*Not really part of Thought-tober but this is one of my family’s favorite dinners and is so easy to do that I can’t believe I haven’t shared it yet…

Spaghetti Squash & Sweet Italian Chicken Sausage

Ingredients:
– Spaghetti Squash (one medium squash)
– Chicken Sausage (Sweet Italian, ~ 1 lb)
– Pasta Sauce (~ half container)
– Parmesan Cheese (shredded and only if desired)

Time to table ~25 minutes

Cook the spaghetti squash by puncturing a few holes in it and microwave on high for 9-12 minutes, 3 minutes at a time, rotating 1/4 turn each time. The more time cooked the softer the squash will be. Less time results in crunchier spaghetti, which we prefer.

Brown chicken sausage in a skillet over medium heat. No oil is needed.

After squash is cooked (slightly soft), cut in half and scoop out seeds with spoon. Then using a fork, scrape the flesh of the squash out from the rind, it will come out in strands, almost like spaghetti. Ideally it should shred out easily and be a little crunchy (undercooking will leave it tough and hard, overcooking will leave it soft and watery).

Then add the squash and tomato sauce to the cooked sausage, mix well and cook a couple more minutes over low/medium heat.

Dish it up and it will usually serve 4-6 people. I usually eat this on a bed of mixed greens and make a little salad out of it but the rest of my family (particularly the almost 2 year old) devours it with just a little Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.

Give it a shot some day you need a simple and tasty meal and let me know what you think. There’s probably a dozen different spins on this (as a internet search would reveal) but this simple version is our favorite.

Thanks for reading, have a great day!

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