Spaghetti squash with sausage and sun-dried tomatoes

I discovered spaghetti squash a few years ago after going gluten-free and really have fallen in love with this squash.  They're not that common in Fairbanks and seem hard to find at the grocery store most times of the year.... 

But today I made this really fantastic spaghetti squash dish with sausage, sun-dried tomatoes, and other delightful things.

I've been hanging out in the Mountaineer State for the past few weeks, and I've had a spaghetti squash sitting on the counter without really knowing what I was going to do with it.   When I went into the town earlier this week to the grocery store, I ended up doing some impulse shopping when I saw this sausage in the meat section.

(I'm ignoring that is has MSG in it since it has such an awesome drawing on the package)

The grocery store in Terra Alta is pretty small and carries the basics that you would expect at a small grocery store.  I've been on the lookout for any local products to try.  My first attempt at buying local was a bag of West Virginia apples.  I didn't even know that they grew apples is WV, but then I discovered why that was-- they ended up being pretty bruised and a bit mealy, but they made great applesauce... I had higher hopes for the Mountaineer sausage, and it turned out to be really tasty.

Spaghetti squash with sausage and sun-dried tomatoes

Ingredients

a Spaghetti squash (I used half of it for this recipe)

Sausage

a few garlic cloves

a sweet onion

½ green bell pepper

1 tsp oregano

½ c sun-dried tomatoes

1 tbsp olive oil

¼ c grated Parmesan cheese

salt & pepper

Directions

Spaghetti squash can be boiled, baked, or microwave.  I cut spaghetti squash in half, scooped out the seeds, placed it rind side up on a cookie sheet at bake it for about 30 to 40 minutes at 375° F. (You can also cook it whole by poking holes all over the squash and baking it for about an hour.)

Form the sausage into small balls.

Add the sausage to a pan over a medium heat.  I covered the sausage with a lid to reduce the amount of grease splattered.

Cook the sausage thoroughly, and then drain excess grease from the cooked sausage on a paper towel.

Remove the grease from the pan by pouring it into a heat-safe container for disposal.

Mince the garlic and add to the pan over a medium heat.

  

Dice the onion and add it to the garlic.

Chop the green bell pepper and add to the pan once the onions begin to brown.

When the bell pepper are cooked but still have a slight crunch left to them, add the oregano, mix together, and remove from heat.

Use a fork to separate the spaghetti squash into strands.

Scrape the flesh of the spaghetti squash into a large mixing bowl.

Add in the onion mixture, sun-dried tomatoes, olive oil, sausage, and Parmesan cheese.

Season with salt and pepper, if necessary.