A food that I have ended up loving more and more as I’ve gotten older is squash. All squash. As is pretty evident from my blogs. I use it in a lot of things, dress it up different ways, and turn it into casseroles, soups, etc. The possibilities are endless.
Even more so with the advent of Pinterest. For real. I can spend hours on Pinterest. It’s crazy-ridiculous what I find on there and I file away to revisit and even attempt to make. This rarely happens…but I have it saved…just in case.
However, when my CSA bin arrived with a spaghetti squash last week, I knew just the recipe I needed to make. I pinned this one awhile back, compliments of Whole Foods. I had most of the ingredients as it was either in my fridge, on my counter, or in my pantry. All I needed were some Serrano chilies and a red pepper to make it. Epic win. And this…was just as good as I hoped it would be. Not spicy at all…at least not for me.
Recipe: Spicy Spaghetti Squash with Black Beans
Servings: 2-4
Time: Prep 20 minutes; Bake 40 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 medium spaghetti squash
- 2 teaspoons olive or corn oil
- 1/2 cup red onion, chopped
- 1 jalapeño chili, seeded, minced (I used 2.5 Serrano chilies instead)
- 1/2 cup red pepper, chopped
- 1 cup black beans, rinsed and drained well
- 1/2 cup sweet corn, frozen or fresh (I used fresh)
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- All of the reserved cooked squash, about 4 cups
- 1/3 cup cilantro, minced (optional)
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
Directions:
Roast squash in a 375°F oven for 50 minutes until tender or cut squash in half and place in a microwave dish with 1/2 inch of water, lightly covered with plastic wrap for 20 minutes on high until tender. Cool. When cool, scoop flesh from squash halves leaving the shell intact for stuffing.
For the filling, heat oil in a large pan and sauté red onion, chili pepper(s) and red pepper for 2 minutes. Add beans, corn and chili powder; sauté 1 minute longer. Add cooked squash, cilantro, lime juice and salt, cook 1 minute until heated through.
Fill squash halves with filling, mounding mixture in the center.
Serve.
~*~*~
This was really good and really filling. It could easily feed 4 people, although my roommate and I just ended up eating half each. Loaded with protein (13 grams) and low in calories (292 calories for half the recipe), this makes for a delicious, easy meal for any night of the week. Can’t eat both halves? No problem. Wrap up the other half in plastic wrap, place in refrigerator, and simply reheat in the microwave. It’s that easy.
And yes…this was an epic yum. I’ll probably make it a bit spicier next time. My roommate doesn’t like too much spice…so we keep it milder whenever I cook up “spicy” recipes. Play around with it to your liking.
I can’t wait to make this again.
The Celiathlete 