Spaghetti Squash with Garlic, Onions and Tomatoes

I had never cooked spaghetti squash before, and the prospect of waiting an hour for it to bake in the oven wasn't appealing after a long day at work. A few recipes suggested microwaving it, which would take much less time and still do the trick (baking it is preferable though, since it'll develop more flavor). The one thing the microwave recipes all warned was to make sure to poke a lot of holes all over the skin. Using a knife, I made a few dozen holes around the squash and thought that was enough. It wasn't. At about the sixth minute, Sky and I heard a POP from inside the microwave. The bottom part of the squash skin had exploded, sending spaghetti squash spilling out. Thankfully, most of the squash stayed inside and could be salvaged. Lesson learned. When I say poke holes, poke a lot of holes. And when you think you've poked enough, poke some more. The explosion didn't affect the taste, however. Combined with a little margarine, garlic, onions and tomatoes, the squash was nutty and luscious.

Makes two servings

Total time to cook: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

1 large spaghetti squash

1/4 cup diced onions

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup canned plum tomatoes, drained and diced

2 tbsp margarine

1/4 cup grated parmesean cheese

Steps:

- Poke holes all over the squash (seriously, poke a lot of holes). Microwave for seven to 10 minutes, turning it at the halfway point.

- While the squash is cooking, melt one tablespoon of margarine in a medium pan and then add the garlic, onions and tomatoes. Cook until the onions and garlic are brown. Turn off the heat if the squash isn't done yet.

- When the squash is done, cut in half, watching out for the steam. Scoop out and discard the seeds, and then scoop out the "spaghetti" squash. It's crazy how much it looks like angel hair spaghetti.

(hopefully yours will not look like this)

- Over medium heat, add the squash to the pan with the garlic, onions and tomatoes. Add the second tablespoon of margarine and briefly stir everything together.

- At the very end add the parmesean, give it a stir and serve immediately.