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The Surprising and Unexpected Redemption of Spaghetti Squash

It’s not the spaghetti squash’s fault that for years I’ve hated it—it was a case of mistaken identity. As a young child, when my mom said we were having spaghetti squash for dinner, I imagined a vegetable that, when cut open, would yield a steaming mound of buttery pasta. I was entirely unimpressed with the thin strings that my mother served with tomato sauce. It was a poor and disappointing substitute for the real thing.

It’s been over twenty years since that meal, and I’ve not had spaghetti squash once.

But recently at my brother’s house, while serving dinner to my two little niecelets, I came across a small container of mashed brown stuff. Curious, I tasted a bit, and couldn’t quite figure out what it was. It had a savory, tangy flavor and an interesting texture. I wasn’t sure, but I suspected it might be my nemesis: the evil and misleading spaghetti squash.

I was so intrigued I actually bought one of these offending squashes and yesterday, phoned my brother, wondering how he made the curious brown mash.

It was balsamic vinegar, he told me, and garlic and green onions, all sautéed together after the squash had been cooked. He recommended cooking it in a microwave as well, something that quite frankly terrified me. I decided to use the oven, but was then swayed by the short cooking time of the microwave and dared it anyway. I pricked and stabbed the squash repeatedly, so as to avoid an explosion mid-microwave, then made sure to stay far away from the oven as it did it’s thing.

Twenty minutes later I was digging into a bowl of this tangy concoction. The thready texture of the squash soaks up the seasoning—a mixture of vinegar, brown sugar, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. It’s hardly a pretty dish, but believe me when I say I ate a whole spaghetti squash for dinner, and then went out and bought another one for the next day. I think it may even be better than pasta.

It took twenty years and a clever brother, but I think spaghetti squash just had its moment of redemption in my eyes. Welcome back, you funny vegetable. Maybe we can try this all over again.

DAVID’S SPAGHETTI SQUASH

This is the basic recipe, a fairly loose and forgiving one at that. If your squash yields more than 3 cups flesh, you’ll want to bump up the other ingredients as well. I’d recommend cooking this one to taste, adding more vinegar, sugar, salt, or pepper flakes, until it gets to the point where you like it. Please your own palate. Cooking is a self-serving act, I see nothing wrong with this.

Medium spaghetti squash, baked or microwaved and scooped out, about 3 cups

1 tsp olive oil, more as needed.

3 cloves garlic, chopped or pressed (about 1 tbs)

3-4 green onions, chopped (about 2 tbs)—you can also use red or yellow onions, or shallots

4 tbs balsamic vinegar (increase according to how much squash you have/how tangy you like it)

½ tsp brown sugar

pinch red pepper flakes

salt to taste (1/2 tsp to 1 tsp)

Bake or microwave the whole spaghetti squash, making sure to pierce it with a fork first (I give it a few knife stabs as well, just to be on the safe side). In the microwave it should take 10-15 minutes (turn the squash every five minutes, until it is soft to the touch). In the oven it should take 30-45 minutes at 350°, possibly an hour if it is a big squash. Remove the seeds and slimy darker bit in the center, keeping the flesh that turns to spaghetti-like threads as you scoop it out.

In a large sauté pan or wok, heat the olive oil and cook the onions until almost soft. Add the garlic and continue to cook until the garlic is soft, using a little more oil if the mixture begins to stick to the pan. Add the squash and cook over a medium high heat, mixing continually as you quickly add the vinegar, brown sugar, red pepper flakes, and salt. When the mixture is warmed throughout (5-7 minutes), remove from heat and serve immediately. If you cook it longer, the thready texture will begin to soften and break down. You may prefer this—in which case, be my guest.

My brother says he sometimes serves this with crumbled goat cheese on top. Yum.

NOTE: I used a white balsamic vinegar for this version, because the red balsamic makes for an ugly brown mush and I wanted the pictures to be pretty. I will admit that the red balsamic makes it taste better, as the flavor is stronger. I ended up adding more of the white vinegar to get the flavor I wanted. Be forewarned, using the red balsamic will not yield an attractive product, but it will taste good. I promise.