“Hello, friends! I’m Mr. Spaghetti Squash! And the lady in front of me clearly has either too much free time, or else children who will need to be coaxed into trying new things! Ahem!”

“This…may end badly for me.”

“Okay, I’ve had holes poked all over me, and now – oh, this is hot! I’d say about 400 degrees!” (Yes, I had to narrate this way the whole time for my four-year-old son. Maybe it’ll sink in, though, and my future daughter-in-law will be immensely grateful for a husband who loves to cook? )

An hour later…

“Let me tell you about the day I’ve had. Couldn’t possibly get worse, though, I suppose.”

“I WAS WRONG.”

“AUUUUUUUUUUUGH!”

“Better. Much better, in fact. I feel free! And I’ve been adorned with a few tablespoons of toasted pine nuts, half a cup of seasoned bread crumbs, and some salt and pepper.”

“Like my new look? One cup of marinara sauce and a cup of mozzarella cheese, and I’m a whole new squash.”

And after being covered in foil and going back into the 400-degree oven for ten minutes, then doing five more without the foil:

“How ya like me now?”

Mmmmmmm.

Nutritional info will depend on the size of your squash, but for mine, which filled a 9×11 casserole, and on which I put Sargento Reduced Fat cheese, and which made 6 really big servings: Fat: 6.0g; Carbohydrates: 30.2g; Calories: 201.3; Protein: 9.2g.