Spaghetti squash

From Free net encyclopedia

The spaghetti squash (Cucurbita pepo) (also called vegetable spaghetti, vegetable marrow, noodle squash or squaghetti) is an oblong seed-bearing fruit. The fruit can range from ivory to yellow in color. Its center contains many large squash seeds. Its flesh is bright yellow. When cooked, the flesh falls away from the fruit in ribbons or strands, like spaghetti. Its taste is nothing like spaghetti, however; it has a slight sweetness and, if not overcooked, is crunchy and watery, like cucumber. Spaghetti squash can be baked, boiled or steamed, and served with sauce as for pasta, or used as a vegetable base for macaroni and cheese. Spaghetti squash contains many nutrients including folic acid, potassium, and vitamin A. It is also a food low in calories, averaging 75 calories in 8 cooked ounces. It is an American native vegetable.

Unprepared

Cooked

Prepared

Cooking spaghetti squash

Spaghetti squash is easly cooked in the oven, microwave, or stovetop. When baking, the squash should be pierced with a fork repeatedly and then baked for about an hour, then sliced open and the seeds removed. When microwaving, slice the squash in half, remove seeds, fill with water, cover with wrap, and then cook on high for about ten minutes. When cooking the squash on the stove, slice the fruit vertically in half instead of horizontally during preparation. Clean the squash as usual. Place cut side down in three inches of water and boil on high for approximately half an hour.

Sliced and ready for cleaning

The insides are then cleaned out, much like a pumpkin

Boiling in a couple inches of water on high

After the squash has been fully cooked and scraped from the rind.

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