spaghetti squash with goat cheese and sage

by Stacy

Normally, I prefer to cook for both my husband and myself, or even more people. Cooking for one is less fun in a number of ways. You have to scale recipes substantially or have leftovers, one serving doesn’t use up a whole onion/pepper/package of whatever you’re using, and you have to eat alone. Lame!

But sometimes I’m excited for when my Veggie-Hating Husband is working in the evening, leaving me free to prepare some dishes that he hates, guilt-free.

Like spaghetti squash. He likes spaghetti, but refuses to eat spaghetti squash which, by the way, is delicious.

spaghetti squash with goat cheese

Especially when prepared comme ça — roasted and mixed with goat cheese. What can I say, goat cheese makes almost everything better. The “basic” method I have seen for this type of squash is just tossed with butter or oil, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. While that is also a great way to eat it, the goat cheese adds a little oomph, methinks.

Spaghetti Squash with Goat Cheese

Number of servings depends on size of squash and willingness of the cook to share

Ingredients:
1 spaghetti squash
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon rubbed sage
1-2 ounces goat cheese
salt and pepper, to taste
(optional) 1 minced scallion

Directions:
1.) Preheat oven to 375F. Slice squash in halfway lengthwise, scoop out seeds and stringy center with a spoon. Brush flat side with olive oil and place oiled-side down on a baking sheet. Bake at 375F for 40-60 minutes (depending on size or squash) until tender.

2.) Carefully use a fork to shred the hot squash. Melt butter in a pan over medium heat. When melted, add sage and stir until fragrant. Add shredded squash and stir to coat. Crumble in goat cheese a bit at a time, stirring after each addition. Add enough cheese to generously coat the squash.

3.) Remove from heat. Serve garnished with minced scallion or toasted pine nuts (or be fancy and use both!), salt if desired, and a generous amount of cracked black pepper.

{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }

katiebug February 1, 2010 at 8:23 am

I made this Saturday night and it was fantastic. But I must ask: how did you split the squash? I had a dickens of a time. I eventually got my chef’s knife in about half an inch and then I drove it through the rest of the squash using a kitchen mallot. It was crazy; like extreme cooking.

I’ve never made spaghetti squash before, so I don’t know if I just had a particularly hard-shelled specimen. Or is there an easier way?

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stacy February 1, 2010 at 11:54 am

Glad you liked it! We got a little tiny one from the CSA that needed to ripen a bit more that I am looking forward to eating for lunch soon.

The easiest way I have found is to slice the stem end flat and stand it up. Then you can cut it from the narrow end (and I sort of rock the knife back and forth to work it through) without the squash rolling. But yes, I think even with your sturdiest knife, it still takes some effort. Hope that helps!

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Emily February 4, 2013 at 6:39 pm

I’ve found the easiest way to split the spaghetti squash is to do it AFTER you’ve roasted it. This also eliminates the need for the olive oil. You have to let it rest for a while before you cut it, but I’ve almost broken knives before trying to cut into a raw squash, so the extra wait time is worth it to me.

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Stacy February 5, 2013 at 2:02 pm

Awesome tip, Emily! Do you stab the squash before baking so it doesn’t explode?

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Emily February 15, 2013 at 11:27 pm

Nope! It didn’t explode for me. I’d recommend turning it half-way through though. Mine wound up with a little bit of discoloration on the skin, but you don’t eat that part anyway, so it didn’t matter. Then you just let it cool for at least 30 minutes, cut, and take out the seeds. SO MUCH EASIER!

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