Entrees
·
Sides

Southwestern Spaghetti Squash with Beans

adapted from thecomfortofcooking.com

Not sure how to use spaghetti squash, other than smothering it with tomato sauce? Try this version!

Southwestern Spaghetti Squash

Prep Time

15 minutes

Cook Time

50 minutes

Yield

2 Servings

Ingredients

1 squash, spaghetti (medium or large)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1⁄2 onion, yellow (chopped)
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1 pepper, jalapeño (minced (if you like it spicy, leave in the the seeds))
1 bell pepper, green (chopped, or red, yellow, or orange peppers)
1⁄2 tablespoon cumin, ground
1⁄2 tablespoon oregano, dried
1⁄2 tablespoon chili powder
15 ounces beans, adzuki (canned, or dried, soaked, and cooked. Other types of beans work too.)
1 cup corn, frozen (thawed)
1⁄2 cup parsley, fresh (or dried, minced)
  lime juice (of 1 lime)
1 cup cheese (grated, or dairy free alternative)
  salt
  black pepper, ground

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Cut the spaghetti squash in half, scoop out the seeds, and place face down in a baking pan with a little bit of water.  Bake for about 45 minutes or until cooked, but not so cooked that the skin starts to wrinkle (you want the skin to remain strong enough to hold the filling).

Remove the squash from the oven and let cool enough to handle.  Scrap out the flesh of the squash into a bowl and place the skins face up in another baking dish.

While the squash is baking, heat a large skillet and oil over medium heat. Add the onion and saute for 2 minutes.  Add the garlic, jalapeno, and bell pepper and saute for another few minutes until soft. Add cumin, oregano, chili powder, and salt and black pepper to taste and combine.  Add the beans, corn, parsley, and lime juice and mix to incorporate. Lastly, add the spaghetti squash flesh from the bowl, mixing well. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. 

Set your oven to broil on high.

Scoop the mixture into the squash skins and top with grated cheese. Broil until the cheese melts and starts to brown, about 1-2 minutes. Remove from oven, sprinkle with additional parsley, if desired, and hot sauce.