Sardines and Tomatoes over Spaghetti Squash

Doug Mc's Note:

Grocery to table in under 10 minutes and under $4 per person! Here's a recipe to warm the cockles of anyone's heart: cheap, flavorful, low in carbohydrates and calories, high in fiber, calcium, vitamin A and omega-3's. The spices can be adjusted up or down or omitted to your liking. One-half a spaghetti squash makes a large portion for one person or a moderate portion for two people.

• Total Time: 20 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 10 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 1-2

Yield: 3.0 cups

• 1 (3 3/4 ounce) can sardines in oil
• 1 (15 ounce) can petite diced tomatoes
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon curry powder, medium hot
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked spanish paprika (pimenton)
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 spaghetti squash, about 1-1 . 5 pounds

Directions:

1. Bisect the spaghetti squash lengthwise. (This is easiest if you plunge your chef's knife vertically in the center of squash parallel to the long axis and then rotate it 90 degrees to the cutting board. Then, remove the knife and turn the squash end to end and make the rest of the cut in a similar manner.) Remove the seeds and place half the squash face down on a plate and microwave for about 6 minutes (more or less depending on size).
2. While the squash cooks, place everything else in a saucepan and bring to a boil then simmer. Break the sardines into small chunks with a spoon.
3. When the squash is done, grab it with a towel (it will be very hot!), hold vertically over a plate or platter and scrape the strands of squash out with a fork.
4. Pour the sardine-tomato-spice mixture over the mountain of squash and enjoy!

Reviews

[Ambervim]

I had no spaghetti squash, so I just placed it on lettuce. My sardines are packed in water. I used 1.5 fresh roma tomatoes....other than that I followed the recipe. The spices were fragrant while cooking and quite tasty. I like this recipe well enough that I will even serve it to a person who may think they don't care for sardines. Nice.