Cheesy Roasted Vegetables with Spaghetti (Squash)

After Bikram last night I came home, starving and sweaty. I'd planned on going to the store to get some food to make dinner, but after 90 minutes in 105 degree heat, you're not exactly looking your best, so I decided to go straight home. I pulled out some different things from my fridge and ended up making one of the best dinners I've had in a long time.

This dish would be just as good with regular spaghetti, but I had a spaghetti squash that had been taking up room in my fruit bowl for too long, and squash made for a lighter meal. Here's what I started with:

Since I've almost taken off a few fingers trying to cut squash open in the past, I've learned that you can make it a lot easier on yourself if you heat the squash a little bit first to make it softer. I put the squash in the microwave for 3 minutes before cutting it in half.

Scrape out the seeds and place squash face down in an oven dish. Pour 1/2 cup of water in the dish and put in an oven heated to 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes (until squash is tender).

After putting the squash in the oven, I got to work on preparing my vegetables. I used 1 red bell pepper, a bunch of asparagus, 4 medium carrots, and about 15 green olives. "Olives?!" you may say. Random, yes. But if you like green olives, I urge you to try this. It gave the dish so much more depth and flavor and was my favorite part! If you don't like olives, shame on you, but this dish will still be delicious without them.

Put all vegetables in an oven dish and toss with olive oil, rosemary, oregano, basil, and salt and pepper. Put in oven with spaghetti squash and roast for 15-20 minutes.

Take the squash out when done. After letting cool for a couple minutes, shred the squash to make the spaghetti strands.

When the vegetables are just about done, add some shredded cheese on top and roast for another 3-5 minutes (keep an eye on them so that cheese doesn't burn).

Then assemble your dinner! Start with some spaghetti squash...

...add some cheesy roasted vegetables...

...and top with a little more cheese.

If you're feeling creative, or if you want to avoid doing more dishes, this meal can be served beautifully in the shell of the squash.

Scrape the shell clean of all "spaghetti" ...

and fill it back up!

This meal was really outstanding. The rosemary complimented the roasted vegetables very nicely (especially the olives, which surprised me) and roasting the cheese made the flavors combine more than if it was just sprinkled on top. I'd highly recommend making this.

Cheesy Roasted Vegetables with Spaghetti Squash

Serves 3-4

Ingredients

• 1 spaghetti squash
• 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and chopped into 1-inch pieces
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 4 medium carrots, peeled and julienned
• 15 green olives, sliced
• 2 tsp olive oil
• dried rosemary, basil and oregano, to taste
• salt and pepper
• fresh grated Parmesan and Romano cheeses (about 6 tbsp total)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Cut spaghetti squash in half lengthwise (heat in microwave or oven for a few minutes to make cutting easier). Remove seeds and place both halves face down in an oven dish. Pour 1/2 cup water in dish and bake for 30-35 minutes, until squash is tender.
3. Prepare vegetables and put into an oven dish. Add olive oil and spice and toss well to coat. Roast in oven for 15-20 minutes, until desired tenderness is achieved. Add half of your shredded cheese and roast in oven for another 3-5 minutes (watch to prevent burning).
4. Shred the squash into spaghetti strands and served, topped with roasted vegetables and additional cheese (if desired).

Enjoy!