b-r-double o-k-lyn drama

So, because I am nothing if not predictable, I embarked on a Healthy Eating Plan on January 2. It’s basically Weight Watchers, but with more restrictions - pasta and sweets no more than once a week, pizza no more than bimonthly, fried food, burritos, and burgers once a month. What I learned from gaining almost fifty pounds over the past three years is that I need both restrictions and freedom with eating - the beauty of this plan is that when I do indulge, I don’t feel guilty and crazy about it. It’s been pretty successful so far - eight pounds down! (That seems like a lot, but I always drop five the first week I start watching what I eat and then it quickly stabilizes to 1-2 pounds a week.)

All of this is to say: SPAGHETTI SQUASH. Because I realized that I love pasta mostly for the sauce, so why not transform pasta dishes into veggie dishes? So far, I’ve made spaghetti squash bolognese, spaghetti squash turkey bacon mushroom carbonara, and my new favorite thing of anything, spaghetti squash amatriciana, pictured above.

This is obviously not a real amatriciana, but you know what? For SIX POINTS, it’s a pretty goddamn good substitute. Here’s how you make it:

1. Roast half a spaghetti squash at 350 for an hour. Are you scared of cutting up a spaghetti squash? If you have a decent knife, don’t be! Just have the courage of your convictions, stab the thing and wiggle the knife around until it’s cut in half. Then scoop out the seedsies, salt and pepper it, and throw it into that oven.
2. Chill out for 45 minutes. Maybe think about The Bachelor.
3. 15 minutes before the spaghetti squash is set to finish roasting, lazily meander back into the kitchen. Mince a shallot. Cut up three slices of turkey bacon.
4. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a pan. Add the shallot and turkey bacon. Saute, salt and peppering the shit out of them.
5. When the shallots are soft and the turkey bacon is crisp, add a can of Muir Glen diced tomatoes. Add a pinch of sugar and a generous amount of red pepper flakes. Have some fresh basil? Yeah, girl. Get it in there.
6. Take that old squash out of the oven. You might want to hold on to it with a potholder. Using a fork, fluff the squash insides until they form a spaghetti-like substance. Dump the strands in the tomato sauce and toss them around.
7. Top with romano cheese. Feel great!