Spaghetti Squash with Skinny Garlic Butter

A wonderfully flavorful, super rich tasting and healthy, side dish. I made it the other night and had to stop myself from eating all of it. It’s that good!! You’ll love how easy spaghetti squash is to cook. I like to bake the squash whole or cook in a crock-pot. I’ve included instructions for both ways. Each cup has 93 calories, 5 grams of fat and 2 WW SP. Happily, spaghetti squash has 0 SmartPoints. Serve alongside chicken, beef, pork or fish. Or, make it a vegetarian meal and top with Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients

1 small spaghetti squash (about 4-5 pounds)

3 tablespoons light butter or Smart Balance Light (gluten-free)

1 tablespoon garlic, minced

Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. To Cook in Oven: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Pierce squash a few times with sharp knife (to let steam escape). Place squash on a baking pan lined with foil. Bake spaghetti squash for about 50 minutes, or until a sharp knife pierces easily through skin. Let squash cool for 10 minutes.

To Cook in Crock-pot: Place whole squash in crockpot. Add a little water and cook until tender, about 2-3 hours on HIGH or 5-6 hours on LOW, depending on its size.

2. Once cooked, cut squash in half, lengthwise. Use a fork to remove and discard seeds. Continue using a fork to scrape squash to get long strands. If the squash seems difficult to scrape, return squash to bake for an additional 10 minutes. Place spaghetti squash strands in a strainer to drain excess moisture. Thoroughly blot dry with paper towels, removing as much moisture as possible.

3. Heat a large, nonstick pan with butter and garlic, over medium-low heat. Heat for about 1 minute. Add spaghetti squash strands. Toss well. Sprinkle in a little salt and pepper. Continue to toss and cook until thoroughly heated.The spaghetti squash should have a slight crunch.

Makes 4 servings about 1 cup each.

Food Facts
This fabulous squash is still in the supermarkets. Like other hard-shelled winter squash, spaghetti squash is harvested in early fall and available through spring. The squash keeps for months stored in a cool place. 

Once cooked, spaghetti squash turns into thin, pasta-shaped strands of squash (hence, the name).

Healthy Benefits
A cup of spaghetti squash has only 42 calories and 0 SmartPoints. The same amount of regular cooked spaghetti has around 200 calories and 5 SmartPoints. Spaghetti squash is packed with fiber, plus loads of good-for-you vitamins.

Cooking Tips
Baking time really depends on how big your squash is-try to get the smallest one, especially if you’re only feeding 4 people. It’s ready if you can pierce the squash with a knife with little resistance.

WW SP 2
WW PP+ 3