I am frequently searching for new dishes to serve alongside a protein or at the center of a vegetarian meal. Squashes can be interesting alternatives to potatoes, rice, and various grains. This recipe for baked spaghetti squash uses a small number of ingredients to help the gourd family steal the show at dinner time. It is based on a recipe developed by Abby Mandel in the March 1986 issue of Bon Appétit magazine in an article entitled “Terrific Vegetable Dishes.”
I have always liked the golden color and interesting texture of cooked spaghetti squash. I’ve also appreciated its low calorie count. When my children were young, I would sometimes steam a spaghetti squash and serve it with marinara sauce, calling it just “spaghetti.” My son believed he did not like any food with the word “squash” in it, so I played with the names of dishes from time to time to fool him into eating zucchini, butternut squash, and other vegetables in the gourd family. I clearly remember him looking at his plate and asking, “What kind of spaghetti is this?” He could see that it was different than the pasta that was usually on our table, but he did finally put a forkful in his mouth, and then another, and finally cleaned his plate. Only when he was an adult did I admit my trickery. We laughed about it, and he forgave me.
If you have never attempted to cook a spaghetti squash, it’s time to try! I opted to microwave the squash before assembling the dish to save on time.
Mandel’s directions called for boiling the whole squash, then draining, cooling, and cutting it in half. Using this technique makes the squash easier to cut in half, but I prefer to know that the inside of the squash is of high quality before proceeding with a recipe. The outside skin of the squash can be a bit tough, so I encourage you to use your knife (or cleaver) carefully. If you don’t want to use the microwave, you can bake the squash as well, cut side down on a baking sheet, for 45 minutes at 350 degrees and receive the same results.
My recipe follows Mandel’s in other respects pretty closely, although I opted to slightly increase the amount of cheese used and to add fresh basil at the end.
Mandel’s column celebrated the use of the food processor, and here it is a very helpful tool. In just a couple of minutes the parsley and garlic are finely minced and the cheeses are chopped into a fine consistency that is just right for the topping.
There is a lot to love about this dish that transforms a lowly squash into a dinner treat. Its preparation is quite simple and, once you have the squash cooked, quite fast. It uses no butter or oil beyond what is smeared on the casserole dish to avoid sticking, yet it tastes buttery and garlicky and delicious.
The two cheeses that top the squash are both low in fat and take on a beautiful golden hue after broiling. The parsley and basil add a fresh green note to the dish, balancing it out. Your kitchen will smell like a pizzeria, and your secret ingredient will wow everyone at your table.
Baked Spaghetti Squash with Two Cheeses
Sunnyside Cook
Ingredients
- 1 medium spaghetti squash --about 3 pounds
- 1 cup fresh parsley leaves
- 2 garlic cloves peeled and halved
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 4 ounces soft goat cheese
- 4 ounces low-fat mozzarella cheese cut into ½ –inch pieces
- ¼ cup fresh basil leaves
Instructions
- Butter 4 oven-proof individual gratin dishes or 1 shallow casserole (6 cup capacity).
To prepare the squash
- Carefully cut spaghetti squash in half lengthwise, using sharp heavy knife.
- Use a large spoon to scrape out the seeds and strings attached to them in the center of the squash.
- Place each squash half (cut side- down) in a large shallow bowl and add enough water to reach ½ inch depth in the bottom of the bowl. Cover the bowl and squash well with plastic wrap. (I wet the rim of the bowl with water before securing the wrap, ensuring a more airtight fit.)
- Microwave on high for 11 minutes.
- Carefully remove the bowl to a place where it can cool. Cut the plastic wrap off. After a couple of minutes, carefully empty the hot water out of the bowl, flip the squash so that the cut side is facing up, and allow to cool.
- Repeat cooking and cooling sequence with second squash half. Cooling takes about 20-30 minutes.
- When the squash is cool enough to handle, use a fork to loosen and remove the spaghetti-like strands from the shell, placing them in a large bowl.
To assemble the dish
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Prepare food processor with steel knife or blade in center. Place the parsley in the bowl of the food processor. Secure the top of the processor, but leave the feed tube open. Run the food processor, dropping the garlic clove halves in every 2 seconds, for a total of 10 seconds. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the processor bowl. Pulse the parsley garlic mixture an additional 3-4 times, until both ingredients are very finely minced.
- Add the parsley-garlic mixture to the large bowl of squash, season with the salt and pepper to taste, and mix well. Scrape the processor bowl with the spatula to remove as much parsley and garlic as possible, but do not wash the bowl.
- Divide the squash-parsley mixture among the gratin dishes or place in casserole.
- Place mozzarella cubes and goat cheese in bowl of processor. Pulse about 15 times, scraping down once or twice along the way, until the cheese is very finely mixed.
- Place about 3 tablespoons of the cheese mixture on top of the squash, if using gratin dishes (if using casserole, sprinkle cheese mixture evenly over the top.)
- Bake at 350 for 20 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Switch oven to broiler and broil until cheese is golden brown, watching carefully.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes. While the squash is cooling, chiffonade the basil leaves.
- Garnish with the squash with basil and serve.
Notes
Can also be frozen for up to one month. Cover with aluminum foil and seal well. Defrost and follow directions above. Adapted from "Terrific Vegetable Dishes" by Abby Mandel in Bon Appétit (March 1986)
