Goat Cheese Smothered Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti squash is one of those things that if you look on Pinterest, it seems that everyone is making. I had never made spaghetti squash before tonight! I’ve been wanting to, because I wanted to be cool like the other Pinterest-ers basically. When I mentioned this to Selim, he said, “I mean don’t people just pour sauce on top like it’s regular spaghetti?” So, I knew what I wasn’t making with the spaghetti squash.

What I did make was a veggie-heavy dish, that is a bit rich from the goat cheese. The spinach, dill, and goat cheese shine together, and who doesn’t love the combination of garlic, onions, and bacon in anything??

Goat Cheese Smothered Spaghetti Squash

Ingredients: 

• 1 large spaghetti squash
• 2 strips of bacon
• 3 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 small onion, coarsely diced
• 6oz log of goat cheese (divided)
• 2 tbsp water
• 1 tbsp dill
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 8oz of fresh spinach
• Fresh ground black pepper

Instructions: 

1. With a large, sharp knife, slice the spaghetti squash in half. Remove the seeds and other refuse.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place squash halves face-down on a cookie sheet. Add a couple spoonfuls of water to the pan. Roast for 45 minutes.
3. With 5-10 minutes left in the squash roasting time, cut your bacon into small lardons. Cook over medium heat in a large pan with tall sides for 5 minutes.
4. Once bacon has released some of its fat, add the onions and garlic to the pan. Grind 3 turns of black pepper on top. Stir briefly to coat with bacon fat. Cover the pan and sweat for 8 minutes, stirring once.
5. In a small bowl or ramekin, stir together the water and 1 oz of goat cheese. It does not have to be smooth or fully combined.
6. Add the water/goat cheese, dill and salt to the pan. Stir a few times so all ingredients are combined.
7. Lower heat just a bit (I went from 5 to 4 on my stove). Add the spinach and cover. Keep lid on for 3-4 minutes. The spinach will wilt and shrink in size greatly. (If you can’t fit all of your spinach in the pan, you can add it in two batches.)
8. Using a fork, scrape spaghetti squash into the pan.
9. Add the rest of the goat cheese to the pan, in divided chunks.
10. Stir, stir, stir. Stir for several minutes, ensuring the cheese melts and the squash “noodles” separate and become thoroughly coated.
11. Taste and add more salt and pepper as needed.

Serves 4.