Ah, fall. Squash are everywhere, and in every variety. It’s the time of year for soups, stews, chili and other things made from late crops, and I for one am just in love with the idea. Seriously, what in nature is more creamy and luscious than a roasted squash or sweet potato? Both are a perfect compliment to anything else you happen to have hangin in the oven for long periods of time, and they make the house smell fantastic!
The other thing I adore about squash is its shelf life. You can leave a squash hanging out for quite a while before you finally get to it. sometimes weeks, without worrying that it won’t just be sitting there waiting to become something wonderful. In the case of Halloween and Thanksgiving, I tend to buy them as table decoration for this week and dinner for next week. It’s perfect double-duty food, and not much makes me happier.
For this round I go to the unsung hero of the squash world, the spaghetti squash. For most people this is just a replacement for thin pasta to be used as the base for a marinara or Bolognese. In my opinion that is a crying shame. This is not pasta. it will never taste like pasta. You can’t make it taste like pasta, and why would you want to?
This dish is slightly spicy, has a wonderful texture and is the perfect compliment for a roast chicken or pork loin. It’s not heavy but it is quite filling and the flavors are nutty and sweet all at the same time. Add a little smokiness from the bacon and you’re all set! Of course you could always skip the bacon if you wanted to go vegetarian. it would still be fabulous.
Spaghetti Squash with Crispy Bacon and Turnip Greens Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 medium spaghetti squash
- 1 package frozen chopped turnip greens, rinsed and drained well
- 1 small onion, diced
- 4 slices bacon, cooked crisp and chopped
- 3-5 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 tbsp butter.
- Olive oil – up to 1/4 cup to finish cooking.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Pierce the squash with a knife or serving fork in several places and place on center rack of oven in a baking dish for 1 hour. Remove and let cool until manageable.
- Heat butter and 2 tbsp. olive oil in a large saute pan or heavy bottomed skillet over medium flame. Saute onion until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook until just brown, about 2 minutes. Add greens and toss to combine. Turn heat to low and cook, uncovered, for approximately 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Meanwhile; Cut squash down the center. Scoop out seeds and fibrous center strands. Remove stringy flesh by scraping across grain with a large fork. Place flesh in a collander or a large bowl lined with a clean kitchen towel to drain.
- When greens are heated through and have turned a deep green, add squash to skillet. Return to medium heat, add salt and pepper and begin tossing frequently, adding olive oil as necessary to retain moisture. Stir in bacon, reserving a little for garnish. Continue tossing until entire dish is piping hot.
- Serve hot, garnish with reserved bacon.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 173Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 13mgSodium: 203mgCarbohydrates: 12gFiber: 3gSugar: 4gProtein: 3g
What I would have done differently had I thought of it at the time:
This was almost a disaster. My pepper mill had run dry and with no time to refill while cooking, I grabbed for the pre-ground pepper. You know, the square tin? opened the wrong side and “Whoosh!” 40 pounds of black pepper. Luckily it just served to make it a bit peppery and a tad spicier than I’d wanted, but it could have been all over right there!
Other than that, perhaps a bit more butter would have been nice.
Links to other recipes like this:
- Spaghetti Squash Mexican, from Karina’s Kitchen
- Spicy, Garlicky Spaghetti Squash, from The Kitchen Sink
- Spaghetti Squash with Garlic Spinach, from yours truly
delicious looking. I could eat this for sure :) Nice photo too!
Jo,
it’s simple and succulent. Definitely worth the time it takes to make
This looks fantastic. I have some spaghetti squash, bacon, and radish tops in my pantry now, so you know what I’m having for dinner!
Oh, it took me way longer than it should have to figure out your spam protection math problem. :)
I think you are so right, spaghetti squash doesn’t taste like spaghetti. I love trying different squash recipes, and I’ll add this one to my list.
This looks wonderful! I can’t get my spouse to eat this ordinarily (i just toss mine with sage, brown butter, salt, and pepper), but maybe if with bacon he’ll give it a shot :-)
I made this weekend as a delicious side along roast chicken, and loved it! I have never had spaghetti squash this way and am completely sold, although I couldn’t find frozen turnip greens at my local grocery store, I substituted spinach and it was yummy. What is the difference? I have never had turnip greens, are they a specialty item?
Diana,
Nope doesn’t taste like spaghetti. Tastes like squash, and that’s a good thing too!
thehungryengineer,
Everything is better with bacon!
Emily,
I’m glad you liked it. No, turnip greens aren’t a specialty item, but they are more popular in the South and Southwest than in other parts of the country. Any deep greens will work, and spinach is a great substitute. you can also use chard, kale, cabbage, boc choy, romaine or any other green you can get, though i would probably avoid collard greens for this one.
Hi,
nice article and nice introduction how to make. I will try this in my german kitchen.
Thanks,
Bratapfellikör
“Place flesh in a colander or a large bowl lined with a clean kitchen towel to drain.”
That’s a tip I have not read yet, THANK YOU!
This recipe sounds GOOD! I’ll try it next time.
Did your family really dig eating the spaghetti squash? How often do you
see yourself doing this again?
Jill,
This was friggin’ Wonderful and both the wife and I loved it. Lil’B., being a two year old, was not so fond, but we’ll get him there yet!
Gina,
Thanks, it really is wonderful
This looks wonderful!
This was great. I used kale for the turnip greens, which are hard to come by in Canada, and snuck in a couple extra slices of bacon, because extra bacon is never a bad idea. With polenta and some roasted cherry tomatoes on the side, this was an amazing, warming fall dinner. Thanks so much!
Wow! Just when I was wondering what to do with my two least favorite CSA veggies… this looks like a terrific way to use them both. :) Worth adding to Pinterest, too!
I have never tried spaghetti squash, I bought one today and I will try it with the greens and bacon.I hope I do it right; all the recipes sound reall delicious.
Thanks
grabbed my first spaghetti squashes yesterday, have passed them by for YEARS. i baked them whole earlier, and i laughed out loud the whole time i was forking the strands out of the shell. what a kooky veg. lol i’ve been a lifelong winter squasher avoider, but your recipe looks wonderful. can’t beat bacon, butter and some dark greens. i, too, will go with spinach, it’s what i have on hand. thanks for sharing!