Baked Spaghetti Squash w/Cheddar Cheese & Spinach (gluten-free, contains dairy) This recipe was adapted from Skinny Taste. When I saw the recipe, mac n cheese came to mind. Since I love mac n cheese, this was a perfect dish to make, substituting the pasta for the spaghetti squash of course. I added either 1% or 2% milk (since that’s what we had in the fridge). I added sharp cheddar cheese instead of a mild cheddar as the recipe suggests because I love the extra flavor that comes from sharp cheddar cheese. I also slightly eliminated the amount of vegetable broth and instead added 1/2 the amount of milk. Since there is a lot of spinach in the dish, a lot of water gets released while baking it in the oven. So I would also recommend baking it for a longer time so that most of the water boils off. But be sure not to over bake the Parmesan Cheese on top. Ingredients: 5 1/2 cups cooked spaghetti squash (from 1 large or 2 small spaghetti squash, recipe below indicates method to cook spaghetti sqash) 1 Tbsp. butter 1/2 Tbsp olive oil 1/4 cup white onion, minced (optional) 1/4 cup flour ( gluten-free option: rice flour) 2 1/2 cups milk 6 oz. (~ 1 1/2 cups) sharp cheddar cheese, shredded 4 cups baby spinach Parmesan Cheese, grated (about 1/4 cup) salt pepper Directions: To Prepare 1 Large Spaghetti Squash: Microwave Method: Wash the spaghetti squash. Poke holes (using a knife or sharp skewer) all around and place on top of a kitchen towel in the microwave. Microwave for 7 minutes. Rotate the squash 180 degrees so it cooks evenly. Microwave again for another 6 minutes. Adjust microwave times as needed (The exact times may vary depending on how large the squash is and how powerful your microwave is. To check whether the spaghetti squash is cooked through, you should be able to pierce through to the middle fairly easily.). Let the squash cool down. Cut in half lengthwise, remove and discard the seeds, and scoop out with the Pampered Chef Scoop Loop and separate the flesh of the spaghetti squash with a spoon until all that remains is the outer shell. Youll notice that the flesh of the squash comes out in strands similar to spaghetti (hence the name spaghetti squash). Note that the flesh should scoop out easily with a spoon. If not, then the squash may not be cooked all the way through. Oven Method: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Cut the squash in half, remove the seeds, and bake on a baking sheet for about an hour until tender (you should be able to pierce through the flesh easily). Using a spoon, start to scoop out and separate the flesh of the spaghetti squash until all that remains is the outer shell. Youll notice that the flesh of the squash comes out in strands similar to spaghetti (hence the name spaghetti squash). To Prepare the Baked Spaghetti Squash Dish: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a large sauce pan, heat the butter and olive oil on medium heat. Add the onions and cook for a few minutes. Add the flour and whisk to combine. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for a few minutes, stirring the flour/butter mixture occasionally. Slowly add the milk and the Pampered Chef Stainless Whisk continuously on medium heat until the mixture becomes smooth and starts to simmer. Continue to simmer, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens in consistency. Make sure the sauce is thicker than a standard bechamel sauce. As a guide, the sauce is thick enough right when the sauce starts to clump (just prior to this moment). In other words, the sauce should not pour out in a uniform stream. (see notes below) Remove from heat and stir in the shredded cheddar cheese. Combine until smooth (i.e. the cheese should melt into the sauce). Season with salt and pepper. Add 5 1/2 cups cooked spaghetti squash and spinach and combine. Transfer everything to a baking dish (such as a 9x13 glass tray) and sprinkle the top with grated Parmesan Cheese. Bake for 40-45 minutes until the dish is bubbly and the top is golden. Note that if you do not bake for long enough, the dish may be slightly runny because the water released from the spinach did not have enough time to boil off. Remove from the oven and let it sit for 5-10 minutes to allow the dish to finish cooking. Sprinkle some fresh ground black pepper (optional) and serve immediately. Enjoy! Order your Pampered Chef products! new.pamperedchef/pws/angelavinci/interactive-catalog-page Notes: Because of the addition of fresh spinach, this dish could come out quite watery IF the white sauce is not thick enough prior to adding the squash and spinach. The water gets released from the spinach and will start to evaporate as the dish bakes in the oven. So by making the white sauce thicker in nature, you are lowering the total amount of liquid that needs to evaporate from the dish while baking..
Posted on: Sat, 08 Nov 2014 16:49:38 +0000
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