Spaghetti Squash Scampi

I am totally jumping on the spaghetti squash bandwagon.  I am such a big fan of those little yellow gourds that I toss one into my cart almost every time I see them at the grocery store. 

I have to admit that I wasn't an instant fan.  The first few times that I tried to make spaghetti squash I pretended it was spaghetti, covered it in marinara sauce and needless to say, I was less than impressed.  My brain was telling me that I was eating squash but I wanted it to have the same texture and consistency as pasta.  My conflicting feelings led to a less than satisfying spaghetti squash experience.  

Once I finally convinced my brain that it was acceptable for spaghetti squash to resemble pasta but be completely different in taste and texture, I was on board.  Now some of my very favorite dinners are based on Spaghetti Squash.  If you're a fellow spaghetti squash fan, you have to check out my Spaghetti Squash Lasagna and Southwest Spaghetti Squash recipes.  You will also love this Spaghetti Squash Scampi recipe.  It's super easy - and delicious.  
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I've made so much spaghetti squash that I've finally started to perfect my squash roasting techniques.  For one thing, I've learned recently that if I cut it into rings before roasting instead of slicing it in half, I end up with longer, more appealing "spaghetti" strands.  Check out this recipe for details on that.

Spaghetti Squash Scampi
1 spaghetti squash 
1 1/2 Tablespoons butter
1 1/2 Tablespoons oil
1/4 crushed red pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
8 ounces shrimp, peeled
5 ounces fresh baby spinach
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
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Cut ends off of squash.

Cut remaining squash into 1 1/2" rings. 

Scoop out out and discard seeds. Arrange rings on a foil lined baking sheet coated with cooking spray. 

Bake 45 minutes at 375.  

Carefully scrape out squash strands.

Heat butter and oil in skillet.  Add pepper and garlic.  Cook 1 minute. 

Add shrimp and cook 2 minutes. 

Add spinach and toss until wilted. Add squash and sprinkle with salt. ​

Serve with Naan bread. 

Dial up the heat by adding more red pepper flakes to your scampi.  Ben and I ate an entire squash for dinner and normally we only eat about a quarter of the squash a piece.  I guess that's a sign that this recipe is a keeper.  Hope you enjoy!

Ciao!

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