Spaghetti Squash with Pesto, herby and nutty

This entry was posted in Fall Vegetables Recipes Winter Squash Fall Vegetables Recipes and tagged community supported agriculture CSA fall recipe spaghetti squash spaghetti squash recipe Stonebridge Farm vegetarian recipe winter squash recipe on by
Spaghetti Squash with Pesto, herby and nutty
Serves 4
We rarely eat spaghetti squash with marinara any more, now that we know other yummy ways to prepare it. Making different selections from the choices offered here will keep you thinking it is a new dish each time. And when herb season is at its highest, we make a ton of pesto and package 1/2 cup portions in a snack-sized zipper bag to freeze and enjoy all winter long.
Write a review
Save Recipe
Print
Ingredients
  1. 1 spaghetti squash, 3 to 4 pounds
  2. 1 1/3 cups fresh herb, rinsed and dried (we have enjoyed parsley, basil, or thyme.)
  3. 1 plump garlic clove, peeled
  4. skimpy 1/4 cup toasted nuts (we enjoy walnuts, pecans, or pine nuts.)
  5. 3 tablespoon grated cheese ( We enjoy Parmesan or Pecorino.)
  6. 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  7. 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  8. 1/4 teaspoon finely grated fresh citrus zest (We enjoy lemon, lime, or orange.)
  9. 3 tablespoons good-tasting extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Instructions
  1. Pierce the whole squash seven or eight times. Microwave for 12 minutes and test for doneness with a fork. You are looking for soft, but not mushy. Cook more, if necessary.
  2. Remove from microwave and split in half to cool.
  3. In the meantime, put all remaining ingredients, except for the oil, in a small food processor.
  4. Pulse a few times to grind a bit.
  5. Add the oil by the tablespoon, until you reach the consistency you prefer, liquidy or pebbly.
  6. Handle the squash with oven mitts so that it will remain at its level of warm.
  7. Discard seeds.
  8. Pull out every last strand with a fork and place in a large bowl.
  9. Toss with the pesto and serve warm.
Notes
  1. Cook’s tips and tricks: We don’t have a lot of luck toasting nuts in the toaster oven. We seem to get distracted every time, and they are too spendy to waste. Instead, we toast in a non-stick pan over medium-high heat, shaking and stirring constantly. We won’t walk away and can stop the toasting immediately
Stonebridge Farm CSA http://stonebridgefarmcsa.com/