What’s For Dinner: Spinach and Mushroom Spaghetti Squash

I needed to use up a spaghetti squash, a container of mushrooms, and some spinach, so I decided my Sunday Supper would be Spinach and Mushroom Spaghetti Squash.

Before we dive in here, a disclaimer: there is a good reason why I’m not a food blogger (well, probably MANY good reasons, but we’ll just concentrate on this one). I take after my grandpa when it comes to measurements. We have a proud history of tossing stuff in the bowl/pot/pan until it tastes right. If we follow a recipe, we use the measuring cups and spoons. Otherwise, HAHAHAHAHAHAHAno.

Anyway. Here’s dinner.

I truly loathe trying to cut spaghetti squash. The first thing I do to make halving it easier is cut off the ends. Once you get it cut in half, scoop out the seeds and set the halves on a sheet pan lined with aluminum foil or parchment paper.

The herb mixture was one very generous pinch of the oregano and thyme, about 1 tsp of salt and pepper, and (not pictured because I made the last-minute decision to add it) a pinch of red chili pepper flakes. I only used 1/2 of the onion and I used 4 cloves of garlic because reasons.

With the halves on the sheet pan, I sprayed them with olive oil spray. Then I gave each half a few pats from the salt shaker and flipped them cut-side down on the pan.

I roasted the squash at 425 degrees for about an hour.

While the spaghetti squash was in the oven, I cleaned and chopped the veggie mix.

When the squash was done roasting, I pulled the pan from the oven and let the squash cool enough so that I could handle it without burning my hands.

While the squash was cooling, I sauteed the onion (about 5 min), garlic (2 min), and mushrooms (1-2 min).

OOPS, I just this minute remembered that I was going to use a bit of Better Than Bullion in the sautee (in which case I’d omit the salt and add to taste later if needed). Next time. Anyway, I tossed in the herb mixture between the garlic and mushrooms. This was when I also decided to add the chili pepper flakes for a bit of a kick.

Once the squash was cool enough that I could touch it, I scooped the spaghetti strands into a large bowl. I added the veggie mixture and then the spinach, so it didn’t get too wilted. If you prefer a more wilted spinach, add it to the sauteed veggies just before you’re finished cooking them.

I mixed everything together thoroughly in the large bowl and gave it a taste test. Then I scooped the mixture into the empty squash halves and popped them in the oven for a few more minutes (this is where the spinach gets just wilted enough for my taste).

NOTE: Back in the days before I went vegan (at home), I would mix a ridiculous amount of ricotta and parmesan cheese in with the spaghetti squash and veggies before I popped it back in the oven. If cheese is your thing, GO FOR IT! It’s really, really, good!

For tonight’s supper, I tried topping my squash with some nutritional yeast to get that cheesy flavor. It was good, plus I got those extra B-vitamins.

So there it is. A few months from now, I’ll forget how much I hate trying to cut spaghetti squash and bring another one home from the store. We’ll see what I need to clean out of the fridge then.