Garlicky Spanakopita Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

There was no dipping my toes into the pool of reality last week.  No, siree – I dove back in head first.  Last Monday wasn’t just my first day back to work after over two weeks of vacation, but also my first day back in graduate school after a four month hiatus.  And to an accelerated methods course, nonetheless, for which I’ll have to design and implement the curriculum for a theory-based nutrition education lesson that I’ll be teaching to students in a local afterschool program in a little less than eight weeks. Exciting, yes.  But after two weeks of the most difficult decisions of my day being whether to get out of my pajamas and which Christmas cookie to eat first, it was definitely a splash of cold water!

Having packed up and left town in such a hurry I left my text book behind, so I had some catching up to do. That and a messy house, no food in the fridge and a dog that needed to go to the vet.  It’s safe to say we’ve had our hands full.  But a week later, I’m pleased to say I’m caught up and feeling good about my school work, have the house somewhat in order, and somehow found the time to binge on six episodes of “Making a Murderer” (my blood is boiling and I’m having heated conversations with the television). #NoSpoilers

I also found time to catch up with one of my real true loves: spaghetti squash.  We made up for lost time, topping it first with this paleo Cincinnati-style turkey chili and then transforming it into beautiful spanakopita boats that you should prepare yourself to drool over (seriously, grab a napkin).  That’s right, I’ve eaten spaghetti squash five of the last seven nights (and twice for breakfast!), and I’m still not sick of it yet.  On the menu for tonight is one of my all time favorites: Spaghetti Squash in a Creamy Avocado Pesto Sauce with Smoked Salmon and Asparagus.

Back to the spanakopita.  I found the inspiration for this beauty over at Half-Baked Harvest, where you’ll find no lack of inspiration or beauty.  I usually have to clean the recipes up quite a bit to meet my nutrition standards, and this one was no exception.  I cut out the butter, the oil, the phyllo dough and a wee bit of the cheese, but let me tell you the flavor didn’t suffer.  Well, I suppose I can’t really say that seeing as I never actually tried the beautiful buttery, flaky beauty that was the original version. I’m sure it was a force to be reckoned with.  But life is all about compromise, and the version I’m share with you is both straight up delicious and guilt-free. Go ahead, try it for yourself… Yamas!

Garlicky Spanakopita Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

Inspired by Half Baked Harvest

Ingredients

• 2 medium spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise and seeds scooped out
• 3-5 cloves minced garlic
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 16 ounces frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 4 ounces light cream cheese, softened
• 3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese, divided
• 1 tsp dried dill
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• Salt & pepper, to taste
• 1/3 cup pitted kalamata olives, sliced
• 1 large roasted red pepper, diced (~1/3 cup)
• 1/2 cup shredded parmigiano reggiano

Instructions:

1. To roast the spaghetti squash:  Preheat oven to 350°F.  Cut the squash in half lengthwise and scoot out the seeds and fibers.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper and place upside down on a greased baking sheet. Cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until skin gives slightly under pressure and the inside is tender.  You do not want to cook it to the extend that the flesh can not stand up on it’s own as you might if you were removing the flesh from the skin!
2. While the squash is roasting, add the eggs to a medium size mixing bowl and give them a whisk. Stir in the thawed + squeezed dried spinach, garlic, softened cream cheese, 1/2 cup feta cheese, herbs, crushed red pepper flakes and salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in the olives and roasted red peppers.
3. Once the spaghetti squash is cooked, use a fork to separate into strands. Using a spoon, carve out a hole in each half of the squash. Scoop the filling into each half, and mix with the spaghetti squash strands.
4. Sprinkle each half with 1 tbsp of feta and 2 tbsps of parmigiano reggiano.  Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the cheese is just beginning to brown.  You may want to switch to broil for 3-5 minutes to brown the cheese slightly.
5. This is also awesome topped with a fried egg… I’ll just go ahead and throw that out there!

Serves 4

Johanna