Roasted Spaghetti Squash with Spicy Marinara

A few weeks ago I made a huge pot of marinara sauce.  I've been getting a little annoyed by the high sodium levels in a lot of the jarred sauces on the market and the prevalence of ingredients I'd never heard of.  So I decided to make my own.  I buy canned tomatoes that have the lowest sodium content I can find (no sodium added? yes please! now I can season it myself!).  I used some of that sauce to cover a delicious braciole.  The rest of the sauce got frozen for use at a later time.  I pulled out about 6 cups of sauce for this yesterday and let it thaw overnight (because that was the smallest container I had in the freezer...).

We also bought some spaghetti squash at the public market and so I decided to make spaghetti squash marinara.  I had something similar to this once when we were out to dinner and loved it.  That was actually the first time I'd ever eaten spaghetti squash, which makes tonight's dinner the second.  :)

I hacked into these squashes with a large chefs knife.  I really had to work to get them to cut in half (was wishing I had a hack saw or an axe at various points...).  In the end I succeeded and scooped out the seeds and roasted the squash.  A delicious meal.  Would've been vegan if I hadn't added the cheese at the end... oh delicious, delicious cheese... :)

The spaghetti squash was similar to angel hair to me.  Definitely delicious.  And incredibly healthy!  You can eat a lot more squash than pasta for a lot fewer calories.  We ate most of this squash with probably one serving left over... although Jeremy might be polishing that off in a little while if the first serving doesn't keep him full.

Picture courtesy of Jeremy.  His bowl right before he dug in. 

The squash right after they came out of the oven (except for the fact that I turned them over...)

Spaghetti squash:
2 3 lb. spaghetti squashes (or 1 large... a few small...)
salt
pepper
olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Cut the squash in half (This is kind of tough... be very careful.  You can also roast them whole (there are directions all over the internet -- prick the squash with a knife first) but it will take longer.  I wanted to get the seeds out before I roasted them... so I had to cut them in half.).  Scoop out the seeds with a spoon.
2. Season each cut side with a pinch of salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil (probably 1 tbs. total among all the squash halves).  Brush the oil over the cut sides.
3. Place the squash cut side down on parchment paper on a baking sheet.
4. Roast for approximately 45 minutes until the squash can be pierced easily with a fork (exact time will depend on the size of your squash(es).
5. Allow to cool until cool enough to handle.  Use a fork to scrape the flesh into strands.
6.  Mix into a couple of cups of the marinara sauce (recipe follows).  Heat through.  Serve with some freshly grated parmesan cheese if desired.

Marinara:
1/4 c. olive oil
4 28 oz cans crushed tomatoes
4 15 oz cans diced tomatoes
1 6 oz can tomato paste
1 c. dry white wine
2 medium yellow onions, diced finely (about 1 1/2 c. diced)
6-8 cloves garlic (between 1/3 and 1/2 c. minced -- I love garlic)
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flake
2 medium carrots, grated
1-2 tbs. sugar (depending on how sweet you want the sauce)
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
5-6 basil leaves, minced
1 large handful flat-leaf parsley, minced

1. Heat olive oil in a very large soup pot over medium heat.  Add crushed red pepper flakes and stir to combine.  Add onions and garlic and a pinch of salt and sweat (not saute... use a lower heat so they don't brown) for 7-9 minutes until very soft.
2.  Add carrots and tomato paste and stir to combine.  Cook for an additional minute or two.  Add wine and scrape the bottom of the pan.  Add crushed and diced tomatoes, salt, black pepper, basil, and parsley.  Add desired amount of sugar (the carrots add some sweetness so you may not need sugar if you're happy with how it tastes.  I added 1 tbs.)
3.  Simmer for approximately 45 minutes until flavors combine.  Use/freeze as desired.