So why not start here. As I sit at my desk, eating warmed up leftovers of this delicious spaghetti squash dish. Remember when I posted about the first time I made anything with spaghetti squash? Oh silly me. I was intimidated by that veggie for a good long time. Yes, intimidated. By a vegetable. What? I was not convinced that it would, in fact, shred like the pictures/videos I watched. But it does. It really does. And it's really good.
Okay, so onto the recipe. Wait, nope. Disclaimer first. Depending on the size of the squash you get (who exactly determines what medium is?) you may get more than 3 servings from this. Also, you may want to add a little more spinach or bacon so it's more balanced.
Okay, now onto the recipe. And no, no picture this time...sorry.
What You'll Need
1 medium spaghetti squash
1 tablespoon olive oil
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
6 slices bacon, cut in 1-inch pieces
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 5-ounce bag baby spinach
2 ounces soft goat cheese, crumbled
1 tablespoon olive oil
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
6 slices bacon, cut in 1-inch pieces
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 5-ounce bag baby spinach
2 ounces soft goat cheese, crumbled
What You'll DoPreheat the oven to 400*
Cut the squash in half, lengthwise
Scoop out the seeds and drizzle both halves with olive oil and a little salt & pepper
Place the two halves, flesh-side down in a baking dish with about 1" of water
Roast in the oven for about 30 minutes until it's tender
Set it aside to cool; trust me--you don't want to try to shred it while it's hot!
Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add bacon. Cook over medium heat until the edges of the bacon brown (about 2 minutes, stirring often).
Turn the heat to low and cook until the bacon is crispy--about 5 more minutes
Turn the heat back up to medium and the vinegar, stirring to deglaze the pan; about 20 seconds
Turn the heat back to low, add the maple syrup (yes, maple syrup!)
Stir it all together to combine, then add the spinach, a handful at a time so it wilts
Once all the spinach is in and wilted, turn the burner off and get to the squash!
Drain the water from the baking dish, then using a fork, scrape the flesh of the squash into the dish
Once it's all shredded, add it to the skillet, add the goat cheese and toss it all together.
Serve, eat...add this to your "Make Again" pile.
Cut the squash in half, lengthwise
Scoop out the seeds and drizzle both halves with olive oil and a little salt & pepper
Place the two halves, flesh-side down in a baking dish with about 1" of water
Roast in the oven for about 30 minutes until it's tender
Set it aside to cool; trust me--you don't want to try to shred it while it's hot!
Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add bacon. Cook over medium heat until the edges of the bacon brown (about 2 minutes, stirring often).
Turn the heat to low and cook until the bacon is crispy--about 5 more minutes
Turn the heat back up to medium and the vinegar, stirring to deglaze the pan; about 20 seconds
Turn the heat back to low, add the maple syrup (yes, maple syrup!)
Stir it all together to combine, then add the spinach, a handful at a time so it wilts
Once all the spinach is in and wilted, turn the burner off and get to the squash!
Drain the water from the baking dish, then using a fork, scrape the flesh of the squash into the dish
Once it's all shredded, add it to the skillet, add the goat cheese and toss it all together.
Serve, eat...add this to your "Make Again" pile.
As I'm writing this, I'm laughing to myself, since the movie, Elf, has been watched no less than 10 times in our home since Thanksgiving. And, if you've seen it, you know of Buddy's love of syrup. I promise you that this is not a "syrup on pasta" kind of dish. There is such a scant amount, but it's enough that it really pulls the dish together. But that's just my opinion. Try it for yourself and let me know what you think.
Alright, back to work. This was a lovely way to spend my lunch time. Thanks for stopping by!
