A warm winter/ spring meal

A warm winter/ spring meal

Spaghetti squash casserole

What a long, cold and snowy winter we have experienced. Here we are, a week into spring, and still dealing with arctic temperatures while our friends and family on the east coast are being battered hard by yet another blizzard. I know the end is near and the warm weather will soon be on us. I am looking forward to being reintroduced to the garlic and tulips I planted oh so long ago. I am also looking forward to having a garden I can harvest from this year.

I would like to add that my darling Granddaughter Amelia will 5 months old on Sunday. She is rolling over now and on a one way stretch to mobility. I love her smiles and giggles and look forward to the joy she is sure to bring.Last night for dinner I made a lasagna influenced casserole that is a nice, light and healthy dinner to warm you up on a chilly night. I started with a base of spaghetti squash. After baking it and removing it from the shell, I mixed in goat cheese basil and garlic with an egg to hold it together. After laying it out in the pan, I then topped it of with a marvelous meat sauce that I had left over in the fridge. This sauce was made with my jarred tomato sauce from last season and a nice bone in veal steak slowly braised in the sauce then shredded. It was spectacular on a cheesy polenta.

Sautéed zucchini

squash with goat cheese and seasoning

Assembly in progress

The next layer was zucchini sautéed in olive oil with garlic, shallot and red pepper and then I topped it off with slices of mozzarella cheese and tomato. Bake in a 350 deg oven for an hour or so, till the cheese is browning and the casserole is bubbling. Remove it from the oven and let it rest while you make a salad to accompany it.

Before hitting the oven

Ingredients

1 spaghetti squash about 3 - 4 lb

1 bunch fresh basil

6 oz goat cheese

1 egg

4 cloves of garlic chopped

1 shallot chopped

3 small zucchini

1/2 red pepper diced

2 cups meat or tomato sauce

1 ball of mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Here is looking forward to some more reasonable and seasonal weather, and in the mean time enjoy the benefits of real food with real ingredients.

Cheers

Posted by Chef Harvey at 9:44 AM 0 comments

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