Spaghetti Squash 25 Ways

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Lasagna Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

Serves 4

FOR THE ROASTED SPAGHETTI SQUASH:

2 small spaghetti squash, cut in half and seeded
1 tablespoon oil
salt and pepper to taste

FOR THE LASAGNA MEAT SAUCE:

1 pound ground turkey
1 tablespoon oil
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
1 (15 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 tablespoon tomato paste (optional)
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning or oregano
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon basil, chopped

FOR THE LASAGNA STUFFED SPAGHETTI SQUASH:

1 cup low fat cottage cheese or ricotta
1 tablespoon basil, chopped
1 cup partially skim mozzarella, shredded

FOR THE ROASTED SPAGHETTI SQUASH:

Brush the inner flesh of the spaghetti squash with oil, season with salt and pepper and roast, skin side up, in a preheated 400F oven until tender, about 30 minutes.

FOR THE LASAGNA MEAT SAUCE:

Meanwhile, cook the turkey, about 8-10 minutes, and set aside. Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat, add the onion and cook until tender, about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, and fennel and cook until fragrant, about a minute. Add the turkey, tomatoes, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, bay leaf, paprika, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the spaghetti squash is cooked and then mix in the basil and remove from heat.

FOR THE LASAGNA STUFFED SPAGHETTI SQUASH:

Fluff up some of the inside of each spaghetti squash half, divide the mixture of the cottage cheese and basil between them followed by the sauce and the cheese. Broil in the oven until the cheese has melted and turned a light golden brown, about 2-3 minutes. 

Option: Use ground beef or Italian sausage instead of ground turkey.
Option: Instead of making the sauce from scratch, use your favorite marinara or other tomato sauce.
Option: Add one 2-inch piece of parmesan rind to the sauce while it simmers. 
Source

Spaghetti Squash with Arugula Pesto

1 spaghetti squash (about 3 lbs/1.4 kgs)
3 tbsp lemon juice
Salt and freshly grated pepper
3 cups packed (4 oz/115g) baby arugula plus a little extra for garnishing
2 cloves garlic, peeled
¼ cup (25g) sliced almonds plus a little extra for garnishing
¼ cup (28g) shredded parmesan cheese
¼ tsp salt
½ cup (120ml) extra virgin olive oil
Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Split the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out seeds. Place on a baking dish with cut side down and bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Remove spaghetti squash from oven. When cool enough to handle, use a fork to gently scrape around the edge of the squash to shred the pulp into strands. Toss strands of spaghetti squash with lemon juice, salt, and freshly grated pepper. Combine arugula, garlic, almonds, parmesan cheese, and salt in a food processor. Give it a few pulses. With machine running, gradually add olive oil through the feed tube of food processor. Process until smooth. To serve, toss flavored spaghetti squash with desired amount of pesto. Garnish with extra arugula and sliced almonds.
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Spaghetti Squash with Sauteed Lentils, Garlic, and Thyme

Serves 4
1 large spaghetti squash
1 c dried green lentils (or brown or beluga)
4 c water
1 tsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
4-6 sprigs of thyme, leaves removed
A healthy dose of umeboshi plum vinegar
Preheat oven to 400. Cut squash in half lengthwise, scoop out seeds, and poke several times with a sharp knife. Fill a casserole dish with a 1/2" of water. Place squash cut side down in dish. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until easily pierced with a knife. Remove from heat, allow to cool for about 5-10 minutes, then use a fork to scoop out the squash tendrils. While the squash is cooking, bring water to a boil in a medium pot. Add lentils, cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat, and strain lentils. Using the same pot over medium heat, saute garlic and thyme in olive oil until lightly golden. Add lentils, and continue to saute for about 3-5 minutes (or until everything is evenly mixed). To plate: Place desired amount of spaghetti squash on a plate, add the lentil mixture, and top with a few shakes of umeboshi plum vinegar. Enjoy!

Source

Breakfast Spaghetti Squash Egg Nests

Serves 2

2 cups cooked spaghetti squash (about ½ of a baked spaghetti squash)
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
3-4 green onions, diced
½ egg
1 tablespoon fresh basil finely chopped
½-1 teaspoon sea salt
1-2 tablespoons almond flour (depending on the wateriness of the squash)
4 eggs (1 per nest)
1-2 tablespoons oil
Turn oven on broil. In a bowl combine the squash, garlic,green onions, egg, basil salt and almond flour. Mix. Heat a large cast iron pan over medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil. Add a mound of the spaghetti squash mixture to the pan. Using a spoon push into the center of the mound, making about a 1 inch round opening at the center. Crack an egg into the center of each spaghetti squash mound, widening the circle as needed to get the egg to fit. Assemble one nest at a time, fitting about 2-4 nests into a cast iron pan. Continue to cook the nests until the bottom becomes crisp (but not burned). Place the cast iron pan under the broiler. Broil for for 3-4 minutes, depending on how you like your eggs cooked. Remove from the oven, plate and serve.

Source

Spaghetti Squash with Apples

Serves 6, as a side
One medium spaghetti squash (2.5-3 pounds)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 apple, cored and chopped (I'm in love with Pink Lady, but any other sweet-tart apple would work)
1/4 cup sweetened dried cranberries
1/4 cup roasted, salted pumpkin seeds (You could substitute sunflower seeds or any roasted, salted nut you wanted for the pumpkin seeds if you don't have any on hand.)
Carefully cut squash in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds. Place each cut half face down on a microwave-safe dish with 1-2 tablespoons water in the bottom of the dish. Microwave on full power 6-8 minutes or until squash is tender and easily shreds with a fork. (Or bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes to an hour, depending on the size of your squash.) While squash is cooking, in a small bowl whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard and salt. Shred cooked squash with a fork into a medium bowl. Toss with Dijon dressing and apple, cranberries and pumpkin seeds. Season to taste with salt, and serve. 

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Spaghetti Squash recipes

Since I'm still having trouble deciding which amongst these recipes I'm going to make to use up the spaghetti squash, I decided to share them all. I have to admit, spaghetti squash ranks up there with boiled spinach and the likes as a least favorite food memory, probably because my mother always tried to serve it like spaghetti: drowned in tomato-y pasta sauce and Parmesan cheese. So it's not something I go out and voluntarily buy, but since we don't throw food out around here, and I've come great lengths in abandoning food aversions and "outgrowing" a distaste for certain foods particularly since participating in the CSA, I have resigned myself to finding more unique ways to prepare this interesting vegetable. So here are some of the ideas that I have stumbled across recently:

• Spaghetti Squash Gratin
• Morroccan-Spiced Spaghetti Squash
• Spaghetti Squash and Red Quinoa Casserole
• Spaghetti Squash with Bacon and Turnip Greens (a two-fer-one recipe!)
• Spaghetti Squash New Mexican similar to this one that is baked as a casserole (both with green chiles!)
• Tomato-Scallion Quiche with Spaghetti Squash crust

Bon Appetit!

P.S. If anyone happens to try one of these ideas, please leave your thoughts/advice in the comments!