Cheesy spaghetti squash stuffed with kale pesto & mushroom
A winter squash with magical properties provides homely student pasta bake vibes and a welcome break from the richness of festive feasting.
It’s squash. But it’s spaghetti.
I’d never come across spaghetti squash until May when someone in my parents’ village gave me a few seedlings which they had going spare. (I am delighted to be known as someone who can be relied upon to take in any waif and stray vegetable seedlings and provide a loving home.)
I bunged them in the allotment once the frosts were passed and left them to it. I may even have neglected them slightly (not good for my reputation as vegetable foster parent). But they have done marvellously.
But now I have to learn what to do with them.
Because they are not like other winter squash. They seem familiar enough when first sliced in half: the usual solid, yellow flesh and seedy middle. But once roasted a transformation takes place and the flesh becomes a tangle of spaghetti strands. Magic. But it means you can’t roast them in wedges, for example, and using them for soup seems like a waste of their unique talent.
A winter warmer that isn’t festive
Regulars will already know that I am something of a Christmas loon, but even and I like an evening off the cranberry/chestnut/bacon flavour profile at some point in December.
And this is where my spaghetti squash comes to the rescue. It turns out to be ideal for stuffing with big, hearty flavours. Nothing sophisticated. In fact, it’s all got rather student pasta bake, but it’s a welcome change and enough to stop me becoming 100% sprout before Christmas Day.
Cheesy spaghetti squash stuffed with kale pesto and mushroom
Nothing sophisticated here. Just stringy-cheese comfort and creamy pesto stodge. It’s accidentally vegetarian too and makes a warming winter supper after a day raking leaves.
Serves 2
1 spaghetti squash
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
60g orzo pasta
