Recipe: No Marinara Spaghetti Squash

It's time to confess...I L-O-V-E Aldi. If you aren't familiar with what Aldi is, I'm not sure there are any words to describe it's greatness. But basically its a discount grocery store with origins in Germany, I don't know all the details but it's owned by the same parent company as Trader Joe's in the US. From Wikipedia:

Aldi's "strictly no frills" approach means that its stores do not decorate aisles or fill shelves: pallets of each products (in cardboard boxes, shaped so customers can easily pick them up) are placed alongside the aisles; customers retrieving them gradually empty the boxes (since Aldi charges for bags, its empty cardboard boxes are often removed by customers and used as "shopping bags".) After a pallet has been emptied, it is replaced.

ANYWAY...over the years Aldi has gotten better and better products. All of their products are their own "brands"; however, I often buy fresh salsa, hummus, bagged spinach, and so much produce for half the cost of a conventional grocery chain. Is the produce organic and local? No, but I wouldn't buy it that way at the local Kroger or Publix. I'm just not at a point in my life where that's fiscally possible for me. Oftentimes, their produce is better than what I would find at Kroger though and considering the cost savings, you can't go wrong there.

All that to say, last week I noticed they had WINTER SQUASH on the shelves! This was new to me, as I've been shopping at Aldi for years and years and have never seen squash there. I picked up a Butternut and Spaghetti squash. The search for a recipe began.

Let's just get this out of the way. I am NOT a "let's use spaghetti squash as our 'noodles'" kind of girl. If I want pasta, I'm going to eat pasta. So, when my recipe searches came up with meat sauce after meat sauce options, it was time to get creative.

I bring you...No Marinara Spaghetti Squash

1 medium spaghetti squash
4 ounces raw shrimp (I used the frozen raw)
1 head broccoli
2 tsp olive oil
1/4 cup parmesan
garlic powder, salt, and pepper to taste

I made this after a late night at work and getting home from the gym, so it was 7:30 pm and I was starving by time I started. So, I tried my hand at microwaving the squash. It worked out well, but you could bake it if you so choose.

Cut squash in half longways and scoop out seeds. Then cut each piece in half, yielding quarters. Put in microwave safe dish (I used a glass Pyrex 8x8 dish) and season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Microwave for 8-10 minutes until tender when a fork is inserted. I like my squash "crunchy" so I did 8 minutes. Cooking time will vary depending on your microwave and the size of your squash, so check on it often.

While squash is cooking, add 1 tsp of oil to pan and add raw shrimp. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste. You could also use some minced garlic, but I was out. After 1-2 minutes add broccoli and a sprinkle of water. When broccoli is half-way cooked, remove pan from heat.

After the squash is cooked, scrape the "meat" out and return the pan to heat. Add squash and another tsp of oil. Saute for about 5 minutes to "meld" the flavors together. Add Parmesan cheese and stir until combined.

I ate the whole squash with 4 oz shrimp and about a cup of broccoli, but you could alter this to include more shrimp/broccoli and make this 2-3 servings.

This recipe is a definite MUST MAKE AGAIN - so good! What do you do with your spaghetti squash?