Baked Spaghetti Squash

This is a recipe I found on Yahoo Shine, which they got from Better Homes and Gardens.  It’s sort of like a lasagna in that it’s baked, and sort of like a spaghetti in the taste.  Like lasagna, there is some layering involved.  Unlike lasagna, there’s no ricotta type cheese involved.  Maya’s not a fan of lasagna, never liked it much and then had it when sick with stomach flu, and has never recovered.   She likes this dish, though, and Ted and I love it.  It’s yummy, warm and gooey and still pretty full of nutrition. I found the recipe here.

Baked Spaghetti Squash

Ingredients

1 medium spaghetti squash (2-1/4 lb.)
12 oz. bulk Italian sausage
1-1/2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
1 medium green or red sweet pepper, chopped
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 4-1/4-oz. can chopped pitted ripe olives (optional)
1/2 tsp. dried Italian seasoning, crushed
1-1/2 cups purchased red pasta sauce
1-1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack, mozzarella, or Italian blend cheese
1/4 cup snipped fresh Italian parsley

Directions

Halve squash crosswise; remove seeds. Place cut sides down in 2-quart rectangular baking dish. Add 1/4 cup water. Cover with vented plastic wrap. Microcook on high power 13 to 15 minutes or until squash is tender when pierced with fork; rearrange once for even baking. In a large skillet cook sausage, mushrooms, sweet pepper, onion, and garlic over medium heat until sausage is no longer pink; stir to break up sausage. Drain off fat.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Scrape pulp from squash (about 3 cups). Wipe out baking dish; coat with nonstick cooking spray. Spread half the squash in dish. Add half the sausage mixture and half the olives. Sprinkle with seasoning and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper. Top with half the sauce and half the cheese. Top with remaining squash, sausage, olives, and sauce. Bake for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Let stand 10 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley.