and fresh herbs. (And I'm not singing the praises of Chef's cooking  just because he happens to know that I write this blog and may in fact read this post  ... That's like asking for extra credit points just for flattery. Which I would never, ever do. Ahem.)

Tasting this noodly squash for the first time in many months made me remember two things: 1.) It's incredibly easy and fairly quick to make, which is crucial right now because while I still insist on making fresh home cooked meals, I don't have a ton of time during the week and 2.) It's a non-fattening way to get pasta sauces into my belly! I have been eating a lot for my Urbanite food editor job these days, and in an attempt to still fit into my pants, I'm (often vainly) trying to cut back on carbs, except for work.

Enter the spaghetti squash! The perfect vessel for marinara, cheese, butter, and any other thing that normally sticks to a starch. For this dish, I made a simple brown butter sage sauce with Gruyere, roasted garlic, and Parmesan cheese.

But first, you have to roast the squash. Just cut it in half and remove the seeds and pulp:

Rub some olive oil on the flesh and lay it face down on a non stick cookie tray and roast at 400 degrees F for about 45 minutes, until fork tender.  (You can roast a bulb of garlic at the same time.) When your squash is done, let it cool a bit and scrape it with a fork to get all the fun little "noodles" out:

 

 To make the sauce, first "squish" out the roasted garlic into a small bowl and mix with just a splash of olive oil and salt. Set this aside. 

Next, in a large saucepan or sautoir brown about 4 tbsp butter (for a medium squash). Toss in a handful of fresh chopped sage leaves and saute until they get crispy. Add the squash to the pan and toss to coat completely with the butter. Stir in the roasted garlic and some cubed Gruyere cheese and salt and pepper, to taste.  

To serve, I put it in a ramekin, smooshed it down, and flipped it onto a plate. To be fancy. And also because I don't have a ring mold ...  Don't forget to dust with some Parmesan cheese.

  

Quick, flavorful - and best of all, you can have seconds with absolutely no guilt!