Pumpkin Spaghetti Squash

Fall has the best smells out of all of the seasons.  The pumpkin pies, the leaves outside in the crisp air, the weird smell of footballs… 

So when I was roasting up this squash monster in the oven, I got a lot of oohs and ahhs over the smell.  It was a great way to kick off fall *cough* in November *cough* in Florida.  It may still be tank top and shorts weather, but we are definitely in the fall mood.

I have never cooked a spaghetti squash before so when I heard that it does this neat magic trick, well of course I wanted to try it out.  Basically it is just too easy.  Just cut the sucker in half longways, roast for an hour, then scrape with a fork and all of these magical strings appear.  Very cool nature, very cool.

This recipe was ridiculously easy.  I had added garlic and rosemary and realized the flavors did not mesh well so tried to save the dish with winter flavors like nutmeg and cinnamon.  Luckily the dish is super forgiving so if you don’t like a flavor try something else.   Maple syrup comes to mind as another flavor component that would be delicious in it.  mmmmm

A special surprise also comes in these squashes… seeds!  Well not much of a surprise, but they do become an easy snack.  I cleaned up the seeds and made roasted maple cinnamon yumminess with them while roasting the squash itself.  The recipe is in the link below.

I was floored by how versatile spaghetti squash is while browsing around on my favorite recipe sites.   Spaghetti squash pad Thai, spaghetti squash lasagna, spaghetti squash Greek salad.  WHAT?!  It’s like the tofu of the squash world and because of this and the health benefits it shouldn’t be ignored.  There are tons and tons of recipes of using spaghetti squash in place of carb-loaded pasta (for you health nuts out there).  

Read about Maple Cinnamon Squash Seeds

Pumpkin Spaghetti Squash

1 Spaghetti squash

1 can of pumpkin puree (if you can make this homemade on a week night, you’re superhuman)

1/2 can of almond or coconut milk (just fill up the empty pumpkin puree can halfway)

1 tablespoon of ground nutmeg (fresh is better of course)

1 tablespoon of finely chopped sage

1 tablespoon of cinnamon

2 tablespoons of sugar

1 teaspoon of ground ginger

1 teaspoon of ground cloves

1. Roast the spaghetti squash.  To do this, cut it in half longways and scoop out the seeds and soft stuff with a metal spoon.  Save the seeds for roasting later.  Poke holes in the skin of the squash with a fork.  Place the squash cut-side up on a baking sheet and into a 375 degree oven for 30 minutes.  Turn the sucker 180 and cook for another 30 minutes.  Just until it is soft like a baked potato when poked with a knife.

2. Scrape the squash.  This is the fun part.  Take a regular fork and scratch down longways on the squash repeatedly.  This will create the neat pasta like noodles like magic.

3. In a medium sauce pan on medium low heat, combine ingredients.  Start with the pumpkin puree and the milk and use a whisk to combine then add it the rest of the ingredients.  Continue whisking for 5-8 minutes until just starting to bubble.  Add squash to the sauce pan and stir to combine then serve!