Lemony Spaghetti Squash with Butter and Parmesan Recipe (Vegetarian and Gluten-free)

Every now and then I crave spaghetti squash as an alternative to pasta. It's taken me some attempts to perfect this recipe, but I think I have it now. It really needs butter. I've tried using olive oil and salt in lieu of butter and it's just not the same. The lemon and parmesan really add nice flavor to the squash, too. This is a great gluten-free side dish that goes especially well with hearty sausage (veggie or otherwise).

Lemony Spaghetti Squash with Butter and Parmesan Recipe

1 medium spaghetti squash
2 tbsp butter
1 large lemon
1/3 cup freshly shredded parmesan cheese
Pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put 1/4 inch of water in the bottom of a rectangular 9x12 pan. Cut the squash in half from the stem to the bottom. Using a spoon, scoop out the seeds and pulp from the middle of the squash halves. Place them in the pan shell side up, and the flat parts on the bottom. Cover the pan with a large piece of aluminum foil and bake in the oven for 45 minutes. In the meantime, cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice out into a small bowl, being sure to remove any seeds.

After removing the pan from the oven, be very careful taking the aluminum foil off as a bunch of hot steam will be released from the pan. Drain out the water and use a fork to help you turn the squash halves right side up (they will be very hot). Get a medium bowl ready. Use a fork to shred out the squash from the shells and add the squash to the mixing bowl. Discard the shells. Add the butter, the lemon juice, and the parmesan and mix thoroughly. Pepper to taste, and sprinkle some additional parmesan cheese on top before serving. Serves 4+ as a side dish.

Acorn Squash Boats with Brown Sugar (Vegan)

This is my version of the acorn squash boats my Mom used to make when I was growing up. She used margarine or butter with the brown sugar, and I always made sure I got the one with the most sugar. This was my favorite vegetable side dish as a kid. Since we don't use butter or margarine at my house, my version of the squash boats have olive oil and salt instead. We love this side dish, especially Sam. As Sam gets older, she's eating more of the squash with the brown sugar, which is nice.

Acorn Squash Boats with Brown Sugar Recipe

Acorn squash - however many you want to make
1 tbsp olive oil per squash half
Salt
1 heaping tbsp brown sugar per squash half

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put 1/4 inch of water in the bottom of a rectangular 9x12 pan. Cut the squash in half from the stem to the bottom. Using a spoon, scoop out the seeds and pulp from the middle of the squash halves. Place them in the pan shell side up, and the flat parts on the bottom. Cover the pan with a large piece of aluminum foil and bake in the oven for 45 minutes.

After removing the pan from the oven, be very careful taking the aluminum foil off as a bunch of hot steam will be released from the pan. Drain out the water and use a fork to help you turn the squash halves right side up (they will be very hot). Put 1 tbsp olive oil and a dash of salt in each half. Follow the olive oil and salt with 1 heaping tbsp of brown sugar in each half. Place the uncovered pan back in the oven for 5 more minutes. When done, use a spoon to gently mix the brown sugar and olive oil together in the squash half, and serve the squash with a spoon to eat it with. Serve one squash half per person. When you eat it, be sure to spread the sugar around to have some with each bite of squash.

Maple Baked Squash and Apples Recipe (Vegan)

I grew up eating my Mom's baked acorn squash "boats" with brown sugar and butter, and it was one of my favorite side dishes. My brother and I used to scope out the squash boat with the most brown sugar and claim it before the other one did. In my family, I still make the squash boats occasionally, but with olive oil and salt (instead of the butter) and brown sugar. The problem is that Sam will usually only eat the brown sugar with a minimal amount of squash. So I created this dish using either acorn squash or butternut squash and an apple, with olive oil, salt, and maple syrup because it's easier to eat and it's guaranteed with this dish that Sam will eat more squash and apple than sugar. The apples add an "apple pie filling" flavor to the dish that I especially love.

Maple Baked Squash and Apples Recipe

1 acorn squash or small butternut squash
1 medium-sized crisp apple like a Fuji or Honeycrisp
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Pure maple syrup

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 9x12 pan with non-stick cooking spray. Cut the squash into sections, scoop out the seeds and pulp with a spoon, and remove the shell, leaving just the squash meat. Cut the squash pieces into 1 inch squares and add them to the pan. Peel and core the apple and cut the apple pieces into 1 inch squares like the squash, and add them to the pan distributing them among the squash. Drizzle olive oil over the squash and apples, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Next drizzle pure maple syrup over everything, like you did the olive oil. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil and bake for 10 more minutes. Serves 4 as a side dish.