Shrimp Marinara Over Spaghetti Squash

I love fresh marinara but mine is never thick. Once I got over that, then I loved it and prefer over the jar. 

Fresh Marinara

8 medium size tomatoes, prepped (below)

2 Tbs olive oil 

1 onion, diced

2-4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

Pinch sugar

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

1 Tbs fresh basil, thyme, oregano, & parsley (1 tsp if using dried)

1 lb shrimp, peeled (fresh or frozen)

Prepping/Peeling Tomatoes

Prick the bottom of each tomato with a knife. Place in a pot and cover tomatoes with water. Bring to a boil and watch for the skins to split. Once the skins start splitting drain water and run cool water over the tomatoes. As soon as you are able to handle the tomatoes remove the skins and place on a cutting board. With a paring knife remove the core of each of the tomatoes. From here you can choose to use them whole, rough chop, dice them or pure them. 

Marinara

Sautée onion in olive oil for 4-5 minutes over medium-high heat. Just before the onion is translucent add the garlic and stir well. Add tomatoes, sugar, salt, pepper and herbs, reserving a pinch of fresh herbs for garnish at the end. Bring marinara to a slight boil and simmer for about 20 minutes. Add your shrimp just before you are ready to serve. Stir shrimp well and keep over heat just until the shrimp are pink. This will only take 1-2 minutes if the marinara is hot. Do not overcook the shrimp. Garnish with remaining fresh herbs. 

Spaghetti Squash

I love this stuff, especially with this loose shrimp marinara. It's not pasta, but great in its own way. 

Cut spaghetti squash in half. Remove all seeds and strings. Submerge in a pot of water. Season with a tablespoon of salt and boil for 20 minutes. Remove from water and scoop the meat of the squash out with a spoon. Serve by itself or with a marinara or your favorite sauce. 

Broccoli

Cut broccoli into small crowns. Bring water to a boil and season with salt. Try to submerge all of the stalks of the broccoli. It's ok if the whole crown isn't covered. Cover and boil for 6 minutes. Drain and drizzle with melted butter and dust with salt & pepper.