Spaghetti Squash with Sauce

I really tricked my husband this time! I hid all the evidence, and he had no idea what he was really eating.

I have never made spaghetti squash before, but I had read in several recipes that you can substitute it for regular spaghetti. I was a little skeptical, but I had a back up plan so I figured it was worth a try. An added bonus would be that we could substitute the "bad carbs" for veggies. It was actually good...and I didn't feel guilty for having seconds! This would fit better into the budget if the squash were in season, but the sauce can be used anytime (only $3 to make with meat!).

1 spaghetti squash
1 lb sausage (or turkey sausage, ground beef, or ground turkey) ($1.99)
chopped onion
1/2 clove minced garlic
2 8-oz cans tomato sauce ($0.50)
1 6-oz can tomato paste ($0.40)
1 tsp brown sugar
1 Tbl parsley
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp salt
dash pepper
dash bay leaves

• Heat oven to 375*
• Cut squash in half and remove seeds. 
• Place flesh side down on a greased baking sheet. POKE HOLES IN THE SKIN OF THE SQUASH SO IT WON'T EXPLODE IN THE OVEN
• Bake for about 45 minutes or until tender.
• Meanwhile, make the sauce...Brown meat and drain and return to pan.
  
• Add onion, garlic, tomato sauce, tomato paste, brown sugar, parsley, oregano, salt, pepper, and bay leaves.
• Heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low, partially cover and cook 30 minutes
• Remove from oven. Use a fork to scrape the flesh out of the skin. It looks just like spaghetti! Place in a bowl.
• Combine sauce and spaghetti sqaush
• Top with parmesan cheese