Healthy Waists, Healthy Wallets: Tax Day Spaghetti Squash Spinach Smash

It’s Tax Day, and I’m sure some of us are feeling the pinch in our wallets right now.

Days like this is why we started the Healthy Waists, Healthy Wallets series. Eating healthy doesn’t mean that we have to spend a lot of money, which is a blessing when Uncle Sam wants his cut. So here’s my recipe for a delicious, vegetarian meal that serves four hungry people. Behold! The Tax Day Spinach and Spaghetti Squash Smash! (Really, there’s no smashing involved. My older kiddo just liked the alliteration.)

Tax Day Spinach and Spaghetti Squash Smash

This recipe is great because you can add pretty much anything you have leftover in your fridge to this. Mushrooms? Heck yes! Pesto? Sure! Alfredo? Yum! Ham? Chicken? Peppers? Broccoli? Yes, yes, yes, yes! Use your imagination!

Ingredients

1 large spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise and seeds scooped out
¼ cup water
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried herbs – use what you have: basil, oregano, tarragon, Italian seasoning, thyme, or whatever mix you like!
8 ounces button mushrooms, sliced or chopped
1 10-ounce bag baby spinach or 1 block frozen spinach, thawed
salt and pepper to taste
½ cup ricotta cheese
½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425°.

In a large, microwave-safe baking dish, place the spaghetti squash, cut side down, and add the water. Microwave on high for 10 minutes or until soft. Remove from the microwave, turn the cut sides up, and let sit while you make the filling.

While the squash is microwaving, sauté the onion in the olive oil in a sauté pan or skillet over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add in the garlic and dried herbs and sauté for about a minute, or until the garlic is fragrant. Add the mushrooms and sauté until they begin to wilt, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Once the mushrooms are wilted, add the spinach and the salt and pepper. If using fresh spinach, gently incorporate the spinach until it has wilted completely. If using thawed frozen spinach, simply stir into the mushroom mixture and warm through. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the ricotta and any other ingredients that you want to use. I usually hit the mixture with a little bit of hot sauce and a dash of grated nutmeg, but that’s not a necessity.

With a fork, shred the squash’s strings. Divide the spinach mixture between the squash halves and stir to incorporate the strings and the spinach. Top each half with ¼ cup grated Parmesan.

Place the baking dish with the squash halves in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the whole mess looks gooey and good. Remove from the oven and let sit for about 10 minutes so that it’s not lava-hot. Cut each half in half and serve. Makes enough for 4 hungry, healthy people.