Love and Olive Oil

Spaghetti Squash with Tomatoes, Basil, and Parmesan

Spaghetti Squash with Tomatoes, Basil, and Parmesan

Fall is in the air.

The days are getting shorter…

The nights are crisp (by Nashville standards, anyway)…

The first winter squash appeared in our CSA…

Yep, it’s fall all right. And I can’t say that I’m sad about it, either. We’ve had an incredibly hot summer here, and I’m looking forward to the relief of the cool fall nights. I know I’ll probably be grumbling about the lack of daylight in a month or so, and then complaining about how cold it is the month after that… but right now, I’m resigned to the fact that fall is here and I’m ok with that.

That first winter squash was a spaghetti squash, quite possibly the cutest little spaghetti squash I’ve ever seen. Spaghetti squash is one of those things… it may sound like a silly name, but once you actually take one apart it makes complete sense, because it looks exactly like spaghetti. Spaghetti squash may just be the most logically named vegetable out there. Not to mention that when tossed with fresh tomatoes, basil, and oregano, it makes a darn good replacement for spaghetti. It’s like faux-pasta. The Parmesan doesn’t hurt, either.

Spaghetti Squash with Tomatoes, Basil, and Parmesan

Makes 2 servings or 4 side servings. Recipe from Epicurious.

Ingredients:

  • 1 small (1.5 lb) spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise, and the seeds discarded
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/4 cup shredded fresh basil leaves plus additional for garnish
  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
  • 3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
  • 1 cup thinly sliced cherry tomatoes

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. In a glass baking dish, arrange the squash cut side down in about 1/2 inch of water. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 20-30 minutes (depending on the size of the squash) or until it is tender and easily pierced with a fork. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.
  3. In a large bowl whisk together the oil, 1/4 cup of the basil, the oregano, and 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan, stir in the tomatoes, and season the mixture with salt and pepper.
  4. When the squash is cool enough to handle, scrape it with a fork to form strands, add the strands to the tomato mixture, and toss the mixture until it is combined. Divide the mixture between 2 bowls, sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon Parmesan over it, and garnish it with the additional basil.
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212 Comments

  1. Love sketti squash!

  2. I love spaghetti squash! And I would love to win those bags!

  3. I often think that those huge plastic produce bags at grocery stores should come in smaller sizes. I always feel like I’m wasting so much when I only get a small amount of something. The reusable bags would make me feel so much better!

  4. I’ve been eyeing these bags as well. We’ve been looking for ways to avoid using those plastic bags when we buy produce, which is alot.

  5. Those bags look great! An old room mate used to have something similar and they sure saved us a lot of unnecessary waste.

  6. Um, YUM! Spaghetti squash has always been on my “To-Do” list, but I’ve never made it before. This recipe looks too good to be true and has inspired me! Thanks so much! And those bags- TOO handy!

  7. yummmm! oh, and the bags look awesome!

  8. Okay, your photo alone has sold me on trying spaghetti squash again – looks so yummy! Thanks!

  9. love the bags! would love free bags even more!

  10. Love your blog; especially liked the “canning” one. Would love some reusables!

  11. I always see spaghetti squash and never have had the nerve to try it.

  12. Pick Me, Pick Me!

  13. Reusable produce bags sound great!
    And I love spaghetti squash, great new way to do it!

  14. yummy recipe and awesome bags!

  15. These bags sound like an awesome idea & much better than those plastic store bags. I would love to receive these! Love, Love your recipes!

  16. The bags sound great!

  17. It would be so awesome to receive these produce bags! :) Plus, I can’t wait to try this recipe. Sounds delish!

  18. cool bags! i love using spaghetti squash in the fall!

  19. These bags are cool — and I’ll also be trying this recipe asap!

  20. These are so cool! :)

  21. I love spaghetti squash too! Those produce bags look great and would be perfect for my CSA produce.

  22. LOVE spaghetti squash. Hope I win!

  23. I’m all about reuseable bags, and I could definitely use some for keeping cilantro. Also, thanks for a recipe using spaghetti squash. I’ve been wanting to try it again, and this looks simple and delicious.

  24. I really enjoy substituting spaghetti squash for the real pasta. It’s a nice switch and super tasty. I’d love to get those reusable bags! I use canvas bags now and they can be quite bulky to carry in the store. These sound perfect! Thanks for the giveaway.

  25. This dish looks superb. I’m going to have to try it.

    As for the contest, wow, I love to find a new company with efficient and usable products that help me out AND is ecologically minded. This will be a new favorite site to be sure.

    Thanks!

  26. These look great!

    Would love to win.

    Abby

  27. Another great giveaway.
    Thanks Lindsay & Taylor!
    -Jen
    I tweeted about this too!

  28. I tried to get into reusable produce bags once, but the bags I ended up buying were way too heavy and cashiers at my local stores (or myself at a self checkout) never know how to tare them properly. A good set of light ones would be ideal, and reuseit.com has some great stuff.

  29. whoa, flashback! i remember making a very similar recipe in my first high school cooking class. it was darn tasty. might have to dig through my things and find that … or actually, i’ll just print yours. yep, that’s better.

    cheers and thanks for reminding me,

    *heather*

  30. it’s great to find a durable reusable bag – that it’s recycled is a bonus!

  31. Oooo, pick me! I HATE using those plastic produce bags at the store, but never had another sanitary option. Awesome product!

  32. How FUN!! I would love to win these. I need a way to keep my produce fresher longer… it seems to spoil so quickly!! Thanks!

  33. The bags sound great – thanks to some cupcake recipes I found on your blog recently I was able to make a smash hit contibution to a friends b’day party. Keep doing what you do!!!!!

  34. This looks super yum! Cannot wait to try it! Thanks…..

  35. I could definitely put these bags to good use! By the way, we had our first spaghetti squash of the season this week, too. So yummy.

  36. Beautiful bags, great designs and colours and so helpful for the planet.

  37. I would love those bags.
    Spaghetti squash is yummy!

  38. Would LOVE to try those bags!

  39. you ca’t have too many re-useable bags!

  40. MMMMMmmmmmMMM. That looks delicious! I will “like” you on facebook for sure! Thanks for sharing such great and simple recipes that seem to be pretty healthy!

  41. Don’t pick my name for the giveaway as I already have reuseable bags that I love, but I wanted to leave a comment bc I love spaghetti squash and have been meaning to try it in place of noodles, so thanks for the timely post.

  42. yum yum
    looks good!

  43. I’ve always wanted one (or seven!) of these bags. Great giveaway. :)

  44. You had me at “keeps spinach fresh” :) those bags sound fabulous! Thanks so much for hosting another giveaway. One of these times I’ve got to be lucky!

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