Spaghetti Squash-my new fave!

[cookieluvntasha]

I just tried spaghetti squash for the 1st time the other night. I made cheesy broccoli rice for everyone else and tried the squash for myself. It was so simple and quick! I added a few cubes of sharp chedder, S&P, and a pat of butter and I had my side dish! Are there any recipes that you would like to share using this special squash? I still have the other half to cook and now they are $0.99 at my local grocer, so I am picking up another one for this weekends chicken cacciatore side.

[Shasty]

A favorite of mine for a while. Last night..Spaghetti squash, Sausage, Broccoli Rabe and stirred in a bit of pesto. Truly excellent. Most of the ingredients i cooked separately, then i sauteed some garlic, red pepper flakes and added the other ingredients.

[daily_unadventures]

My new favorite spaghetti squash recipe is a casserole as follows. Once the spaghetti squash is cooked, combine with a ton of chopped fresh chives, salt and pepper, a small container of sour cream and some parmesan or romano. Pour into a casserole dish and sprinkle with more cheese then bake until brown and bubbly. Sooo good! I have a seen a couple of cool interpretations of my recipe too, like adding swiss chard or indian flavours.

Pictures and feedback here: http://www.dailyunadventuresincooking...

[jsaimd]

Works lovely with Asian sauces as well.

[spicygal]

Anything I'd normally make to top pasta I have done with spaghetti squash with great success.

I've done basic tomato-based pasta sauces (amatriciana, puttanesca) as well as more meat-based things (sausage and tomato, sausage, broccoli rabe, garlic). The squash seems to soak up the flavors of the sauces more than regular pasta does - really good.

[HillJ]

Spaghetti squash nests with eggs, spinach and bacon worked out wonderfully last night.
We roasted a whole squash, scooped out the strands and let them cool to the touch.
Sprayed a muffin tin with non stick. Took a handful of squash and created a "nest" inside each tin. Fork whipped 6 eggs, 1/4 cup cooked bacon, 1/4 cup chopped spinach leaves and poured the batter into each "nest." Topped with parm cheese and blue cheese and baked in the oven until the eggs were firm. Delicious!

[Cheese Boy]

This sounds insanely good.
I know this is a savory recipe, but this image keeps popping into my mind. Hopefully I don't use jellybeans in lieu of blue cheese. Look --> http://farm1.static.flickr.com/53/126...

[HillJ]

Those are adorable. My son is going to freak! Thanks for sharing!

[Cheese Boy]

Here's a recipe... if he likes rice krispies treats, he's bound to love these !!!

Look --> http://www.landolakes.com/mealideas/V...

[HillJ]

Cheese Boy, I'm afraid the ingredient lineup is great for giggles but not for eating. My younger son would make these as a food craft project but wouldn't eat them. Too sweet. Very cute though.

Completely off OP but this is our fav rice krispie treat recipe:
http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/...

Enjoy!

[tcamp]

Question: What becomes of the squash during the cooking time? Does it become crispy at all or still soft? Can you pick these up as you would a muffin?

They sound delicious.

[HillJ]

The egg and spinach keep the squash nest moist and binded. The eggs firm up very quickly and since the squash is pre cooked the timing works out well. You can pick them up but they are moist in the hand. I wouldn't necessarily serve these as an appetizer BUT the recipe is adapatable enough to create a drier result. Enjoy!

[danna]

I was thinking the same thing. If you could figure out a way to make the "crust" get crispy, you'd have invented a lo-cal quiche!

[HillJ]

A bit of panko bread crumbs to the egg batter would bind it drier.

[danna]

What if you sprinkled panko in the cups after the non-stick and before the squash? Perhaps it would be too messy to arrange the nests?

[HillJ]

Tried it actually and the panko didn't adhere to the squash well enough.

[scuzzo]

Awesome idea and fairly low carb!

[TongoRad]

I like to make it like I would any other winter squash, fairly simple- sautee sliced onion in butter, add cubed squash, cook (partly covered) until tender, season with salt and a bit of nutmeg and mash. I'm not so crazy about an overly pureed texture so I just use a potato masher- the spaghetti squash is great because it separates into those threads pretty much of its own accord, maybe with the help of a slotted spoon to help it along. The flavor profile is just so wonderfully autumnal I have a hard time using any other preparation (although acorn squash in an ancho based chile stew is pretty killer...).

If there is any left over you can make pancake type things from the mash by adding some egg and flour as a binder, just to mix it up a bit.

[cmecookin]

I always loved spaghetti pie that my mom used to make from leftover spaghetti, so I was creative the other night and used my leftover spaghetti squash.
I mixed the squash with an egg, shredded mozeralla chesse, some basil, and parm. Mixed it up thick and goopey and cooked it in little ramkins (I only had about 3/4 c. of squash to begin with), pushing down so they would bake into one piece. Baked it up till nice and golden and they were delicious! I ate it with some spaghetti sauce on top but later ate the other ones plain and they were great on their own. I'm thinking they'd be good as a side dish for Thanksgiving (sans the sauce).

[scuzzo]

Mmm, I will surely do this! Thanks for sharing it!

[coll]

I fill the center with a combination of pesto and red sauce, with lots of parm, when cooked scoop everything out and mix.

[weezycom]

cook plain and shred, then toss while hot with S&P,a splash of olive oil, minced garlic, chopped parsley, some red pepper flakes, a couple of heaping spoonfuls of ricotta.

[cookieluvntasha]

wow that sounds really good. Do you think the ricotta will pair well with the heavy herbs of the chicken cacciatore I'm making on Sunday? Or should I keep it simple and leave out the ricotta for parm?

[Emme]

absolutely! ricotta is creamy deliciousness that will go well with (almost) anything :)

[JungMann]

I do that toss with butter and olive oil, garlic, parsley, mint, cilantro, cumin and coriander with a bit of mint.

My favorite, however, is a corned beef-based tomato sauce with a bit of allspice and cinnamon and some feta or cheddar cheese on top.

[cackalackie]

That's just what I do - only I use freshly-grated parmegiano reggiano.

[CreativeFoodie42]

I've used Emeril's recipe (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/em...) and added roasted garlic, pecorino romano and roasted grape tomatoes. Yum!

[HillJ]

Once cooked, spaghetti squash makes a nice "bed" layer for casseroles, baked chicken dishes and vegetarian lasagna. I roast 3-4 squash at a time and freeze them in ziplock bags for later use.

[cookieluvntasha]

the veggie lasagna idea sounds delish and thanks for the time saving suggestions!

[todao]

My family enjoys the spaghetti squash I make with a combination of a meat sauce (typically covering one half of the spaghetti squash on the plate, and grated mizithra cheese shredded over the other half with a bit of melted butter drizzled over the cheese. They can mix and match, cheese with the sauce, as they like.