I learned yesterday that you can cook squash in slow cookers. Who knew? I was aware of microwaving, boiling, and oven-cooking, but these methods do not improve or infuse additional flavor into the squash itself during the processes.
Ingredients:
I took some spaghetti squash I had grown over the summer(they store really well), chopped it into four pieces and gutted the seeds. The seeds can be put aside on paper towels to dry and replant next spring.
Place squash rind-down on the bottom of the slow cooker, and cover with spaghetti sauce*, allowing to simmer on low for 6-8 hours.
Since simmering that long can make sauce smokey, I added fresh chopped tomatoes about half way through.
When done, just pull out the pieces of squash. They will easily scrape clean with a fork, the flavorful flesh falling off in delicious shreds.
Put squash back into the crock pot to cook for a little bit more time.
At this point, I added some regular spaghetti for texture, allowing to cook for approximately 10-15 more minutes.
Verdict: Excellent! Great for lower carb needs. Just the little bit of spaghetti pasta added helped the texture while the squash absorbed the flavor of the sauce. I am going to try this again as I have two more spaghetti squashes, except with a buttery garlic mushroom sauce.
*The sauce I used was made two months prior from ingredients in my garden(veggies and herbs) and jarred fresh with the addition of mushrooms and bratwurst from the store. I do recommend pork or sausage of some kind with with recipe if you are not vegetarian.
Random Tip: If you have any baby jars or small jars that you can sterilize, you can use them in many ways. Buy garlic when it's on sale in bulk or in season from local farmers. Place in a small roasting dish(like corningware) and add salt, a dash of pepper and olive oil. Cover with aluminum foil and roast at 400 degrees F for an hour or so, until it gets mellow and yummy. Spoon into clean jar and store in the fridge. I use this a lot instead of fresh garlic when I can't saute it, like with crock pots or in sauces. It's also good heated up and smeared on bread for garlic bread.
Ingredients:
- Spaghetti sauce of your choice, 2 pts
- 1 medium to large spaghetti squash, scrubbed clean
- 2-4 Fresh roma tomatoes, diced
- Additional pasta of choice, optional
- Slow Cooker
I took some spaghetti squash I had grown over the summer(they store really well), chopped it into four pieces and gutted the seeds. The seeds can be put aside on paper towels to dry and replant next spring.
Place squash rind-down on the bottom of the slow cooker, and cover with spaghetti sauce*, allowing to simmer on low for 6-8 hours.
Since simmering that long can make sauce smokey, I added fresh chopped tomatoes about half way through.
When done, just pull out the pieces of squash. They will easily scrape clean with a fork, the flavorful flesh falling off in delicious shreds.
Put squash back into the crock pot to cook for a little bit more time.
At this point, I added some regular spaghetti for texture, allowing to cook for approximately 10-15 more minutes.
Verdict: Excellent! Great for lower carb needs. Just the little bit of spaghetti pasta added helped the texture while the squash absorbed the flavor of the sauce. I am going to try this again as I have two more spaghetti squashes, except with a buttery garlic mushroom sauce.
*The sauce I used was made two months prior from ingredients in my garden(veggies and herbs) and jarred fresh with the addition of mushrooms and bratwurst from the store. I do recommend pork or sausage of some kind with with recipe if you are not vegetarian.
Random Tip: If you have any baby jars or small jars that you can sterilize, you can use them in many ways. Buy garlic when it's on sale in bulk or in season from local farmers. Place in a small roasting dish(like corningware) and add salt, a dash of pepper and olive oil. Cover with aluminum foil and roast at 400 degrees F for an hour or so, until it gets mellow and yummy. Spoon into clean jar and store in the fridge. I use this a lot instead of fresh garlic when I can't saute it, like with crock pots or in sauces. It's also good heated up and smeared on bread for garlic bread.
