Spaghetti Squash Carbonara

1. Preheat oven to 400ºF. Puncture the flesh of the squash a few times to let the heat escape, then put the whole thing in the oven. Let it cook for 1 hour. When it is sufficiently cooled (about 15 minutes, you don’t want to scald your hands), cut the squash in half lengthwise.

2. When it is cool enough that you won’t hurt yourself, go ahead scoop out the seeds and all the stuff attached to it. Once you’ve scooped all the seeds out, angle a fork and scrape out the “spaghetti” of the squash. Put it in a bowl.

3. Put bacon strips in a frying pan over medium heat and cook until done. When it’s nice and crispy, remove the bacon from the pan and let it drain on paper towels. Don’t get rid of the bacon grease. Trust me.

4. In the hot bacon grease, put minced onions and garlic. Let it cook for 5-6 minutes over medium heat, until the onions are translucent and your kitchen smells wonderful. Once the onion and garlic are sufficiently cooked, add in the peas and white wine, if using. Turn down the heat to low and let simmer for 5 more minutes.

5. At this point, add in the squash. Stir together the squash and the “sauce” goodness and let it meld for about 5-6 minutes.

6. Stir in the parmesan cheese while the squash is still on the stove top. It will get all melty and delicious.

7. When the cheese has melted, take it off the stove. Top it with bacon, extra parmesan cheese (if you desire) and salt and pepper. Remember the bacon and the parmesan are pretty salty, so taste it before you salt it. Personally, I only needed pepper.

8. Enjoy!

(Recipe inspired by Steamy Kitchen’s Baked Spaghetti Squash.)