I had never heard of spaghetti squash until recently; it seemed to be popping up everywhere: blogs, friends’ tables, my mom’s office. So when I happened upon one the other day, I decided to give it a try. After all, my experiment with raw zucchini pasta has turned into a tasty obsession. This adds another gluten-free, low-carb, vegetable pasta to the arsenal. It’s slightly crunchier than pasta, but provides a wonderful, sold base for a rich sauce without all the calories and carbs.

Of course, I offset any weight-loss benefits of the fact that it’s made with squash by serving it slathered in full fat alfredo sauce. I’m not convinced full fat is a bad thing, but we’ll save that for another post.

1 spaghetti squash, cooked*
4 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup white wine
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup sliced black olives
1 tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. In a large skillet, heat butter and olive oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic and wine and cook for a few moments, stirring frequently, being careful not to burn garlic. Add squash and stir for a few minutes, until heated through.

2. Add cream and stir for a further three minutes, then add parmesan. Continue stirring until cheese melts and the mixture is heated through. Throw in olives and add the salt and black pepper and stir once more.

3. Serve immediately, topped with fresh basil or parsley, or your choice of meat or vegetable (I suggest shrimp, chicken, or – my favorite – sautéed mushrooms).

*I chose to bake it for an hour at 375°. Be sure to stab it with a fork a few times before cooking, as you would with a baked potato.