Baked Spaghetti Squash and Cheese

February 18, 2013

My name is Brooke and I’m a cheese-aholic. It was a sad, sad day when I became lactose-intolerant shortly after starting college. No more milk, cheese or ice cream? Sob! Things have gotten better since then—there are a myriad of lactose-free alternatives; Lactaid milk is a Godsend; and Cabot Cheese has a wide variety of lactose-free cheeses—Yippee!

While I enjoy cheese, it can be heavy at times, particularly when baked with pasta. This recipe is a perfect alternative—eliminating the pasta and adding chicken broth for richness, this dish is light, but feels decadent!

Decadent and light at the same time? Winner!

Baked Spaghetti Squash and Cheese

Recipe from Skinnytaste.com

Serves 7 • Serving Size: 1 cup • Calories: 165 • Fat: 8g

Ingredients

5 1/2 cups cooked spaghetti squash (from about 2 small)

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 cup minced onion

1/4 cup flour

2 cups skim milk

1 cup fat free chicken broth (use vegetable broth if you want to go vegetarian)

2 cups shredded Cabot 50% Reduced Fat Cheddar Cheese

salt and pepper to taste

4 cups baby spinach

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

2. Cut the squash in half lengthwise; remove and discard seeds. Place squash on a baking sheet. Bake until tender, about 1 hour. Separate the strands of squash with a fork and place in a medium bowl; discard shells. Maintain oven temperature.

3. Heat butter and oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook about 2 minutes. Stir in flour. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring continually 3-4 minutes.

4. Add milk and chicken broth and continue whisking, raising heat to medium-high until it comes to a boil and becomes smooth and thick, about 2 minutes stirring; season with salt and pepper.

5. One it becomes thick, remove from heat, add 1 1/4 cups cheese and mix well until cheese is melted. Adjust salt and pepper to taste, add cooked spaghetti squash and baby spinach, pour into a baking dish and sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Bake until bubbly and golden, 25 to 30 minutes. I recommend placing a cookie sheet under the baking dish to collect any liquid that boils over. Also, this recipe makes a lot, so I popped over to my parents place and used their oven—my toaster oven wasn’t going to cut it this time!