I use varied squash for decor in fall. They look good, last long, and when the pantry’s lean, they save me a green grocer run.

Spaghetti squash is not intimidating. Oven roasted squash is easy and tasty.

Wash and cut the squash lengthwise or breadthwise. Deseed and rub the cut side with salt and olive oil. Roast in the oven at 400 degrees depending on oven for 35-40 minutes. When cool, use a spoon or fork to scoop out the squash…the result is noodle-like roasted squash.  

Alternately, you could simplify life and microwave the halves. One half of squash thus prepared can be ready in 13 minutes depending on your zapping power.

At this point, simply tossing in a bit of butter, salt, and pepper with some herbs can yield something tasty. 

There are several recipes to work with this “noodle.”  I’ll start with a nostalgic comfort in southern Indian style.

Curried Spaghetti Squash (Southern India style)

Ingredients

A tsp mustard seeds

A tbsp cooking oil of choice

A tsp cumin seeds

A tsp split bengal gram or split chickpea  (very similar)

A pinch of asafoetida

A pinch turmeric

A few curry leaves, ginger gratings, and chopped green chillies, a whole red one 

Salt and Pepper according to taste

Fresh frozen coconut 2 tablespoons or dry coconut flakes

2 cups spaghetti squash noodles

Roasted cashews or peanuts ground coarse or fine.

Cilantro for final garnish.

A squeeze of lemon is optional.

In a skillet, heat oil. Start tempering with mustard seeds and listen for it to snap, crackle, and pop. Add Bengal gram, chillies green and red, ginger,  cumin seeds, curry leaves, turmeric, and asafoetida.

Toss the spaghetti squash. Sauté for a couple of minutes , as it already is oven-roasted. Add salt and pepper.  Toss the nut powder and roll it with it. Add thawed fresh coconut or dry coconut gratings. For a final flourish, add chopped cilantro and a squeeze of lemon. 

This is one half of the squash. I have another bunch in the freezer. I’ll consider a pesto spaghetti. If I crave something else, I’ll squash that thought to do a  noodle bowl with toppings instead.

Turn off stove to enjoy spaghetti with fiber, beta carotene, and taste with low to no carbs. Hankering comfort carbs? A side of brown rice or quinoa complements the curry well.

Incorporating a minimal waste life does not have to be onerous or messy.  Sometimes it can even cut out some work. I don’t even have to wash the dish, because one half of the squash skin is going to be the serving bowl.

Uh-oh! Spoke too soon! The enthusiastic scraping has perforated my organic serving bowl. The compost bin happily needs this to balance out the brown leaves.

Outside, the fall garden’s in a glorious disarray. I take a few branches and stick it into the other half of the squash skin, now my eco-friendly vase. Hope you dear reader, get the same joy I do each time I see it.