Spaghetti Squash Italian Sausage Bowls

I successfully grew my first harvest of spaghetti squash this year, and I wanted to use the first two to make something really special, so I went out on a limb and tried a new concoction of my own! I usually don't take those kinds of risks with vegetables have have limited produce, but I am so glad I did. This recipe is downright delicious!

What you need:

- 1 lb sausage of your choice (I used some local Cajun sausage that was awesome!)

- 2 medium spaghetti squashes

- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 lb. tomatoes
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp sage
- 1/2 tsp thyme
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 2 tsp basil
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 oz pepper jack cheese
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese

1. Slice the stem off of the spaghetti squash and cut them in half lengthwise. Clean out the "guts" of the squash with a spoon (feed the seeds and center to chickens if applicable :).

2. Brush the inside of the squash with olive oil, and place them cut side down on a baking sheet. Bake at 400 F for 30 minutes until the sides of the spaghetti squash can just be scraped into noodle form with a fork.

3. While the squash is cooking, cut the sausage up into tiny pieces (the size of diced ham) and brown in a skillet with a little olive oil.  Add the onion, thyme, oregano, sage, basil, salt, pepper and bay leaf while it browns.

4. While waiting for the sausage to brown, prep your tomatoes. Place the whole tomatoes in boiling water for 2 minutes until the skins split and then transfer them to a bowl of ice water for 2 minutes. Peeling the skin off should be a breeze at this point! Cut off the ends, peel them, and quarter them.

5. Add the tomatoes to the sausage and herb mixture on the stove and simmer for 10-12 minutes until the tomatoes break down a little to form a sauce. Add the garlic and pepper jack cheese. Stir in the cheese until it is melted.

6. Scrape out some of the "spaghetti" from inside each of the spaghetti squash bowls and set aside. Ladle the sausage and sauce to fill each of the bowls halfway. Add the "noodles" back in to each bowl and fill to the top with more sausage and sauce. Cover the top of each bowl with mozarella cheese and bake at 350 F for 20-30 minutes until the cheese on top is melted and has a touch of golden brown.

You can garnish with fresh herbs. We enjoyed ours with steamed bush beans with fresh lime basil. Can I just say it was beyond delicious?! Who knew that cooking from your back yard could feel so gourmet?