Spaghetti Squash and Meatballs!

 Ever seen these in the grocery store?

No, they are not melons. 

These are spaghetti squash! One of the most exciting vegetables on the market. 

Oh who am I kidding- ALL vegetables are exciting! (Says the geeky kitchen manager. Everyday.)

Why are they called spaghetti squash??? Well look what they do when you roast them in the oven!

(Cut length wise, cut surface flat on the parchment paper you placed on the cookie sheet, placed in the 400 F oven for about 40 minutes or until they become soft)

When you scrape out the insides, they separate into noodles! 

Here are a couple of snap shots of the 'noodles' I scraped out of the roasted squash, topped with some marinara sauce to give the illusion of pasta for lunch at Mainspring:

When you make this at home, know that if you are too rushed to make the marinara pasta sauce, there are plenty of healthy canned and jarred sauces available at your grocery store.

Since I work with such a great quantity of food at once, I always make my meatballs according to the recipe and then lay them out on parchment paper and bake them in the oven instead of heating them in a skillet. See how pretty?...

 This dish of Spaghetti Squash and Meatballs was super easy to make. 

And all the kiddos LOVED it.

The students were so convinced the squash was pasta, they wouldn't believe their teachers when the explanation was given. So I went out and showed them a section of roasted squash with some of the 'noodles' still hanging off.

And who doesn't love working more vegetables into every meal? It's always an honorable goal.

Faithfully Nutritious,

Ms. Rachel