This past year, I decided to grow spaghetti squash and boy did it grow well! I ended up with 26 large spaghetti squash with very little effort. The beauty of this squash is that it stores quite well, and so in the middle of winter (February in my area) you can easy make this tasty dish. Enjoy the simplicity of this meal that is cooked and then served in its own container, leaving clean up a breeze. And, to make it better, you can even cook the squash and prepare the rest of the dish the day before and assemble the bowls just 30 minutes prior to baking and eating. This spectacular fusion of flavourful squash, white kidney and black beans, salsa, jalapeno, cheese and yogurt, which is then topped with scallions and blue cheese dressing, will absolutely blow your mind.
1largespaghetti squashabout 10 inches long or use two smaller ones
1tbspolive oil
Remaining ingredients:
1½cupssalsaI use my chunky homemade salsa https://cansanity.com/?page_id=3109. If you choose a store-bought salsa, set the salsa over a fine mesh strainer and strain for 10 minutes to remove some of the liquid.
¼cuppickled jalapenosminced. You can also use chopped fresh jalapeno. For a great pickled jalapeno recipe check out my Pickled Jalapeno Ring recipe at https://cansanity.com/?page_id=2999
1½cupsMonterey Jack Cheeseshredded. (I like to use the one with jalapenos in it.) If you can't find this cheese substitute marble or cheese of your choice.
6scallionsrinsed and chopped
⅓cupGreek yogurt
1398 ml can black beansrinsed
1398 ml canwhite kidney beansor use red kidney beans, rinsed
Additional ingredients for toppings:
1cupMonterey Jack Cheese shredded
4scallionschopped
⅔cupsblue cheese dressingThis may seem like a weird topping but it is fabulous!
Instructions
To bake the spaghetti squash:
Line a rimmed baking sheet with tin foil and preheat the oven to 400°F.
Cut the squash in half and remove the seeds.
Drizzle with olive oil and place the squash cut side down. Roast in the 400°F oven for 35-40 minutes. The squash is done when you can easily pierce a fork through the skin.
Prepare the filling and make the squash bowls:
Scrape the stringy flesh out of the spaghetti squash and mix in the salsa, scallions, yogurt, 1½ cups of cheese, pickled jalapenos or fresh jalapenos.
Add the rinsed black beans and white kidney beans and gently mix.
Fill the shells of the squash with the filling and top with extra cheese.
Cover with tented foil and bake for 20-30 minutes in a 350°F oven. Then remove the foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes until the cheese is bubbling.
To Serve:
Remove the cooked squash bowls from the oven and immediately top with additional scallions. For easy serving just cut the squash bowls into six servings and transfer to serving plates.
Drizzle with blue cheese dressing and serve.
Notes
Note: There is a version of this recipe under the "Pizza and one-pot meals" category using roasted chicken instead of white kidney and black beans. Here is the link to that version https://cansanity.com/?page_id=7502