I once said spaghetti squash was the most underrated yellow vegetable. I can’t think of another yellow vegetable that deserves more love. Can you?
Yes, summer squash, but isn’t it an underrated yellow vegetable that deserves to be underrated?
Among the winter squashes, spaghetti squash is one of the easier ones to work with and its mild, crunchy flesh is a blank canvas — just waiting to soak up any flavor you throw at it.
In my Cool Mountain Cookbook, spaghetti squash gets a touch of sweetness, tossed with brown sugar and hazelnut liqueur.
But today, savory strikes my fancy, with basil and fresh, local goat cheese from Crow’s Dairy.
Just roast the squash and then saute it briefly with garlic, herbs and goat cheese for a cozy, warm mid-week meal.
I love how the flesh shreds into spaghetti-like strands, tender but still full of delicate crunch.
While the squash is roasting, you can mince the garlic and chiffonade the basil.
Or, use any herbs you like. Spaghetti squash takes well to any kind of herb, especially basil, thyme, rosemary and sage.
Since mincing garlic and slicing basil doesn’t take long, you could whip up a marinara sauce and saute some chard to make it a more substantial meal.
Or, you could saute some mushrooms and scallions while you wait for the squash to finish roasting. You have about 30 minutes of down time between when the squash goes in the oven and when it’s ready for the quick saute with garlic and herbs.
After the mushrooms are tender, deglaze the pan with a little wine if you like.
I, not surprisingly, just splash in a little rosé from the glass I’m drinking while cooking.
Once the squash comes out of the oven, let it cool a bit before scraping out the flesh.
Then just heat a little olive oil in a pan and saute the flesh with the garlic, herbs and goat cheese.
Season with salt and pepper and you’re done.
It takes all of 45 minutes from start to finish.
It’s really that simple, and it’s so delicious.
I’ve topped mine with toasted pine nuts, too.
Do you have a favorite recipe for spaghetti squash?
