A spaghetti squash has been sitting on my counter for about a week now while I’ve tried to decide what to do with it. It seems that most recipes for spaghetti squash treat it as spaghetti, with a marinara or other tomato-based sauce and lots of garlic, basil, and oregano. I was looking to do something a little different, and I only needed to look as far as the Fatfree Vegan Recipes website, where my friend Karina, Gluten-Free Blogger Extraordinaire and author of the wonderful Cooking by the Seasons, had posted her recipe for Santa Fe Spaghetti Squash Casserole.
I liked the heartiness of Karina’s recipe, with its black beans and corn as well as its use of southwestern rather than Italian seasonings. I took a few liberties with the recipe but tried to keep its basic character. Since I was running short on time, I steamed the squash in the microwave instead of baking it; I doubled the amount of bell pepper, using half green and half red; I used fresh baby spinach rather than frozen; I omitted the cilantro; and I changed the bread crumb topping to a corn meal, tamale pie-type crust. The results were very good and very different from any spaghetti squash dish I’ve ever had.
Here’s my take on Karina’s recipe; to see how it’s supposed to be done, be sure to take a look at the original.
Santa Fe Spaghetti Squash Casserole
1 medium spaghetti squash (mine weighed 2 pounds)
olive oil spray
1/2 cup onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup green bell pepper, chopped
1 (14-oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (4 oz.) can chopped green chilies
2/3 cup fresh or frozen corn
1 packed cup chopped fresh spinach
1-1/4 tsp. chili powder, or to taste
2 tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 tsp. sea salt (or to taste)
Crust:
1/2 cup corn meal
1/2 cup + 1 tbsp. hot water
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. agave nectar (or other sweetener)
Cut the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and place it in a microwave-safe casserole dish, cut sides up. Add 1/4 cup water and cover tightly (use plastic wrap if necessary). Microwave on high power until the squash is tender, 10-12 minutes. Allow the squash to sit in the dish for at least 5 minutes after cooking.
When it’s cool enough to handle, use a fork to scrape out the strands of squash into a bowl. (If you don’t want to wait, you will need to use potholders to hold it while you scrape out the flesh.)
Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Spray a large skillet with the olive oil spray, and sauté the onion, garlic, and bell pepper until tender. Add the black beans, chilies, corn, spinach, and chili powder, stir, and allow to heat through. Remove from heat and add the squash, lime juice, and salt. Pour the mixture into an oiled casserole dish.
In a small bowl, mix together the crust ingredients. Spread the batter smoothly over the top of the spaghetti squash mixture and sprinkle with a little chili powder, if you like. Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes, until crust is firm and beginning to brown around the edges. Serves 4.
Nutrition (per serving): 296 calories, 25 calories from fat, 2.9g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 618.9mg sodium, 1278.7mg potassium, 58.1g carbohydrates, 14.4g fiber, 4.9g sugar, 14.7g protein, 8.8 points.
I served this with a green salad, and it made for a very light meal. For hearty appetites, I suggest you follow Karina’s recommendation and serve it with Spanish rice. Thanks, Karina, for sharing this and all your wonderful recipes and observations with us!
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Anonymous
I attributed the "horribly bland" comment from Anonymous as a typical non-vegan "it must have meat" sort of thing, but I'm sorry to say, mine turned out bland too. My modifications were: left out the spinach (didn't have any), used frozen Hatch green chilies, I added extra salt, lime juice, and chili powder and added some crushed chipotle peppers, and I used a different cornbread recipe for the topping (with lots more agave nectar). The whole thing turned out ok, but I have to admit, the final product did not do justice to the wonderful ingredients. It wasn't BAD, just wasn't as wonderful as I anticipated. Dear anonymous: please accept my apologies for doubting your ability to judge a vegan recipe. And I second Anonymous's suggestion: please keep at it! this should have been a kick-butt dish!
