Duo of Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti Squash with Broccoli & Tahini Sauce

Spaghetti Squash with Broccoli & Tahini Sauce

Spaghetti Squash with Tomato Based Pasta Sauce

Spaghetti Squash with Tomato Based Pasta Sauce

First of all, you need to cook your spaghetti squash, which is the same method whichever recipe you choose. There are various ways to do this, but the best thing is to watch a video on youtube, so here are some links to a couple of methods:

Spaghetti squash has a particularly hard skin and can be very tricky to cut, so if you’re having any trouble doing that, don’t risk hurting yourself, just cook it whole in the microwave.

Spaghetti Squash with Italian Style Tomato Sauce

This is an Italian style dish with tomatoes, bell peppers, onions and chard (although any green, leafy vegetable such as spinach or kale would work)

Ingredients

  • 2 x 14 ounce cans of stewed/chopped tomatoes (or, for a quicker option, one large jar of ready made tomato pasta sauce, typically 24 oz)

  • 1 onion, finely diced

  • 1 red bell pepper, diced

  • 1 bunch chard (or other leafy green such as spinach or kale), stems removed and leaf roughly chopped. Discard the stems or keep them in the fridge for another recipe.

  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced

  • 1 tsp oregano

  • salt and pepper to taste

  • 2 Tbsp olive oil

  • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar (only if using the tinned tomatoes)

Method

  1. Heat the oil in a pan and add the onions and garlic, cooking on a medium heat and stirring occasionally until the onions have softened (about 7-8 minutes).

  2. Add the bell pepper, oregano and a pinch of salt and cook with the lid on, stirring occasionally for another 7 or 8 minutes, until the pepper has softened. If you are using a tougher leafy green than chard, such as kale, then add this at the same time as the bell pepper.

a) If using tinned tomatoes follow these next steps (requires more cooking time), or skip to option b

  1. Add the tomatoes, 1 cup of water, 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and 1/2 a teaspoon of salt. Cook on low with the lid on until the sauce has thickened and the tomato smell becomes rich and deep (15-20 minutes). Stir occasionally.

  2. Add the chard or spinach and cook for a further two minutes.

  3. Portion some spaghetti squash onto a plate and spoon over the sauce

b) If using the ready-made pasta sauce, follow these steps:

  1. Add the jar of sauce and the chard or spinach to the pan and cook until the sauce has heated through (3-4 minutes).

  2. Portion some spaghetti squash onto a plate and spoon over the sauce.

This recipe could be amended with some ground beef, pork or vegan meat crumbles to make it a more substantial meal. Brown the meat, or meat substitute in a separate pan until cooked through and add it to the vegetables at the same time that you add the tinned tomatoes/pasta sauce.

Spaghetti Squash with Broccoli (or Kohlrabi) & Tahini Sauce

This is an Asian style dish with a satay-like sauce, broccoli and chard or spinach. You could also use the kohlrabi in you box this week in place of the broccoli.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb ground pork, or vegan meat crumbles.

  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce

  • salt, to taste

  • 1 bunch chard, stems removed and leaves roughly chopped (or spinach, chopped)

  • 2 cups broccoli, cut into florets (or 1 kohlrabi, peeled, quartered and then sliced)

    For the tahini sauce:

  • 2 tablespoons tahini (or almond butter or sun butter)

  • juice of 1 lime

  • 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

  • 1.5 tablespoons soy sauce

  • 2 tablespoons Sriracha or other chili sauce (optional)

  • 1/2 tablespoon honey

  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil (find this in the Asian section of the store)

  • 3 tablespoons coconut oil, or other vegetable oil.

  • 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated

  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced

  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

  • salt, to taste

Method

  1. In a large pan or dutch oven, add ground pork or vegan crumbles (use some oil with the vegan option) along with 1 tablespoon soy sauce and cook over medium-high heat. Break up pork into small pieces and stir frequently until completely cooked through. Place ground pork/vegan crumbles in a bowl with the spaghetti squash.

  2. In the same pan with some of the fat rendered from the ground pork (or a tablespoon of oil for vegan option), add broccoli with a bit of salt.

  3. Cook on a high heat for a couple of minutes until slightly browned, then turn down to low and cover with a lid to help steam. Once the broccoli has steamed, add the chard and cover, stirring occasionally until cooked through and soft (about 2 minutes)

  4. Add pork and spaghetti squash to the pan with the veg and mix it all together with the heat down low just to keep warm while you prepare the sauce.

  5. Whisk all ingredients for the sauce together in a bowl.

  6. Pour sauce into the pan with the veggies and mix until completely coated. Serve!

If you’re using the kohlrabi and the spinach instead of the broccoli and chard, the method is exactly the same except that the kohlrabi might need more cooking time than the broccoli and the spinach will need slightly less than the chard. Just test the veggies with a fork or take a bite as you cook until you reach your desired texture.

Andrew Williamson