TRYING SOMETHING NEW

Before leaving on my adventure, I picked the three spaghetti squash that had ripened. They weren’t very big — just bigger than a softball. I think they are beautiful though and just the right size for a meal. I put them in the refrigerator to use when I came home and today was the big day.

I’ve been served spaghetti squash before but have not made it. There was one attempt in the 90’s but I couldn’t even get a knife through the darn thing, and that was the end of my caring if spaghetti squash existed.

Also, I found a recipe online that sounded like it would be worth trying. It’s a good thing I wrote it down because I sure couldn’t locate it again online. Sorry, I can’t give proper credit.

It’s called Turkey Sausage Broccoli and Pasta Skillet. What attracted me to it was the suggestion to substitute the pasta with spaghetti squash. How fortuitous!

COOKING THE SPAGHETTI SQUASH

Cooking the spaghetti squash was quite easy.

Slice the spaghetti squash:

Scoop out the seeds:

Spritz with olive oil and season with salt and pepper:

Place the cut side down on the baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes:

While those were baking, I prepared the other ingredients, cutting the measurements in half.

The recipe said that when using spaghetti squash, to use a block of cream cheese to create the sauce. Since I use cream cheese so rarely, my powdered cream cheese worked perfectly. I just mixed some water into about a 1/4 cup of the powder until it was a smooth creamy consistency (I made it more on the thin side, not as stiff as a block of cheese would be).

When the squash was done, I scraped the squash out and was happy to see it shredded to look like spaghetti noodles.

Add the meat, broccoli, and sauce on top and here’s the final product!

Here’s the recipe as written if you want to try it – either with pasta or with spaghetti squash. I’ve indicated where I needed to make changes.

TURKEY SAUSAGE BROCCOLI AND PASTA SKILLET

3/4 pound ground turkey sausage

8 ounces pasta (I used spaghetti squash) **

4 cups broccoli florets (I used frozen and cooked it in the microwave)

4 cloves garlic, chopped (I used jarred garlic)

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper

Cook the pasta. During the last 3 minutes of cooking, add the broccoli. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid.

Brown the sausage in a skillet until no longer pink. Add garlic and cook 1 minute until fragrant. Add some red pepper flakes if you like it spicy.

Stir in the pasta, broccoli and Parmesan cheese. Add reserved pasta water a few tablespoons at a time, stirring until a thin sauce forms. **

* * If using spaghetti squash, create the sauce by adding cream cheese.

Another variation suggested adding a can of cannellini beans, drained.

That was dinner. Tomorrow, I go back to the office.