All Veggie Dinner
This recipe is another garden favorite! Fresh vegetables from the garden are always the best to cook with. Growing your own varieties will leave you with endless cooking possibilities. If you have read any of my other recipes, you’ll notice that I LOVE CHEESE… and veggies. I am not a vegetarian but do go a few days a week without animal meat. I could almost get on board with the vegan diet, but I just can’t leave behind my cheese and eggs.
When I was a child, I HATED squash. Even most of my adult life I have shied away from the mushy, watery vegetable. Then, something happened… I learned how to cook it in my own recipes. MAN, had I been missing out! Squash and cheese sauce is absolutely delicious!
The real love began when I realized that I could substitute zucchini for spaghetti in my marinara sauce, then I moved on to zucchini lasagna and Alfredo. When my brother-in-law said he wanted to make us dinner, and had mentioned spaghetti squash, I really thought he meant zucchini that he would be cutting up. But when he introduced me to the wonders of this vegetable, I had to run out, buy my own, seed it, and plants the seeds in my garden so I could have the super squash all the time. Why buy processed pasta EVER when you have all the squashes that are much healthier and work in the dish?!
Try out this recipe, and let me know how it turns out!
Cook Time:
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Ready in: 45 min
Yields: 6 Servings
What You’ll Need:
- 2 – 3 Baking Sheets
- Saucepan
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Non-Stick Spray
- Cutting Board
- Veggie Knife
- 2 Mixing Bowls
- 2 Forks
- Spatula
- Rubber Spatula
- Measuring Spoon
Ingredients:
- 1 large Spaghetti Squash, Baked
- 10 Okra, Sliced
- 1 – 2 cups Bread Crumbs, Italian Style
- 1 – 2 cups Milk, (Cow’s, Almond, or Soy)
- 1 – 2 large Eggs
- 10 – 12 tbsp Butter, (1 stick + 2 – 4 tbsp)
- 2/3 cup + Sprinkle Parmesan Cheese, Powdered or Grated
- 1 tsp Garlic, Minced
- 1 tsp Garlic Salt
- 1 tsp + Sprinkle Parsley Flakes
Instructions:
- Heat oven to 450 degrees, and pour enough water in a baking sheet to cover the bottom.
- Cut spaghetti squash in half, long ways, and clean the seeds and pulp out of the squash.
- Place the squash upside down on the baking sheet, and cook in the oven for about 30 minutes or until the “meat” of the squash is tender.
- About 10-15 minutes before the squash is finished, cut okra into 1/2 inch slices, cutting off and discarding both ends. Spray another baking sheet with non-stick spray.
- In one of the small-medium mixing bowls, beat 1 egg and 1 cup of milk together to make an egg wash. In the other small-medium mixing bowl, pour the bread crumbs.
- Dip okra into egg wash, let drip, cover with bread crumbs, and line them up in the baking sheet. (You may need to add more bread crumbs or milk as you go. I usually bag my left-over bread crumbs, and refrigerate them for next time.)
- Take the squash out of the oven, turn it over, and let it cool until you can handle it. Lower the oven to 375 degrees.
- Spray the okra with olive oil until moist. (You can use butter flavored, non-stick spray if need be.) Bake in the oven for 10 – 15 minutes or until moist and tender.
- In a saucepan, on low heat, melt 10 – 12 tbsp of butter.
- Once the butter is melted, add 1 tsp of minced garlic and 1 tsp of parsley flakes, and 1 tsp of garlic salt. Stir well, then turn off the heat, but leave the pan on the burner to keep it hot.
- Use a fork to scrape the spaghetti squash out of its skin into the large mixing bowl. (You should be able to scrape the skin clean… no rind left.)
- Mix 2/3 cup of Parmesan cheese into the spaghetti squash. Then, pour the butter and garlic over the spaghetti squash, and mix well. (Make sure you are mixing or tossing. Do not stir or you may damage the tender squash. You don’t want it to become mushy.)
- Take the okra out of the oven, near your serving area.
- Serve the squash on plates, sprinkling the tops with a pinch of parsley flakes.
- Place okra neatly on top of the spaghetti squash; then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese to give it a little color.
- Don’t forget to throw something on the plate to add a vibrant color.
ENJOY!
Fun Facts About Spaghetti Squash:
- Spaghetti squash is a great food for weight loss endeavors.
- It is considered to be a winter squash.
- Their vines produce both male and female flowers, with the female flowers turning into veggies.
- Spaghetti squash plants can cross-pollinate with zucchini plants.
- You can bake and snack on spaghetti squash seeds just like pumpkin seeds.
- Studies have shown that winter squash contains antioxidants, anti-inflammatory properties, as well as anti-diabetic and insulin-regulating properties.