Last year I vaguely remember having a period where there was a ton of broccoli... and this summer there was most definitely a zucchini surplus.
It's not that it is a yucky vegetable. Or that I don't know how to prepare it. It is just that sometimes I just don't know what to do with so much of it. At points I felt like I might turn into broccoli from eating it so often.
This week, it is spaghetti squash. Up until now, the only way I have ever prepared it is to turn it into a spaghetti-like dish (with red sauce and meat). I did that last week. And this week, I was rewarded with two new, large, spaghetti squash. I can serve it one more time as a main dish, but any more than that? My husband and kids would be rightly justified in walking out on me. For good.
So, enter creativity mode!
Hey, if spaghetti squash takes the place of spaghetti, why shouldn't it take the place of other pastas Like...say... couscous?
I made a sort of spaghetti-squash, semi-caprese, semi pasta-salad salad.
Spaghetti Squash Salad with tomato and basil
(plan ahead to cook the squash and let it completely cool before assembling the salad)
1 spaghetti squash
3 small tomatoes, chopped (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
2 small yellow squash, chopped (about 1 cup)
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Preheat the oven to 400.
Cut the squash in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds and pulp. Place face down into a pan filled with about 1 inch of water.
Bake for 45-50 minutes, until the shell of the squash is browned and the insides are very soft.
Let it cool completely. Once it is cool, you will be able to easily scrape the flesh out into spaghetti-like strands.
Mix together the squash, feta and vegetables. Add olive oil, salt, and pepper to taste.
Like many pasta salads, this tastes even better after being refrigerated for a few hours, so go ahead and make it the morning before you need it!
Served in a half of an avocado, it makes and especially filling, healthy, delicious lunch!
