Spicy Spaghetti Squash with Black Beans
Before winter is over and winter squash is “sooooo last season” (insert valley girl accent here, lol!) I have a couple of recipes to share with you that will give you some new things to do with the winter squash that is still around. This one is specifically for that silly, stringy, spaghetti squash. When I first heard of spaghetti squash, no doubt similar to all of you, I thought that it would be a great replacement for pasta. Roast spaghetti squash, top with red sauce, eat. Well, it was okay, but the kids wanted their pasta back. It wasn’t enough of a novelty to convince them that it was “just like spaghetti”. I needed something that used spaghetti squash as its own ingredient, not a substitute for pasta.
If the pasta substitute works in your home, great! If not, or if you are looking for something “Southwesterny delicious” (sings in head like Lucky Charms theme ‘magically delicious’), then follow along for something super great! You can use your organic spaghetti squash and your organic cilantro from Sage Mountain Farm in this incredible meal. This recipe is originally posted here on Whole Foods website.
Use a fork to rake up individual strands of squash.
Ingredients:
1 medium spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise and seeded
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped
1 cup cooked black beans
1/2 cup sweet corn, frozen or fresh
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
Method:
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Arrange squash in a large baking dish, cut-sides down. Pour 1/2 cup water into the dish and bake until just tender, 30 to 35 minutes. Rake with a fork to remove flesh in strands, leaving the shell intact for stuffing.
For the filling, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, jalapeño and bell pepper and cook for 2 minutes or until soft. Add beans, corn and chili powder; cook, stirring frequently, 1 minute longer. Add cooked squash, cilantro, lime juice and salt, cook 1 minute until heated through.
Fill squash halves with filling, mounding mixture in the center.
Mixin’ up the Fillin’
I made a few changes when I cooked it myself. I omit the olive oil and just “water sauté” instead, just a personal preference (I like to reduce the amount of added fats and oils in the foods that I cook). I also roasted the spaghetti squash whole. It works great either way, just personal preference again. One more thing, I didn’t leave the shells intact and refill them with the mixture.
Servin’ it up, Nacho Style!
Since I serve this for many people as a nacho topping, it seemed more appropriate to leave the mixture loose and just toss the shells. My family enjoys this quite a bit served with tortilla chips, but I also think it would be excellent served in soft, warm corn tortillas! By the way, the leftovers reheat great, so it’s a wonderful healthy meal to take-along!
