Entrees - Phase 1 - Spaghetti Squash Deep-Dish Italian Pie

Cook 1 spaghetti squash (I poke several times with a knife and microwave whole for 10 minutes). Cut open, clean seeds from center and discard.

Scrape flesh into a bowl and let cool for a bit. Add 1 egg, 1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese, and salt and pepper to taste and mix well.

Spray a pie plate or shallow casserole with non stick spray and spread spaghetti squash mixture to form a thick "crust". Bake at 350 until the crust begins to brown, approx 30 minutes.

Top with 1/2 cup marinara sauce or tomato sauce, and any pizza-type toppings you desire (veggies, turkey pepperoni, sausage, olives). Finish off with 1/2 cup shredded mozarella cheese, and 1/8 cup grated Parmesan. Bake an additional 20 mins. until the cheese is melty and bubbly and beginning to brown.

Cut into wedges and serve. Serves 4 generously.

I was experimenting the other night and came up with this, but I'm not sure where I got the idea from originally. If I have swiped someone's recipe, please let me know and I'll credit accordingly!

First off.....I've got to give you serious props for the baking technique. I always struggle to cut it in half, the cover it w/ pastic wrap. And then worry about burning myself from the steam. Love the way it was cooked!!!!
I actually added an egg and some parmesan cheese to the squash before I baked it. And my toppings were sausage, peppers, olives, mushrooms, and onions. It turned out fantastic!
Thanks, Schmoo, for the great recipe!

I made this tonight and it is awesome. I served a piece with a teaspoon of ricotta and I was in HEAVEN :love: now I feel like I ate tooooo much but OMG it was good. Does anyone know the carb count on a serving?

it was yummy but very liquidy what did I do wrong?

it was yummy but very liquidy what did I do wrong?

After patting the squash into the pie pan, I like to bake mine until it's really crispy before adding the toppings and baking it again. It prevents the dish from being watery. I hope that helps!

I had it baking for 30 min how long do you bake it for?

KO, I set my oven at 400* and baked the crust for 35-40 minutes.
I turned the oven down to 350* for the final baking.

Not a SBer but ding dang this sounds good. I may have to steal it :o

Even Liquidy DH INHALED IT! I topped it with RF Shredded italian blend and Barilla Mushroom pasta sauce and sausage and peppers

Made this for dinner tonight and it was yummy!

http://pics.livejournal.com/thatgaychick/pic/000gz2rw
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Made this last night - it was wonderful!!!
I brought in a leftover piece into school today (I'm a teacher) and everyone wanted to know what I had. It's kind of funny because I have been trying all these amazing recipes you all have posted and feel like I have never eaten so well! The past 6 months when I was gaining, we would not eating healthy at all.

Just a lil warning- I have used this method for cooking my spaghetti squash-and it works fabulously(whole in the microwave)- but I just got new flatware and was afraid to mess it up so this time I am afraid I didn't poke the squash hard enough and I have one heck of a mess in the microwave...lol so poke through thoroughly!lol... I was able to recover the squash- the hardest part was separating the core, but I think I did ok...lol this squash was the smallest one I have ever cooked too so that may have had something to do with it, maybe I overcooked- if you start to hear some serious hissing- turn the microwave off and poke some more! lol...

I am cooking the pie now- decided to try a cast iron skillet to see if I can get some extra crispy-ness with it!

Making this for lunch today. It smells so wonderful. I added italian seasoning to the squash base as well. It is just DS2 and I for lunch today, and he seems to be enjoying watching me prepare it.

I topped it with: red onions, baby bella mushrooms, green bell pepper, chopped fresh spinach, roasted garlic, tomatoes, fresh basil, a small amount of fat free feta, and reduced fat mozzarella cheese. I gave it a sprinkle of italian seasoning before i put it back int he oven as well.

I made this tonight and it turned out GREAT. I think my squash was to big because my crust was REALLY thick. Next time I'm going to make 2 and stick one in the freezer to bake for a quick dinner later.

I took a couple of pictures but it won't let me post them until my post count is 25.

This sounds soooo good! I love squash and can't wait to try this. Thanks for sharing all your tips :-)

I am eating this for the first time as I type. After reading everyone's posts, here is what I did. I baked the crust for 40 minutes. My toppers were yellow pepper, onion, 3 rounds of canadian bacon, several sundried tomatoes, some asparagus that I needed to get rid of and a few green onions.

Yummy!

I'm now preparing the Thai Shrimp soup and the Creamy chicken florentine soup from the book. I don't much like cooking when I get home from work; so I should have a weeks worth of food for lunch and dinner finished!

Pat

I just had this for lunch - YUM. I will definitely make it again. I am worried thought that it will no keep me satisfied long since there is not much protein in it. Maybe next time I will add black beans. Also, it takes a long time to make so I have to really plan ahead. Looking forward to leftovers tomorrow - I had to limit how much DH could eat:)

I made this last night and it was so so good, before I baked my crust I laid clean tea cloth on top and got some of the extra liquid out. I baked it at 400 for about 25 minutes but it could have gone longer, I think I will do 35 next time.

My husband loved it!

Well. I know what is for dinner tonight. :) I just found out that Spaghetti Squash is allowed on Phase 1, so was just going to sautee some veggies with some fake butter.

aside/ I grew up with real butter. Sometimes fresh from the churn. The closest thing I have been able to find that isn't made from all sorts of chemicals is Brummel and Brown Natural Yogurt spread. I compared it to the "Smart Balance" and the fat / calorie / Carb content is either the same or less. The sodium content is a few mgs higher, but it's negligible.

Maybe I'll try this instead. Maybe with some cut up grilled chicken breast?

O.
M.
G.
This is soooooo good!

I made mine with some left over baked chicken breast for a bit more protein, chopped red and green pepper, zucchini, and onion.

I am going to have to stop myself from eating more then one serving!

I don't know why I waited till now to make this, but DH & I loved it. I did forget to bake the "crust" first, but it turned out great anyway. I used sauteed onions, red peppers & garlic as toppings. Next time I may try a meat topping and vary the veggies. This will become a regular dinner like the Taco Bake.