Sausage in Spaghetti Squash and Tomatoes

It has come to my attention that the banger pork sausage that loved so much at Whole foods has....grain in it! So, we are making this recipe with different sausage now. Choose your sausage wisely.

This post is brought to you by Jess Sasser:

  First of all, I drove 2 hours to Whole Foods in Lexington with a dual purpose: to get banger pork sausage and to see the "hot butcher".  To my dismay, neither were there... so, I improvised.  I got garlic, sun dried tomato, and basil pork sausage.  Also, the generic butcher removed the casings from the sausage. (I've found that the sausage browns and crisps easier without the casing.) After visiting my friend, Jamie, I returned ready to cook a meal.

I put a tablespoon of coconut oil into a pan.  Once that melted, I halved the sausages and placed them in the pan.  I cooked one side until it was brown and then flipped it over.  Once the other side cooked, I let them brown enough to get a good crunch on the outside.

Meanwhile, I pierced a spaghetti squash with a knife, several times around the squash.  Then, I placed the squash in a square baking dish.  This went into the microwave for 10 minutes.  I turned the squash over and nuked it for another 7 minutes.  (I pierced the squash to allow ventilation...a burst squash is quite a mess!  I also used a leather pot holder to manipulate the squash because it gets steamy...)  After the 17 minutes, I let the squash sit to continue steaming.

Next, I opened a 28 ounce can of organic diced tomatoes and removed the crispy sausage from the pan.  I, then, cut the squash in half, lengthwise.  Using a spoon, I removed the seeds.  Using a fork, I removed the strands of the squash into a large bowl.  I added the tomatoes and stirred.

I decided to incorporate all the ingredients into a bowl.  Added a little bit of cheese to the top...and voila!  A yummy meal!

By the way, I kept wishing for banger pork... Another trip to Lexington is in the future, but this time I will call ahead with my order.  I learned that Whole Foods will make it in house if I call a day ahead and let them know!