JoannaDearest
This recipe is a wonderful jumping off point. I made it as directed the first time – it was good the first night and fantastic the second after the flavors had melded a bit. I enjoyed it so much, I made it again the following week, with a few changes to my taste. I doubled the vegetables, the chili powder and the lemon (I was fine with the beans as they were). You could also just use corn muffin mix for the crust – I left out the agave because I don’t like anything sweet. When it was done, I put some fresh salsa and cilantro (yes, I know cilantro is the “love it or hate it” herb. I can’t get enough) over the crust once it was served. GLORIOUS. I am having it again this week. I love spaghetti squash, but this is the first recipe I’ve tried that wasn’t “spaghetti and sauce without the pasta.”
Debbi Does Dinner Healthy
Hi, this looks really good. I just did google search for spaghetti squash recipes that weren’t just marinara and squash. I think I will make a version of this. I will link back to you when I post it on my blog, thanks!
Debbi Does Dinner Healthy
Hi, I made this the other night and we loved it!! Very light meal but very tasty. I will be posting it on my blog, linking back to you, next week sometime. Thanks!
steph
thanks so much for posting this. I love spaghetti squash as well, but wanted to know something else to do with it besides the obvious.
i love your blog! everything looks amazing.
steph
oh yeah, i was wondering if you had suggestions on cooking spaghetti squash. sometimes i over cook it. and one time it was really hard by the stem and mush the rest. it didn’t ‘spaghetti up’ it was just mush.
SusanV
Steph, I’ve found that I really like spaghetti squash better when it’s roasted. There’s a link in this post– https://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2007/10/tofu-and-vegetable-cacciatore-on.html –to a recipe for roasting it that I found really helpful and much better than microwaving.
Crissie
Based on a few of the reviews, I made this today with a few modifications (very few), and it was fabulous. I doubled the garlic, used red onion, a half a tbsp of ancho chili powder, and added a drained can of tomatoes with chilies. It was great, and had a really nice kick to it. Thanks again Susan. Your recipes and posts inspire me every day!
Crissie
JessE
I was going to ask if the cornmeal was supposed to be just a mush type, or if it was supposed to be leavened? Yours looks a bit thicker,and I was thinking it would have been better as an actual thin cornbread on top. I didn’t get to eat it yet, as it was made early for dinner, and I had to use a few chopped up slices of jalepinos instead of the chilis, and also used red onion. Can’t wait to try it. I love spaghetti squash.
Laura F.
Thank you so much for this recipe! I tried it last weekend and followed it almost exactly. I was impressed with how well it stay together! It yielded very 4 sizable portions on my end. I love spaghetti squash, but it can get old… definitely adding this wonderful recipe to my repertoire!
Connie
Loved this dish. Did not have the chili’s, so I used some hot sauce instead. Had some friends try it out too, and everybody loved it!
cch22
I should have read the reviews before making this. It would have been better with more chili powder and more veggies. It is OK as is.. really middle of the road. I really need to put my vegan cornbread on top of this instead of a watery mixture of cornmeal that doesn’t rise or lend much to the dish.
The recipe looks so much better than it is.. .. imo..it is a work in progress ..
cch22
**Update** in all fairness.. i have to say.. my husband LOVES this dish just the way it is… he will even eat it cold!!
Katie Whitman
I made this last night, and while I was making it I thought it had been a terrible mistake and that it would be awful, but I loved it! I didn’t have peppers, but that was fine. I also didn’t have corn meal (who can imagine?) but I had gluten-free bisquick so I made a little crust out of that (and added shredded cheddar cheese to the whole thing — about 3/4 cup total) and it was delish! My kids hated it, so more leftovers for me! Thanks for the recipe.
Maida
Are those stats correct? Over 6000mg of sodium????
Susan Voisin
It’s a typo, I’m sure.
bikehikenc
I LOVE this recipe! I made it and added 3 jalpenos and it was delicious and even better the second day! A big thumbs up…I plan to have it again VERY soon!