The Wonder of Spaghetti Squash

During a ladies night held at my house a few weeks ago, I came across a great discovery. I wanted to make hot 'n sour soup without rice noodles, which are high in carbohydrates and have a strong effect on blood sugar levels. So, I thought, what about spaghetti squash? I wasn't sure if the squash would maintain it's form and texture but to my surprise it did great. It wasn't as over-filling as noodles and it had a nice little crunch to it. My guests approved of this experiment, making it a success.

Next step was to see how it froze. I made up one serving with the squash in the soup and one with the squash in a separate container. You can imagine my surprise when both ways worked! The squash actually held it's form, texture and nutty taste so well, you couldn't even tell it had ever been frozen. This opened up a whole new world for me. Next I tried making spaghetti squash with meatballs and marinara sauce and this too froze wonderfully.

Spaghetti Squash is a winter squash with a glycemic index of 50 (which is mid-range). It is an excellent source of vitamin A as well as a good source of vitamin C, potassium, dietary fiber, manganese, B1, B6, B3  and Omega 3- fatty acid. What does this mean? Well, it means this beautiful food not only tastes good, it is also a strong antioxidant & anti-inflammatory that helps stabilize blood sugar levels by properly breaking down sugars and starches, turning them into usable and sustainable energy. And if that isn't enough, 1 cup of spaghetti squash only has 80 calories! 

Because spaghetti squash does not have any protein, I suggest adding meat or tofu to your dish to help maintain fullness and energy.

Cooking spaghetti squash is extremely easy. Pierce the rind of the squash a few times with a fork, place it on a cookie sheet or an oven safe pan and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Cut in half, lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Next, take a fork to the meat of the squash and just start scraping. It will naturally come out looking like long, stringy noodles. 

This wonder squash is a great substitute for spaghetti and rice noodles. You will be seeing many recipes using it in my future posts.


As always,

Here's to Life, Love, Health and Happiness! Cheers!