Baked Spaghetti Squash with Pesto and Mozzarella

WOW! What an incredible dish! Perfectly roasted squash, tossed with basil pesto and blanketed with mozzarella. Hearty, satisfying, entirely vegetarian, and undeniably show-stopping. Oh, and just 4 ingredients (5 if you count olive oil).

Seriously, look how short this ingredient list is! You need little else when you start with delicious, caramelized spaghetti squash. The oven does all the work to get you to that point. Then, a quick toss with pesto and a topping of cheese and you're ready to serve (with a dusting of fiery red pepper). The squash is sweet, the cheese is buttery and the red pepper flakes bring on the heat. What a joyful bite.

If you've never roasted spaghetti squash before, don't be shy. It's actually really easy. The hardest part is cutting the squash in half - so make sure you have a firm grip and and ultra-sharp knife.

Baked Spaghetti Squash with Pesto and Mozzarella 

1 spaghetti squash, about 2 pounds
2 teaspoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons prepared basil pesto
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Crushed red pepper flakes for serving

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Cut the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds and stringy part (like you would with a pumpkin). If you want, save the seeds for roasting; recipe below*.
Brush the olive oil all over the cut side of the squash halves and season with salt and pepper.
Place the halves, cut side down, in a roasting pan and bake for 40 minutes, until tender (they will yield to your gentle pressure when pressed on the outside of the skin).
Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, cut side down.
Flip the squash and gently run a fork down the flesh, creating strands. Add the pesto (1 tablespoon per half) and use the fork to "fluff" the strands and coat them with pesto. Top each squash half with mozzarella and return the pan to the oven. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until the cheese melts. Top with crushed red pepper flakes and serve.
Serves 2 as a complete meal; 4 as a side dish

*If you want to roast the seeds, rinse them and pat them dry (and remove any strings). Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread out on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 300 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes, until golden brown and crisp. Yum. I love these.