Spaghetti Squash Au Gratin

We tried this for Easter Dinner. I found this recipe online at Pinterest and was so intrigued I had to try it. I also had to adapt it a bit, of course.
By the way, how addictive is Pinterest?!

It's kinda like hashbrown casserole, but with squash! So, it's low carb, but still savory, rich and cheesy. We really loved it!

It's sweeter, because it's squash. There is natural sugar in squash, and the texture is awesome.

Start out with one regular sized spagheti squash. Half it and scrape out the seeds. I microwaved mine in a glass, covered dish with 1/4 inch water to keep it from drying out for about 10-11 minutes. But you could bake it instead. I don't think the water made that much of a difference in the steamin, so leave it out if you'd like. I did try to drain it a bit, cause squash has a lot of moisture.

 

Then, once it's cool enough to hold, scrape out the insides with a fork. It will shred in spaghetti-like strands.

Not hard, kind of fun actually. Get your kiddos to do this part! Scrape it into a large bowl.

While you are waiting for your squash to cool a bit, dice up an onion and brown it in some butter or margerine.

 

This also makes your kitchen smell fantastic. OMG.

To your shredded squash, add cheddar cheese, sour cream, salt and pepper.

Then, I threw in real bacon pieces.

Give it a good stir, to incorporate and spread out into a greased 9x13 pan.

Bake for 20 minutes, until the edges start to brown and crispen.

Then, sprinkle another 1/2 cup or so of shredded cheddar cheese.

Then, bake another 5-10 minutes until fully melted and starting to brown.

This will get a nice crispy top. It was actually more brown than in this picture.

The kids really liked it, but the fireman and I? We loved it.

The youngest boy scooped some out and sat down to eat it. He ate some and looked up and asked, "are these hashbrowns?"

I said, "nope, it's squash. Do you like it?"

He takes another bite, "yeah, I think I do!"

Kids...

 It's still kinda moist, and has a great creamy quality. There's a slight sweetness to it that's nice. You won't really mistake it for hashbrown casserole, but man is it a tasty squash side dish!!

 I hope you all had a Happy Easter!

The Recipe:

Spaghetti Squash Au Gratin: adapted from Dandy Dishes

1 regular sized spaghetti squash

1 medium onion, diced

2 Tbl butter or margerine ( I used margerine)

3/4 cup sour cream

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (divided)

1/4 cup bacon pieces

1/4 tsp salt

dash pepper

Cut squash in half and scrape out seeds. Place in a microwave safe dish with 1/4 inch of water and microwave, covered for 10-11 minutes, or cook in oven if you wish.

While squash is cooling, saute the onion and butter in a skillet until browned.

Scrape out cooked insides with a fork into a large bowl.

Add 1/2 cup cheddar, sour cream, bacon pieces, salt and pepper. Stir in the sauteed onion and stir to combine.

Pour into a greased 9x13 pan and bake, uncovered at 375 for 20 minutes, or until the sides are browning.

Top with remaining 1/2 cup cheddar and bake another 5-10 minutes until the cheese is melted and browning.