Really?

I don't know. I have always avoided spaghetti squash. I just never thought I would substitute squash for pasta. Ever! But, then, for a variety of reasons, I needed to find some new ways of cooking and my awesome sister-in-law, Kathy, had a recipe she said was pretty good.

So, I gave it a try. This is funny stuff. As Kathy said, "Who da thunk that would be inside a squash." (She doesn't always talk like that but the squash really was surprising.)Cut it in half. It's a sturdy squash so I gave that job to Allen. Roast it cut side down for 30-40 minutes and then scrape it with a fork. Voila! Spaghetti-looking squash.

Here's my adapted version of Kathy's recipe for Spaghetti (Squash) Pie via Pinterest:

Spaghetti (Squash) Pie

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Here's What You Need:

1 spaghetti squash
olive oil
sea salt
pepper
1/2 lb. 100% grass fed organic ground beef
2 tsp. coconut oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 medium garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried, crushed oregano
1/2 jar Rao's Pasta Sauce (I actually don't know how much I used. Enough for a sauce that isn't too runny)
6 oz. ricotta cheese
1 large egg
1/2 cup fresh mozzarella cheese, shredded

Here's What You Do:

Halve squash lengthwise and scrape out seeds. Brush olive oil on cut side of squash, sprinkle with salt and peppper, and place cut side down on a large cookie sheet and roast in pre-heated oven for 30-40 minutes, depending on size of squash.

Remove squash from oven and, using a fork, carefully rake stringy squash into strands that look like spaghetti.Brush a pie plate with a little olive oil. Place spaghetti squash strands in bottom and up sides of a pie plate to form a crust. Set aside.

Brown beef, drain, remove from skillet and set aside.

In the same skillet, heat coconut oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté until tender. Add garlic and oregano and saute briefly until fragrant. Return meat to pan and add sauce. Simmer to reduce liquid.

Beat egg with a fork and mix with the ricotta cheese. Add salt and pepper to cheese mixture to taste.Spread the ricotta cheese mixture over the squash.Pour meat sauce over cheese layer and sprinkle mozzarella on top. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes before serving. If it's firm enough you can cut it into wedges. Mine wasn't but it was really, really good. I am actually really surprised I liked it so much.