Thursday, October 14, 2010

Spaghetti Squash with Sage, Roasted Garlic, & Gruyere

 Why do I always forget about spaghetti squash until someone or something reminds me of just how awesome it is? This time, my memory was jogged thanks to fruit and vegetable day in culinary class. As a demo, Chef whipped up a wickedly tasty dish of spaghetti squash and cheese and fresh herbs. (And I'm not singing the praises of Chef's cooking  just because he happens to know that I write this blog and may in fact read this post  ... That's like asking for extra credit points just for flattery. Which I would never, ever do. Ahem.)

Tasting this noodly squash for the first time in many months made me remember two things: 1.) It's incredibly easy and fairly quick to make, which is crucial right now because while I still insist on making fresh home cooked meals, I don't have a ton of time during the week and 2.) It's a non-fattening way to get pasta sauces into my belly! I have been eating a lot for my Urbanite food editor job these days, and in an attempt to still fit into my pants, I'm (often vainly) trying to cut back on carbs, except for work.

Enter the spaghetti squash! The perfect vessel for marinara, cheese, butter, and any other thing that normally sticks to a starch. For this dish, I made a simple brown butter sage sauce with Gruyere, roasted garlic, and Parmesan cheese.

But first, you have to roast the squash. Just cut it in half and remove the seeds and pulp:
Rub some olive oil on the flesh and lay it face down on a non stick cookie tray and roast at 400 degrees F for about 45 minutes, until fork tender.  (You can roast a bulb of garlic at the same time.) When your squash is done, let it cool a bit and scrape it with a fork to get all the fun little "noodles" out:
 To make the sauce, first "squish" out the roasted garlic into a small bowl and mix with just a splash of olive oil and salt. Set this aside. 

Next, in a large saucepan or sautoir brown about 4 tbsp butter (for a medium squash). Toss in a handful of fresh chopped sage leaves and saute until they get crispy. Add the squash to the pan and toss to coat completely with the butter. Stir in the roasted garlic and some cubed Gruyere cheese and salt and pepper, to taste.  

To serve, I put it in a ramekin, smooshed it down, and flipped it onto a plate. To be fancy. And also because I don't have a ring mold ...  Don't forget to dust with some Parmesan cheese.
  
Quick, flavorful - and best of all, you can have seconds with absolutely no guilt!





34 comments:

  1. look at all the squash! must be stunning with earthy sage :)

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  2. i love spaghetti squash - one of the only squashes i like actually because of its mild flavor. i usually turn mine into a Southwestern dish with black beans, tomatoes, and herbs. i like the tasty simplicity of yours though.

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  3. I have eaten spaghetti squash once, and loved it. And never knew how to make it - honestly, I didn't know if you had to make the 'spaghetti' or if it grew that way (sheepish). However, I am now enlightened and will proceed to keep an eye out for it at the grocery store to see if I can't pull off your recipe ...

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  4. Last time I made spaghetti squash, I wasn't crazy about it. I will have to give your recipe a try. It looks delicious.

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  5. yum, this is the best spaghetti squash recipe yet, simple with just the right flavors - Gruyere + butter + garlic + sage = can't think of anything else to improve on

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  6. Cheesy squash.... always wanted to try and make this... very interesting.

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  7. Nooooo, why must you make this look so good? And easy? I am sure we can't get them here but will keep hunting.

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  8. Wow never had this kind of gourment squash, it looks 10 star worthy love this! will have to try this for sure we love this squash love the spice in it too!

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  9. I think I can find this squash but they not yellow in color like this. I am really curious to find out how delicious this is.

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  10. I love the sage flavor with the squash. You do make a mess of vegetable look wonderful!

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  11. I'm with you - I always forget how much I enjoy spaghetti squash. Love the recipe here. Thanks!!! Kate@kateiscooking

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  12. I'm intrigued by these spaghetti ever since I first saw them. In Spain we use this kind of squash only for sweet things.

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  13. I'm going to have to give this squash another try. The first time I made this, I didn't have such a great recipe and this dish looks and sounds so good! I will have to try this the next time I pick up this squash.

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  14. looks wonderful love the addition of cheese, sorry I haven't visited as I should your blog is marvelous and you have the best recipes, hope your well enjoy the rest of the weekend

    LOL Rebecca

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  15. We love spagetti squash around here! I think I have the only kids on the planet who don't like pasta! So we have our turkey meatballs w spagetti squash.
    Lovely recipe and photos!
    I look forward to following your blog!
    I'd love to hear from you too ;-)

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  16. What a fun, gorgeous, healthy and DELICIOUS treat!! That is a good way to get some pasta sauce in LOL But I like the way you did - fantastic combination of flavours!

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  17. One word DROOLLL...OK just 5 more words 'so going to make this'!!!!!!

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  18. I'm with you--I always forget about spaghetti squash--and then a blog post like this comes along and I'm drooling,.

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  19. Im a giant spaghetti squash fan and turn as many folks on as I can with this wonderful veggie. Love the new recipe thanks. I never roast mine I always use the time saver of nuking in the microwave, 12 min.'s is all it takes just remember to put a couple of holes in it. you have to be a bit more careful scraping out the seeds but its way easy.

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  20. I just bought some baby spaghetti squash and am inspired by your preparation...I love the squash time of year! theresa

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  21. I made some last year with pistachios and sage; I love your presentation! come to think of it, i may do them this year as a jam.
    Miss visiting you! the internet is not the greatest in Beirut and now in the US I am trying to catch up a bit!

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  22. This looks awesome! Thanks for sharing. :)

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  23. woow! that is so pretty. your picture of the final result is really inspiring and I feel that I wanna go cooking right away. yum.

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  24. Made this tonight for dinner...YUMMMMMMMM! The entire family loved it!

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  25. Wow, this looks good! We've been eating a lot of spaghetti squash lately. I've made pasta with sage, brown butter and walnuts but it never occurred to me to try it with the squash. I can't wait to try this recipe. Thanks.

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  26. It must be Spaghetti Squash week. I made my first Spaghetti Squash this week and blogged about it.. I served it to my husband for lunch today and he loved it. YES.. I love when he loves healthy food.. Thank you for the post and congrats on top 9!!
    http://ashandlewplus2.com/2010/10/18/spaghetti-squash-success/
    Ashlee

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  27. This is just beautiful and looks super delicious. My daughter is a vegetarian and I'm always looking for new recipes. The sage leaf is too perfect - I can't wait to try it!

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  28. I cannot wait to make this!!! I have all the ingredients from my CSA and will be on our table this week.

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  29. I love spaghetti squash and can't think of a tastier way to enjoy it, thanks for your recipe:)

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  30. We made this and it was amazing! My husband called it guilt free fettucine alfredo. We loved it, thank you so much!

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  31. I always do that to spaghetti squash too, Trix. I kind of forget about it till I have it again, and then it's my favorite for a while. Yours looks absolutely delicious-the idea of it with gruyere just made my mouth water too (smile)!

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  33. This sounds delicious, easy, and naturally gluten-free. Thanks!

    Erin
    Gluten-Free Fun

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