medtran49
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I came up with this recipe after watching an episode of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives featuring The Pit Stop in Long Island, New York. While I was cooking and tasting the dish, I made a couple of changes in technique and added a couple of ingredients from the original shown in the episode.
The recipe is vegetarian as is and can be made vegan by eliminating the cheeses or making appropriate substitutions.
Medium sized spaghetti squash
1/4 cup chopped shallots OR sweet onion plus an extra garlic clove or 2
1/4 cup chopped garlic
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup chopped carrot
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped red bell
1/2 cup each chopped yellow and zucchini squash
1/2 cup chopped broccoli florets (parboil or steam if you don't want crunchy broccoli)
1/2 cup thinnish asparagus, cut in 1 inch or so pieces (par-steam some if you are using really thick stalks if you don't want crunchy)
1/4 to 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (to your taste)
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
1/3 cup or so of chopped fresh basil
4 slices mozzarella (fresh preferably)
salt and pepper
2-3 cups of your favorite marinara sauce.
1/4 to 1/2 cup decent Chianti or other fruity wine
a handful of finely grated parm
1/3 cup lightly packed chiffonade of fresh basil
Score spaghetti squash with a knife all the way around (stem to flower/blossom end back to stem), then microwaving on high in a baking dish for 4-5 minutes (NO longer than this as it could explode from steam build up). Remove, let cool slightly, then use a chef's knife to cut in half along your score mark. Remove seeds with a spoon and continue cooking either in the microwave or oven as follows.
Microwave: Place squash halves in a baking dish filled with about 1 inch of water. Microwave on high for 5-10 minutes until soft (time depends on size of squash and power of your microwave).
Oven: Preheat oven to 400 F, place squash in a baking dish, add about an inch of water, cover with foil and bake for 30-40 minutes or until tender.
Allow squash to cool, then use a fork to scrape out strands in the direction of the "grain," being careful not to tear the shells. Set aside.
Meanwhile, make 2-3 cups of your favorite marinara sauce. Add Chianti, basil and parm. Cook for 10-15 minutes to allow flavors to meld. Set aside.
Saute shallots and garlic until soft. Add red onion, carrot, celery, red bell and saute until softening. Add yellow and zucchini squashes and let cook for 2-3 minutes. Add broccoli and asparagus, and red pepper flakes, and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add 1 tsp of salt and 1/2 to 1 tsp of pepper (to your taste). Stir and add 1/4 to 1/3 cup (decent sized ladle) of marinara, stir. Add the spaghetti squash and gently mix. Taste and adjust seasoning. You will probably need to add more S and P. Allow to cool for a few minutes and add fresh basil, parm, and another ladle of marinara. Stir. Stuff the spaghetti squash shells, mounding filling up nicely, packing if necessary to fit it all in. Top each half with a couple of slices of fresh moz and bake until warmed through and cheese is nicely melted, about 20-30 minutes in a 375 F oven. Place a nice ladle of sauce on a plate and set squash half on top, ladling a bit of sauce across the top as well.
The recipe is vegetarian as is and can be made vegan by eliminating the cheeses or making appropriate substitutions.
Medium sized spaghetti squash
1/4 cup chopped shallots OR sweet onion plus an extra garlic clove or 2
1/4 cup chopped garlic
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup chopped carrot
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped red bell
1/2 cup each chopped yellow and zucchini squash
1/2 cup chopped broccoli florets (parboil or steam if you don't want crunchy broccoli)
1/2 cup thinnish asparagus, cut in 1 inch or so pieces (par-steam some if you are using really thick stalks if you don't want crunchy)
1/4 to 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (to your taste)
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
1/3 cup or so of chopped fresh basil
4 slices mozzarella (fresh preferably)
salt and pepper
2-3 cups of your favorite marinara sauce.
1/4 to 1/2 cup decent Chianti or other fruity wine
a handful of finely grated parm
1/3 cup lightly packed chiffonade of fresh basil
Score spaghetti squash with a knife all the way around (stem to flower/blossom end back to stem), then microwaving on high in a baking dish for 4-5 minutes (NO longer than this as it could explode from steam build up). Remove, let cool slightly, then use a chef's knife to cut in half along your score mark. Remove seeds with a spoon and continue cooking either in the microwave or oven as follows.
Microwave: Place squash halves in a baking dish filled with about 1 inch of water. Microwave on high for 5-10 minutes until soft (time depends on size of squash and power of your microwave).
Oven: Preheat oven to 400 F, place squash in a baking dish, add about an inch of water, cover with foil and bake for 30-40 minutes or until tender.
Allow squash to cool, then use a fork to scrape out strands in the direction of the "grain," being careful not to tear the shells. Set aside.
Meanwhile, make 2-3 cups of your favorite marinara sauce. Add Chianti, basil and parm. Cook for 10-15 minutes to allow flavors to meld. Set aside.
Saute shallots and garlic until soft. Add red onion, carrot, celery, red bell and saute until softening. Add yellow and zucchini squashes and let cook for 2-3 minutes. Add broccoli and asparagus, and red pepper flakes, and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add 1 tsp of salt and 1/2 to 1 tsp of pepper (to your taste). Stir and add 1/4 to 1/3 cup (decent sized ladle) of marinara, stir. Add the spaghetti squash and gently mix. Taste and adjust seasoning. You will probably need to add more S and P. Allow to cool for a few minutes and add fresh basil, parm, and another ladle of marinara. Stir. Stuff the spaghetti squash shells, mounding filling up nicely, packing if necessary to fit it all in. Top each half with a couple of slices of fresh moz and bake until warmed through and cheese is nicely melted, about 20-30 minutes in a 375 F oven. Place a nice ladle of sauce on a plate and set squash half on top, ladling a bit of sauce across the top as well.
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