Roasted Spaghetti Squash with Chunky Red Herb Sauce

Heat the oven to 400 F.

Cut squash in half lengthwise and clean out seeds and membrane. Drizzle the cut side of each half with half of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the halves cut side up on a rimmed baking sheet and bake 40 minutes or until tender. Remove pan from oven and allow squash to cool. Then remove strands of flesh from the peel using a fork and keep warm.

While squash bakes, heat up the remaining oil in a medium size saucepan. Add onion and saute until it starts to turn translucent. Add garlic and continue to cook 1-2 more minutes. Add tomatoes, Italian seasoning, thyme, salt and pepper, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Simmer for 10-15 minutes. Then add fresh basil and parsley and continue to simmer for 5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning if desired. Keep warm.

Serve tomato sauce over the squash “spaghetti” topped with fresh grated Parmesan cheese and more fresh parsley.

For the shrimp (which is optional): I just used some thawed, peeled and de-veined large shrimp, which I sprinkled with Old Bay seasoning and a pinch of salt and pepper. Put it in a bowl and let it marinate in the fridge for a few minutes.

Heat the butter and oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp and cook 1-2 minutes on the first side, turn them over, add the garlic and cook another couple of minutes. Then remove from heat and sprinkle with parsley.