Tomato Masala Stuffed Spaghetti Squash with Corn and Spinach

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This tomato masala stuffed spaghetti squash with corn and spinach is one of the more interesting dishes I’ve made. It’s started with Indian spices; then spinach, jalapeños and corn were added- it’s almost like an Indian/South-Western fusion (inside a squash).

We don’t eat spaghetti squash often. For some reason that I don’t quite understand, my boyfriend (who loves all things vegetable) has something against this simple stringy squash. He likes every other type of squash, so I’m not sure where the dislike of spaghetti squash came from- never the less, the spaghetti squash avoidance has been real. Because of that, we’ve had a beautiful golden squash in our root vegetable basket for months now. Every time I suggested cooking it up, dinner plans were always somehow veered in a spaghetti squash-less direction. Until one fateful night, when my boyfriend was working late and I was cooking alone. We were pretty low on vegetables, but I didn’t feel like taking a trip to the grocery store so I looked around, and that stunning, golden spaghetti squash caught my eye. I cleaned it out, popped it in the oven, and started looking around for the rest of dinner. Since I had recently made bhindi masala, Indian spices and tomatoes were readily available in my mind, and canned tomatoes and spices decked my pantry. The rest of the dish was born from what was around and available- canned corn, spinach, and jalapeños. It wasn’t a combination that I would have come up with under normal circumstances, but I was lazy and needed food. Necessity is the mother of invention.

After eating this dish, I was pleasantly surprised when my boyfriend picked up another spaghetti squash- whatever weird dislike he had was magically cured with a little cumin and some spinach. Making stuffed spaghetti squash has three parts. First, cook the squash. I roasted it in the oven, which is pretty hands-off, leaving you free to take on step two- the filling. I created the filling in a large skillet, cooking first the spices, then reducing the tomatoes, and lastly wilting the spinach. The last step for stuffed spaghetti squash is to stuff the spaghetti squash- simply fill the center of the squash with filling, and bake just a few minutes longer to warm the dish through. This dish should feed four normally eating people (or two boyfriends who “don’t like spaghetti squash”). 

Tomato Masala Stuffed Spaghetti Squash with Corn and Spinach

Ingredients

• One spaghetti squash
• Oil, for cooking
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1 tsp. turmeric powder
• ½ tsp. cumin powder
• ½ tsp. curry powder
• ¼ tsp. garam masala
• ¼ tsp. coriander powder
• 2 tsp. minced fresh garlic
• 2 tsp. minced fresh ginger
• ½ onion, diced
• 1 large jalapeño, cut into thin circles
• 1 14.5 oz. can of diced fire-roasted tomatoes, drained
• 1 8 oz. can of pureed tomato
• 1 15 oz. canned corn, drained
• 3 cups fresh spinach
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Steps

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Cut the squash in half and scrape out the seeds from the center. Put a little oil down in a large baking dish or cookie tray, and place the squash cut-side down inside. Cook for 45-60 minutes, until a fork easily pierces the squash flesh.

2. While the squash cooks, start with the filling. Heat a little oil in a large skillet, and add the cumin seeds. Once the seeds start to pop, add the rest of the spices, as well as the garlic and ginger stirring so they don’t burn. After a minute add the onion and jalapeño, and sauté until the onions begin to look slightly transparent. Add the tomatoes and the tomato sauce, bring to a simmer and cook on low heat, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened (about 15 minutes). Finally add the corn and spinach, and cover for a couple minutes to wilt the spinach. Turn off the heat until the squash is cooked.

3. Remove the cooked squash from the oven, but leave the heat on. Once the squash is slightly cooled, flip them over and fill the center with the tomato mixture. Return to the oven for another 5-10 more minutes, until everything is warm

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