If you are one of the gazillion people who need to watch your carbohydrates intake, here’s a great alternative to carb-laden spaghetti noodles: Spaghetti squash. That’s right, squash.

The other night Lexi wanted spaghetti with meat sauce for dinner. It had been a while since I’ve made it since Brad has been watching his carbs lately. I suggested we feed the kids regular noodles and that we have spaghetti squash instead. He was game, as we both had eaten this before when we tried the Atkin’s diet years ago. (Disclaimer – I am by no means advocating Atkin’s plan – always check with a health professional before starting any diet.)

Regular cooked spaghetti noodles (the dry, boxed kind you find in grocery stores) contain 40 to 45 grams of carbohydrate per cup. Compare that to a cup of cooked spaghetti squash, which has 10 grams of carbs. Huge difference!

Once cooked, spaghetti squash will shred into threads that resemble thin spaghetti noodles. A typical squash is usually about a foot long and 6 inches in diameter. It is light yellow and should be firm to the touch, with no bruises. Since its flavor is mild, yet somewhat sweet, you will want to serve it with some type of sauce.

Ingredients

• 1 spaghetti squash
• Sauce of your choice. I suggest Bolognese (click here for my own recipe) or simply tossing it with butter, a little extra virgin olive oil, parmesan cheese, garlic salt, cracked pepper and parsley.

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Prick the spaghetti squash with a fork so it will not burst while baking. Place it  in a shallow baking pan. Bake for 1 hour. When the squash is cool enough to handle, cut it in half lengthwise.

Scoop out the seeds from the center of the squash.

Gently scrape the cleaned squash with a fork and shred the pulp into spaghetti-like strands.

Serve with your favorite sauce, such as Bolognese or the butter and parmesan sauce as mentioned above.

Bon appétit!

Eat, drink and be merry!