Spaghetti squash and mushroom tetrazzini

By Peggie

Looking for ways to sneak more veggies to the dinner table? Spaghetti squash, cleverly disguised as a pasta bake will hit the spot on chilly winter evenings.

Ingredients

• 2  14-g pkg dried porcini mushrooms
• 1 cup apple juice
• 3 kg spaghetti squash, about 2
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 227-g pkgs sliced cremini mushrooms
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 2 cups milk
• 2 cups grated part-skim mozzarella
• 3 plum tomatoes, thinly sliced
• 1 cup grated parmesan

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 450 F. Crumble dried mushrooms in a medium bowl. Add apple juice and let soak 10 min. Use a knife to make small slits all over the surface of squash. Place each in a glass pie plate. Microwave on high, turning squash over halfway through, until tender, 12 to 15 min. Slice in half lengthwise. Let stand 10 min. Scoop out and discard seeds. Use the tines of a fork to scrape out squash strands. Reserve.
Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium. Add oil, garlic and cremini mushrooms. Cook, stirring often, until mushrooms soften and liquid evaporates, about 8 min. Add flour, basil, salt, nutmeg and soaked dried mushrooms and juice. Season with fresh pepper. Cook, stirring often, 1 min. Stir in milk. Cook until sauce thickens, 2 to 3 min. Remove from heat, then stir in mozzarella and squash strands.
Scoop squash mixture into a 9 x 13-in. baking dish. Smooth top. Top with tomato slices. Sprinkle with parmesan. Bake until bubbly, 15 to 20 min.