Southwest Baked Spaghetti Squash


Southwest Baked Spaghetti Squash


I LOVE spaghetti squash. Love, love, love it. About two summers back, I basically lived on a diet consisting solely of spaghetti squash and pesto, and it was nothing short of marvelous, but like all good things in my life, I overdid it, and found myself a little burnt out after a while. No shocker there.

About two days ago, I developed an out of control craving for pasta, and while I have been typically turning to zucchini noodles, or ‘zoodles’ as I like to call them, I don’t feel like they can mimic the angel hair-like texture I often find myself craving the same way spaghetti squash can, so I ventured out and got myself a baby squash.


Southwest Baked Spaghetti Squash


While spaghetti squash and pesto has always been my go-to, I wanted to mix it up with something I have never done before, and damnit, it was worth it. Mexican and pasta don’t typically go hand-in-hand, but take a quick browse through Foodgawker or Pinterest and you will quickly be shown otherwise. Honestly, I was skeptical. This was something out of my ‘spaghetti squash comfort zone,’ and what if it turned out terrible? #Firstworldproblems and #yesIjustusedhashtagsinapost.


Southwest Baked Spaghetti Squash


I swear, the majority of my favorite dishes have come from venturing out of my comfort zone with food, so I don’t know why I was so hesitant to try this one, but this is such a great way to change it up from the norm. I used a 1.5 pound spaghetti squash, and even though it was on the small side as far as spaghetti squashes go, half of it was more than enough for me to feel satisfied. For this recipe, I will give you the amounts for an average sized squash, but if you end up using a smaller one like I did, just cut the ingredients in half.

Southwest Baked Spaghetti Squash
 
Recipe Type: dinner
Cuisine: Mexican
Author: The Lean Clean Eating Machine
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 2-4
A festive take on spaghetti squash that is gluten free, dairy free and vegan.
Ingredients
  • 3 pound spaghetti squash; halved lengthwise and seeded
  • 2 cans no sodium black beans; drained and thoroughly rinsed
  • 2 bell peppers (I used orange and yellow, but you can use any colors); diced
  • 1 jalapeno; seeded and finely chopped
  • 1/2 yellow onion; finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup organic salsa + additional for topping
  • 2 Tbsp. minced garlic
  • 2 Tbsp. cumin + additional to taste
  • Pink Himalayan salt to taste
  • Chopped fresh cilantro for topping (optional)
  • Dairy free cheese shreds for topping (optional); I used Daiya pepperjack shreds
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400F.
  2. Cut your spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and remove the seeds.
  3. Place prepared spaghetti squash center side down on a foil lined baking sheet that is lightly coated with a non-stick cooking spray, and place on the middle rack of oven to bake for about 20 minutes. When squash is ready, the skin will lightly give to the pressure of your finger.
  4. Remove finished squash from oven and carefully flip squash over so it is center side up. Allow squash to cool.
  5. While squash is cooling down, coat a pan generously with non-stick spray and saute your peppers, jalapeno and onion until onion is translucent.
  6. Add in your garlic and black beans and stir to thoroughly mix. Season with cumin and salt to taste, then stir in 1/2 cup of organic salsa and remove from heat.
  7. Doing only one half at a time, take a fork and scrape the stringy pulp from the squash into a medium bowl, being careful to keep the skin intact so you can use it as a bowl. Toss your ‘noodles’ with half the black bean mixture and add additional seasoning if needed.
  8. Place empty skin back onto your greased baking sheet, and pour mixture back into it. Repeat process for the other half of the squash then top each half with your dairy-free cheese of choice.
  9. Switch your oven from bake to broil, and broil squash on high until cheese is melted. Remove from oven and top with chopped cilantro and additional salsa if desired before serving.
 

 

4 comments on Southwest Baked Spaghetti Squash

  1. Kelly @ hidden fruits and veggies
    April 13, 2014 at 6:22 pm (10 years ago)

    It’s funny that you mention spaghetti squash and pesto, because I have one sitting on my counter and that’s exactly what I was going to do with it! This sounds so much more delicious and filling with beans in the mix!

    Reply
    • Danielle
      April 13, 2014 at 6:41 pm (10 years ago)

      It really is SO much more filling with the added beans and veggies! If you are a spicy fan, I would recommend doctoring it up a little with some hot sauce or red pepper flakes for a real kick and top it with a little avocado before serving. It’s delish 😉

      Reply
  2. Peggy
    November 2, 2014 at 5:21 pm (9 years ago)

    Danielle,
    Do you have a recipe for the spaghetti squash and pesto? I haven’t tried it like that before.
    -Peggy

    Reply
    • Danielle
      November 5, 2014 at 9:09 am (9 years ago)

      Hi Peggy,
      I do have a recipe for it and I love it! Here is the link to my recipe for non-dairy pesto. It lightens up the calories a bit but doesn’t miss any of the flavor. I also like to top it with red pepper and nutritional yeast flakes.

      Reply

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