Spaghetti squash is a natural wonder. When you bake it and scrape out the meat, it comes out all stringy like angel hair pasta. The taste is amazing. It can easily be dressed in any sort of sauce for any sort of mood, just like regular pasta. The difference is that it's lighter in texture and nowhere near as chewy.
I added a contrasting texture with the crunchy parmesan croutons that worked out really nicely. This is a little trick I picked up from my buddy Ben Vaughn of Au Fond Farmtable. He keeps crunchy rye bread crumbles in his mies en place to add texture whenever a dish needs it. The crumbles pick up the flavor of the dish and soften considerably while still adding a chewiness and a crunch. This is a good lesson to learn especially in vegetarian cooking where the textures can all run together sometimes.
Green Zebra Tomato Sauce:
7-10 medium green zebra tomatoes (peeled, halved)
4 cloves garlic
1 shallot (diced)
1/2 cup white wine
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon white miso paste
2 sprigs thyme
lemon zest
salt & pepper
olive oil
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Place garlic cloves and tomatoes in a rimmed baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and place into the oven for 25 minutes. Now would be an ideal time to roast the spaghetti squash as well. In a skillet over medium heat, sauté shallot in olive oil until translucent and then add wine. Add the roasted tomatoes and garlic along with the other remaining ingredients. Cook on low heat until tomatoes have broken down and sauce is thick.
Parmesan Croutons:
2 cups day old bread (diced)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup parmesan (grated)
Toss bread with oil and place into the oven for about 8 minutes. Once the bread starts to turn golden, toss bread with grated parmesan and return to the oven until cheese is toasted. Remove from oven and set aside.
Spaghetti Squash, Green Zebra Tomato Sauce,
+ Parmesan Croutons:
1 large spaghetti squash (halved, seeded)
green zebra tomato sauce
parmesan croutons
parmesan, salt, pepper, and parsley to garnish.
Drizzle squash halves with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place cut-side-down on a baking sheet in a 350-degree oven for 25 minutes or until edges start to brown. Once squash is done, remove the meat by using a fork to scrape it out. It is at this point you will see why it's called spaghetti squash. Toss squash with tomato sauce, pile on two serving plates, garnish with croutons, salt, pepper, fresh parsley, and a little more parmesan.
