This wasn’t our first rodeo with cooking spaghetti squash, but this was the first time that we loved the result. If you don’t cook the squash long enough, you get a tough, fibrous texture that many people don’t find pleasant. When cooked properly, however, spaghetti squash can be a really satisfying, significantly healthier way to go. If you have cooked spaghetti squash properly before and have still not enjoyed it, maybe try thinking about it – not as a pasta substitute – but as a dish in and of itself: a fun and different way of getting an amazingly beneficial vegetable into your body. Maybe comparing it to pasta will always leave you wanting, so try changing your view of it. Despite all the nutrients the squash offers, this dish is actually quite rich in flavor due to the pancetta (just 4 oz), white wine, heavy cream and parmesan. The thyme, peas and parsley make it fresh. Give this dish a whirl, and if you don’t like it, you can feel fine about calling it quits with spaghetti squash… because if you don’t like this one, you probably won’t like any of them.
The Alfredo sauce is simply luxurious:
Tips: Don’t go over the 3 pounds of squash this recipe calls for, as it will take much longer to cook (a 3-pound squash takes 35 minutes to cook in our oven). You know your squash is done when it is scrapes easily into strands with a fork (you shouldn’t have to force this).
(Unsponsored:) If you’re like us and don’t drink wine but cook with it, we have found 4-packs of mini bottles at Walmart. They are about a cup each and are just perfect to keep on hand for cooking so you don’t waste a whole bottle:
Alternatively, you can buy a bottle and freeze the rest in ice cube trays. Measure how much liquid each compartment of your trays hold by filling a half cup of water and seeing how many compartments equal a half cup. Write that on your gallon freezer bag of wine cubes (for example, 3 compartments in our trays equals a half cup of liquid, so we write “ 3 cubes = ½ cup” on our bag of wine cubes so we don’t forget). Because it’s wine, the cubes won’t stay 100% frozen, but this method works fine. Most recipes call for “dry” wines, so we buy Chardonnay for white and Cabernet for red. We buy wines that are middle of the road in price; nothing dirt cheap and nothing over $15/bottle. Costco has good prices on wine, as does Trader Joe’s (unsponsored). If you aren’t comfortable buying wine, just omit it. Cooking wines are usually pretty acidic and salty and will add nothing to your dish – and may actually make it worse. As Julia Child once said, “If you do not have a good wine to use, it is far better to omit it, for a poor wine can spoil a simple dish and utterly debase a noble one.”
Have your kids help you scoop out the squash seeds and scrape it into strands after it bakes. They can also remove the thyme leaves from their springs (if the springs are tough) – have them inhale the aroma of the thyme and the nutmeg as you grate it to help create a great memory with you. As you prepare and eat this dish together with your family, teach them about some of the health benefits they are providing their bodies:
- Spaghetti squash contains antioxidants which are awesome for your eyes.
- Shallots have anti-viral qualities, which help keep you from getting sick.
- Nutmeg is found in some toothpastes because it helps kill the bacteria that causes bad breath.
No offense to Italians, but we’ve seen quite a few facts about Italy on the blog lately, so even though this dish has nothing whatsoever to do with Cambodia, let’s learn a few things about it to change things up a bit:
- In larger cities, less than half of Cambodian children finish elementary school, and even fewer in the country. Don’t you feel grateful to be able to go to school and the things you learn there?
- Cambodians eat rice with every meal (even dessert) and a ton of fish.
- Thousands of people each year visit ancient temples in Cambodia.
From: Spaghetti Squash Alfredo with Pancetta and Peas
- 1 medium spaghetti squash (about 3 pounds), trimmed on both ends, halved lengthwise, and scraped of seeds.
- 4 ounces pancetta, diced (about ¾ cup)
- 1 small shallot, diced
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
- ¼ cup dry white wine
- 1½ cups heavy cream
- Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese (about 1 ounce)
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Roast the squash on a foil-lined baking sheet, cut-side down, for about 35 minutes. Scrape into strands.
- Meanwhile, cook the pancetta in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate using a slotted spoon; set aside. Add the shallot and thyme to the skillet and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in the wine and cook, scraping up any browned bits, until mostly evaporated, about 1 minute. Add the heavy cream, nutmeg, ½ teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper.
- Increase the heat to medium high and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the peas and parmesan. Continue cooking until the sauce is thick and creamy, about 1 more minute. Remove from the heat.
- Add the squash and pancetta to the sauce. Return to medium heat and cook, stirring, until combined, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with the parsley.
