Spaghetti Squash Week

Although we can find Spaghetti Squash all year round, I usually am drawn to them in fall. There were many recipes that I wanted to try, although as usual couldn’t get to them all.

My obvious favorite from before is this Spaghetti Squash Burrito Bowl. This week I tried two new recipes:  Spaghetti Squash Casserole and a Very Vegetable Spaghetti Squash.

The Spaghetti Squash Casserole builds on a previous recipe you can find here. Here’s how I made the casserole this time.

Ingredients:

1 Spaghetti Squash
2 cups tomato sauce
baby kale leaves
some sliced yellow squash and zucchini
cheese (pepper jack and parmesan)
salt and pepper
fresh basil
crushed pepper

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

Slice the spaghetti quash and remove the seeds and pulp. Drizzle olive oil, sprinkle some salt and pepper. Place on a baking pan and bake for 30-40 minutes. Remove and let cool.

You can find the tomato sauce recipe here.

To make the casserole, layer one cup of tomato sauce, scoop out spaghetti squash strands from one half of the baked squash and layer on top of the sauce. Layer some baby kale leaves on top of the squash. Next add a layer of yellow squash and zucchini slices. Add the remaining tomato sauce. Sprinkle sliced cheese.

Bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes. Broil for another 4-5 minutes. Serve warm with some bread.

The recipe for the very veggie Spaghetti squash is adapted from here. I used sundried tomatoes, olives, artichoke hearts,  some kale and fresh basil. Sprinkle some feta cheese before eating.

Tomato Basil Spaghetti Squash Casserole

Continuing my experimentation with Spaghetti Squash, I recently realized that the delicata Squash I picked up recently was actually a Spaghetti squash that was mislabeled. Bummer.

So I decided to continue the experimentation with more Casserole dishes. I followed this recipe from Alaska from scratch, and it was delicious!

I was too busy to take a picture, but here’s the photo courtesy: Alaska from scratch.

Ingredients:

1/2 Spaghetti squash roasted at 375 degrees for 45 minutes
1 medium tomato, sliced
1 tbsp olive oil
some mozzarella or pepper jack cheese
a few basil leaves
salt and pepper to taste

Scoop out the spaghetti squash into a baking dish. Layer with sliced  tomato and basil. Drizzle olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. And top with Mozzarella or pepper jack cheese.

Bake for 25-30 minutes.

Serve warm.

Spaghetti Squash Burrito Bowl

I had half a Spaghetti Squash left after my last recipe, and this was perfect to try. In fact, these six recipes look perfect for use with Spaghetti Squash, if you are vegetarian.

Ingredients:

1/2 roasted Spaghetti Squash
1 cup frozen Latino blend or a combination of corn, black beans, onions and peppers
1 tsp olive oil
1-2 tbsp Chipotle Sauce
1-2 tbsp Sour Cream
Mozzarella or Parmesan cheese (as desired)
Some pickled jalapeno (optional)
diced avocado (optional)

Heat 1 tsp of oil in a pan. Add 1 cup frozen latino blend or a mix of similar vegetables. Fry lightly for 3-4 minutes. Season as necessary with salt and other seasoning and top with cheese as necessary.

Set the oven to broil.

Scoop out 3/4th of the spaghetti squash or layer the spaghetti squash in an oven safe bowl. Add the sauteed and seasoned Latino blend. Top with cheese.

Broil on high for 3-5 minutes.

Serve with some Chipotle sauce, avocado, and pickled Jalapeno.

Bird’s Nest

Autumn season always brings forth a slew of squashes and pumpkins on display in the grocery isles. Acorn, Autumn, Butternut, Gold nugget, Buttercup, Carnival, Kabocha, Spaghetti, Turban. So many varieties. Bright orange, yellow, green, amber, gold or white. Vibrant colors that beckon you to pick them up.

I discovered spaghetti squash a year or two ago and have enjoyed trying out new ways to cook with it. It’s been a while since I cooked it so I grabbed some this week at the grocery. My best experiment with it so far has been spicy spaghetti squash with black beans.

Seeing scooped out spaghetti squash always reminds me of a bird’s nest. So I decided to try this one. I made this up as I went and it turned out spicy and delicious. Adjust spices per personal preference. Here’s what I used.

Ingredients:
1/2 zucchini chopped
1 cup tri-color bell peppers chopped
1 scallion or 1/2 red onion sliced
8-10 cherry tomatoes sliced
1 jalapeno chopped
2-3 garlic cloves chopped fine
1-2 tbsp capers
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and cayenne pepper to taste
dash of lemon juice
crushed red pepper
1 small spaghetti squash

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut the spaghetti squash in half and bake for 45-50 minutes.

Meanwhile heat the oil in a pan. Add chopped onion and garlic and fry till lightly brown. Add rest of vegetables, salt and peppers and continue frying until cooked. Add dash of lemon juice and capers and continue frying for another 5 minutes.

Using a fork scoop out the spaghetti squash and arrange on a plate like a birds nest with a hollow in the center. Add the sauteed vegetables and enjoy with a roll of bread. Makes 2 servings. Yummy!

Spicy Spaghetti Squash with Black Beans

Continuing on the exploration of Spaghetti Squash recipes I came across this one from Whole Foods Market that turned out delicious!

Ingredients:
1 spaghetti squash
1/2 cup red onion chopped
1/2 cup red (or any other) bell pepper chopped
1-2 jalapenos chopped (based on preference)
1 cup of black beans (for a change I used canned ones drained and washed :-))
1/2 cup of corn (frozen)
salt and chilli powder
lemon juice
cilantro to garnish
cherry tomatoes (optional)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Cut the spaghetti squash into two halves along the longer side and bake for 50 minutes. Cool the squash and using a fork scoop out the flesh and set aside.

Meanwhile saute the onion and peppers in a pan with some olive oil for a few minutes. Add corn, black beans, salt and chilli pepper and continue cooking for a another minute. Add the cooked squash and lemon juice. Optionally you can add some sliced cherry tomatoes. Leave for a minute or two.

Garnish with some cilantro and serve hot.

You can see the original recipe this is based on here.