Spaghetti Squash Alfredo

Alluring, but elusive, spaghetti squash is fun and easy to prepare. I’ve come up with a delicious way to make it more nutritious than pasta but more glamorous than “just a vegetable.”

• 1 medium-sized spaghetti squash
• 3 Tbsp butter
• 2 Tbsp flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400.

The only tricky thing about spaghetti squash is cutting it in half safely. It has a very hard shell. I like to cut it crosswise, since that results in longer strands, and feels slightly more stable on the cutting board. You also want to cut off the stem and blossom ends so they will stand up on the baking sheet. Scoop out the seeds and stringy pulp, line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil, and set the squash, center-cut side up, on the sheet. Bake for 40-60 minutes. Test with a fork; consider it done when the fork slides in easily but the squash isn’t too squishy. My idea of perfect is when the strands are “al dente.”

Set it aside to cool down a bit, and make your bechamel sauce. Warm milk in microwave. Melt butter in a small saucepan. Whisk in flour, then milk gradually. When it is thickened, turn off heat and stir in salt, pepper, and Parmesan cheese. Give it a taste and add more salt and pepper if desired. (It should taste a little salty since the squash will dilute the flavor.)

Back to the squash. Use a fork to gently scrape the strands out of the shell, in a circular motion, “with the grain,” so to speak. Put the strands into a glass baking dish (8×8 or 13×19 depending on how big your squash is). Gently fold in your sauce. Serve warm, or place in the turned-off oven until dinner time.