Squash It

how to noodle your favorite gourd

Guys, gourd season has begun. Every time I go to the market there are new fall fruits and veggies lining the produce department. Pomegranates, walnuts, and a huge variety of apples have appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Honey nut squash is making an aggressive push for gourd dominance in Southern California right now but that isn’t the squash that has my interest at the moment. My eyes and imagination are squarely set on the overlooked and often overcooked spaghetti squash.

don’t buy this, spaghetti squash is naturally packaged tyvm

Most of us have had a lackluster experience with spaghetti squash. In the diet obsessed days of yore, people would microwave the squash until tender, scrape out the watery strings of flesh, and then drown it in a pile of marinara and pretend that it was just like spaghetti. It was never like spaghetti. It was mush on fucking mush. But just like boiled Brussel sprouts and canned green beans, this crime against taste was because of shitty technique and not because of the veggies. So this week let’s talk about spaghetti squash and the do’s and don'ts of preparing it.

how to cook a squash

First, don’t microwave it. It steams the flesh without any of the benefits of the roasting from the oven so you end up with extra watery flesh with no flavor. Roasting it in the oven does take more time, 30-45 minutes depending on the size, but your active cooking time is only 5 minutes. The improvement in taste and texture is worth the small amount of patience needed. Celebrate cooking dinner at home by using this time to make a sauce OR just scroll through IG mindlessly as a reward. That’s your business. 

Secondly, dress it lightly. The shredded flesh of the squash looks like noodles but that’s about where the comparison begins and ends. They’re much more delicate than their wheaty brethren. So when they are heavily dressed, they drown in the sauce and get soupy which nobody wants. Resist the urge to pour on the marinara or alfredo. Instead, reach for lighter dressings like a pesto or a yellow curry powder and a little coconut oil. Keep it simple with some salt, pepper, olive oil, and fresh herbs. Or you know, just follow the recipe below. 

Lastly, mix up the texture. Your meal will be so much better if you add crunchy or toothsome ingredients to your spaghetti squash. Sauteed peppers and onions are great for this, green onions or other roughly chopped fresh herbs work well, and minced nuts like almonds or walnuts are always perfect. If you follow these three guidelines, I promise you will actually enjoy spaghetti squash and come to appreciate its light and delicate nature as the heaviness of our other fall and winter favorites wear you down come December.

Below is a recipe loosely based on Cacio e Pepe and makes a great dinner alongside sauteed broccolini with plenty of garlic. The cooking directions for how to prepare the spaghetti squash are universal though, no matter how you decide to serve it.

Roasted  Miso e Pepe Spaghetti Squash 

Makes enough for 2 people, easily doubled

1 large spaghetti squash

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Miso e Pepe Sauce

¼ cup sliced or slivered almond

1 cup plain, unsweetened almond milk

2 tablespoons white or yellow miso

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

3 cloves of garlic, chopped

2 tablespoons lemon juice, about one lemon

2 teaspoons potato or corn starch

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 tablespoon of olive oil

Pinch of red pepper flakes

Salt and pepper to taste

¼ cup minced chives or green onions

Toasted panko breadcrumbs, optional

Warm up your oven to 400 degrees and grab a large rimmed baking sheet. Cut the stem end off your spaghetti squash to create a stable surface then place that cut edge on your cutting board. Now cut the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise being careful not to go crazy and lose a finger. Working with shitty knives? Try using your biggest serrated knife on all winter gourds to get through that thicker flesh. Whatever you’d use to cut up a loaf of sourdough should be just fine. Scoop out the seeds and cover the whole thing in a little bit of olive oil. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper on the inside flesh and place them cut-side down on your baking sheet. Stab the outside a couple times with a fork so the steam has somewhere to go as the squash roasts. I know you have plenty of reasons to feel stabby these days so think of this a positive way to get that shit out of your system.

Place the spaghetti squash in the oven and let it roast until you can stick a knife in through the skin with no resistance, 30-45 minutes depending on the size of squash. When the squash is done, flip it over and let it cool for a few minutes before you start scrapping. Take a knife and scrape out the inside flesh into long strings right on the baking sheet. Keep going until you’ve got all the flesh out and discard the remaining skin. Now squeeze out some of the extra liquid in the flesh over the sink. You won’t damage the noodles, just squeeze lightly and watch all that extra water come out. Place the flesh back on the baking sheet. Now it’s time to add the flavor.

For the sauce, warm up the cup of milk in the microwave or stovetop until it’s just below boiling. Add the almonds and let that sit for 15 minutes to give the nuts time to soften up. Now add that mixture to a food processor or blender along with the miso, nutritional yeast, garlic, lemon juice, potato starch, and nutmeg. Blend that shit until everything is well combined but there are still some small almond chunks. That’s texture baby and we love it.

Warm the olive oil in a large sauté pan then pour in the sauce, let it come to a gentle simmer, whisking occasionally as it thickens up, then turn off the heat. Toss in the spaghetti squash flesh. Gently toss until all the squash strands are coated then add in the red pepper flakes, plenty of black pepper, and chives, if using. Taste and add more of whatever you think it needs. Serve warm topped with toasted breadcrumbs or more chives. 

Roasted Miso E Pepe Spaghetti Squash

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What fall or winter produce are you guys the most excited for? We’re sooo close. I can almost taste it.