Another twist on spaghetti squash, this time with bacon. For how to roast the spaghetti squash and a couple other serving ideas, go here: Spaghetti Squash Two Ways.  If you use a large squash (2.5-3 pounds), the recipe below makes a large quantity and the leftovers keep well for several days. Using a prepared tomato basil sauce as a base makes this extra fast, while adding the bacon, shallots and onions gives it more flavor than you would find in most store-bought sauces.

Bacon Tomato Sauce with Fried Sage

12 oz. bacon, chopped (I used applewood smoked)

1 small onion, chopped

1 shallot, chopped

crushed red peppers (optional)

1 44 oz bottle tomato basil pasta sauce (I used a value-size bottle of Classico Tomato Basil sauce)

20 fresh sage leaves, washed and patted dry

Fry bacon over medium high heat until cooked through and starting to brown. Remove from pan to another container using a slotted spoon, leaving bacon grease in pan. Reduce heat to medium and fry sage leaves in bacon grease, turning once, until crispy (approximately 30 seconds). Remove sage leaves from grease immediately and place on paper towel to drain. It’s easy to burn the sage, keep a close eye on it to keep it from burning. Remove all but 1 tablespoon of bacon grease from pan. Over medium heat, add onions and shallots and sauté until translucent (but not browned), approximately 2-3 minutes. If you want the sauce to be spicy, add a dash or two of crushed red peppers at this stage. Reduce heat to low and add the bacon back to the pan. Pour in the tomato basil sauce and mix the ingredients. Warm until heated through, 5 minutes or so. Serve over roasted spaghetti squash and top with fried sage leaves. Freshly grated parmesan is also a great addition.