A few weeks ago I was out grocery shopping with my dad when I decided that, finally, the time had come for me to buy my first spaghetti squash. I saw them stacked on an endcap in the produce section, and just as I was about to walk over and put one in the cart, I pictured the conversation that would follow:
“What is that thing? Have you ever had one before? Do you know how to cook it? What are you going to make?”
“Spaghetti squash. No. No.. I don’t know.”
To preserve my culinary pride, I decided to go home, do some research, and come back to buy my own spaghetti squash in private. Then, I would cook the shit out of it and pretend I had been an expert all along. Like you do.
Preparation:
- the exterior can be tough to cut through, so help yourself out by stabbing a dotted line along the equator (length-wise) where you’ll eventually cut. then, throw that sucker in the microwave for about 3 minutes.
- now that it’s a bit softer, you can cut it in half. don’t worry about the stem – just cut the rest, then break the stem when you crack it open.
- scoop out the seeds – I’ve found it’s easiest with a fork.
- brush the inside with olive oil thenplace cut-side down on foil covered cookie sheet.
- bake at 425° about 45 mins. you’ll know it’s done when you can pierce the outer shell.
- fork it: use a fork to pull the meat from the skin, working width-wise. it’s ok to be a little aggressive to get all the squash out, you probably won’t break the skin.
I kept it simple by adding mixed veggies I had already roasted, a dab of store-bought vegan pesto (Sprouts, $2.99), and a shake of lemon pepper. The leftovers got dressed up a bit more with all of the above plus veggie meatballs, avocado & nutritional yeast.
for the veggies:
pan 1 halved brussels sprouts, orange bell pepper, olive oil, herbes de provence
pan 2 broccoli, red bell pepper, olive oil, mrs. dashbake at 425°
30 minutes for the broccoli, a bit longer for the brussels
I kept things pretty basic this time, but I’m really looking forward to trying this recipe with peanut sauce, and this one for spaghetti squash lasagna. Do you have a favorite spaghetti squash recipe? Let me know!
Another reason I kept it basic? To share with the pup! You could simplify things even more by omitting the oil; the squash has enough moisture to cook itself without drying out. So, essentially I just gave you instructions on how to cut a vegetable in half and stick it in the oven. You’re welcome.
