Spaghetti Squash with Spinach Sauce
I have made spaghetti squash many times in the past. It’s not only super cheap, but you’d be shocked by how many meals you can get out of just one! Half of just one was more than enough to feed myself and my boyfriend a solid meal - and the other half was portioned out for more than a weeks worth of food for both of us to take to lunch.
I’ve made spaghetti squash numerous times - and have come to the decision that probably the best spices to toss your squash in is garam masala. It’s an Indian spice mix consisting of a generous combinations of cumin, caradamom, nutmeg, cinnamon, coriander, cloves, and black pepper, all ground together into a deliciously aromatic spice blend. It balances out that overtly ‘squashy’ taste that can come with squash, and with the spinach ‘pasta sauce’ this simple dish is certainly something to rave about (and impress all of your friends with).
This week I found an entire vine of (almost) perfectly ripe cherry tomatoes, and a large orange pepper that had been hiding from view. I decided I had to utilize both in this extra garden-y meal.
There's a simple feeling of pride when you are able to harvest your own vegetables and make them into something delicious. I can't wait until I can have a huge garden instead of some hanging planters on a balcony.
I de-stemmed the cherry tomatoes and roughly chopped half of the bell pepper before placing them into a cup to await blending. There's also a little feeling of hurt when you have to chop up vegetables you grew from a seed.
Poke some holes into the squash with a sharp knife. Some recipes say to cut the squash in half before roasting it, but I think that doesn't do the squash the justice it deserves by it steaming within itself. Bake the squash at 400°F for about 40 minutes to an hour, or until the squash can be easily cut in half with a knife. The knife will literally slide right through when it’s ready!
Then take a large spoon or tongs and remove all of the seeds and stringy bits from the center of the squash. Take a fork, and using a hot pad to hold the squash carefully in one hand, use the fork to scrape the inside of the squash into strings! The squash is already naturally stringy and it should be super, super easy to get the strings to come out.
Half of a squash filled up my entire serving tray, so I opted to serve half of it that night with the pasta sauce, and reserved half for snacks and lunches throughout the week.
As the squash cools, begin sautéing the spinach in a few tablespoons of butter.
Add a tablespoon or two of garlic to the wilted spinach, and sauté until the moisture from the butter has mostly evaporated. Then just add to the blender cup with the orange pepper and cherry tomatoes.
Blend the sauce until smooth, but leave it a little chunky to get some nice coloration from the pepper and tomatoes throughout. Add a pinch of salt and pepper, too, then stir.
Heat another tablespoon of butter or oil in a skillet, and add the spinach sauce to heat through.
This sauce made the entire house smell incredible.
Then just pour the sauce over the spaghetti squash and sprinkle with a pinch of Parmesan cheese.
This is definitely the best spaghetti squash I've ever had, I remember my mom making spaghetti squash when I was still in high school - and I remember thinking it was the grossest thing ever. I’m not a huge fan of squash in general, or so I thought (turns out my mom is just not a very good cook - sorry mom!) When I attempted to make spaghetti squash on my own for the first time, I was decently surprised at how easy it was. And since I was actually able to chose (and grow) the other ingredients, it wasn’t bad at all.
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Spaghetti Squash with Spinach Sauce
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 spaghetti squash
- 3 cups spinach
- 3 tbsps butter
- ½ cup cherry tomatoes
- ¼ cup orange bell pepper, chopped
- 2 tbsps garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp garam masala
- salt & pepper, to taste
- Parmesan cheese, to taste
Mouth Feel
SaltyInstructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Use a sharp knife or skewer to pierce the spaghetti squash several times. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and bake the squash for 40-50 minutes, or until the squash cuts easily with a knife. Let the squash cool for about 10 minutes.
- Wash and chop the orange pepper, cherry tomatoes, and spinach. Saute the spinach in 2 tablespoons of butter until completely wilted, then add the minced garlic. Stir until the garlic is just beginning to brown and the moisture from the butter has almost completely evaporated.
- Place the sautéed spinach into a food processor or blender with the cherry tomatoes and orange pepper. Pulse a few times to incorporate the peppers and tomatoes, and until the sauce is smooth, with few chunks.
- Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter in the saute pan and pour in the sauce. Stir until heated through.
- With an oven mitt or hot pad, hold the squash carefully in one hand and use tongs or a spoon to remove the seeds and stringy (gooey-ish) bits from the center cavity of the squash.
- While still holding the squash, use a fork to scrape alongside the inside of the squash skin to remove the stringy 'noodles' from inside the squash.
- Toss the spaghetti squash with the garam masala until it is evenly distributed across all of the strings. Sprinkle on salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve right away with the spinach sauce, and garnish with Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!
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