Burrito Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

Well, it had to happen sometime - we are back from Arizona, and whose idea was it to return in February - obviously mine. 

Arizona boasts 330 days of sunshine and it did not disappoint. Temperatures were in the high 60’s to 70’s which was perfect for happy hours on the patio, hiking the local trails, a little sipping and beer tasting at the San Tan Brewery, and general all-around enjoying. We got together with family and friends, had outdoor dinners at a few nice places, and saw the Chihuly exhibit at the Desert Botanical Garden with friends Ann & Warren.

We are back in the frozen tundra. The laundry is done and put away, I’ve started to connect with friends and I’m regulars working out and doing the normal everyday stuff that we do in Minnesota in the middle of winter. I am also starting to think about my garden and checking out seed websites - so many things to plan. 

Before we left for AZ we still had a few butternut and spaghetti squash that had not been cooked or eaten. Three of them traveled with us, we gave one spaghetti squash to friends and we cooked the other one but one - a very large spaghetti came home with us; we never got around to eating it. 

It was definitely time to use it so I roasted it (and because it was so big it took an hour and 45 minutes to cook. I stuffed it with some peppers, onions, black beans, and veggie crumbles and topped it with a little cheese - it was delicious. 

Ingredients:

1 large spaghetti squash

2 T olive oil

Filling

1 (16oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 bag Gardein veggie crumbles 

1/2 cup corn - I had corn, bean, and carrot mixture so I tossed that in

2 garlic cloves - minced

1 onion, diced

1/2 red pepper

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1 cup salsa

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon paprika

dash of salt and pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. 

2. Cut the squash open lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Coat open side of squash with olive oil and place open side down on the baking sheet,

3. Bake until done - this will depend on the size of the squash, check it after 50 minutes. While squash is cooking make the filling. You can add whatever you want or have in the fridge or freezer. 

4. In a large pan add 1 T olive oil and saute onion and garlic until translucent. Add spices and pepper, corn mixture, black beans and veggie crumbles cook until crumbles are heated through. 

5. When squash is fully cooked, removed it from the oven and fork out squash flesh but leave in the bowls and add black bean mixture. Option to top with cheese or nutritional yeast. 

6. Bake for another 10-15 minutes until heated through and cheese is melted. 

Enjoy!