Roasted Spaghetti Squash with Mizithra Cheese and Browned Butter

Ingredients

• 1 spaghetti squash
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
• 1/3 cup browned butter
• 1/2 cup grated Mizithra Cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400F/200C.
2. Spray a baking sheet with oil or non-stick spray.
3. Pierce the spaghetti squash with a fork and microwave about 5 minutes on high to soften, so it’s easier to cut through the skin. (You can skip this step if you don’t have a microwave, but it does make the squash easier to cut.)
4. Cut just the very end off each piece of squash, removing the stem.
5. Cut squash lengthwise into two equal pieces and scrape out the seeds.
6. Place squash onto the baking sheet and brush the surface with the olive oil.
7. Season to taste with salt and fresh-ground black pepper.
8. Roast squash about 50-60 minutes, or until the pieces shred apart easily with a fork to make “spaghetti.”
9. Larger pieces of squash may take a little more than an hour.
10. When the squash is done, remove from the oven and use a fork to shred the squash strands apart, keeping them in the serving vessel made by the skin of the squash.
11. Cut the butter into pieces and place in a small frying pan.
12. Heat over medium heat until the butter is melted.
13. Then continue cooking the butter, whisking constantly, until it starts to foam up and turns slightly brown.
14. The butter should have some brown flecks in the bottom of the pan and smell slightly nutty when it’s done.
15. You can strain to remove the foam if you wish, although it’s not necessary.
16. Here’s more about How to Brown Butter if you haven’t done it.
17. Drizzle the browned butter over the squash and top with desired amount of the grated Mizithra Cheese.
18. Serve hot, with a little more cheese to pass at the table if desired.