I just made delicious stuffed peppers filled with mushrooms as a side dish for our Thanksgiving meal. For my next trick, I will whip up some spaghetti squash with cream sauce.

What’s spaghetti squash?

Spaghetti squash, also known as vegetable spaghetti, is ivory to yellow in color. Once cooked, the inside of the squash forms long pieces that resemble pasta.

My fiancé just might eat this squash, because it takes on the flavor of the sauce you use. There’s no better way to entice someone to eat a foreign food than to smother it with cream and butter.

I’ll also add mushrooms to the sauce to tie in the flavors of the stuffed pepper dish.

I really just needed to use an extra box of mushrooms, but no one’s telling, right?

This recipe is very easy to make, but it requires a lot of oven time. You should prepare this recipe a few nights before Thanksgiving, hence the reason that I am blogging about it right now!

For the spaghetti squash: One spaghetti squash (3 to 4 lbs), 1 Tbsp olive oil, pepper to taste

For the cream sauce: 1/4 cup butter, 3 cloves garlic, 1 tsp rosemary, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1/4 tsp salt, 8 oz mushrooms, 3/4 cup heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Carefully cut the spaghetti squash in half, lengthwise. You will need a very sharp knife, a sturdy cutting board, and a strong hand.

There are seeds in the middle of the spaghetti squash. You need to scoop out the center of the squash for this recipe, but you should save the seeds! You can clean them off and roast them in the oven until golden brown. They make a great snack!

Once the center of the squash is clean, brush each half completely with olive oil. Then sprinkle the squash with ground black pepper.

Place parchment paper on a large baking sheet.

Lay the spaghetti squash on the baking sheet, with the inside of the squash touching the pan. Place the pan in the oven. Allow the spaghetti squash to cook for 40 to 45 minutes.

The squash will be done when you can pierce its tough skin easily with a knife.

Remove the squash from the oven, and turn each half inside-up. Let it cool while you make the cream sauce.

Mince the garlic cloves. Melt butter in a saucepan, and add the minced garlic. Mix in the mushrooms and spices. Heat the contents of the pan until the mushrooms have started to soften.

Reduce the heat, and then add the heavy cream to the pan. Allow the sauce to cook until it thickens.

The color will start to brown, from both the cooking process and the sautéing of the mushrooms.

While the sauce is cooking, scrape the insides of the squash with a fork to form the “spaghetti.” Place the spaghetti squash in a storage container.

When the sauce is finished, pour it over the vegetable spaghetti. Make sure the sauce covers the entire squash.

You will likely want to eat this recipe immediately, and I cannot blame you. The aroma of that simmering, delightful dairy cream is exquisite. You can have a sampling, but save some for the Thanksgiving meal!

This simple and easy dish will surely impress your guests.

Onto part 3…

Nutrition facts for one serving of spaghetti squash with sauce based on the USDA Nutrient Database.