Fiesta Spaghetti Squash

I've always wanted to cook with squash but I really had no idea where to even begin: how do you know what size and shape to buy?  How do you cut it?  How do you cook it?  Sure there are recipes and instruction guides online, but they always seem so intimidating with their four dozen ingredients and a process that takes way too long.  But it's autumn and squash is in season, and I thought this year I would figure it out.

We went to the pumpkin patch and picked out a pumpkin, one acorn squash, one butternut squash, and one spaghetti squash.  They were super cheap at the patch, compared to the grocery store.  The first night, I decided to make a "pasta" dish with spaghetti squash by using garlic, olive oil and parmesan.  There are a few different ways to cook a spaghetti squash.  Since quash is really thick and hard to cut when it's uncooked, I went with the option that would allow me to cut it the easiest.  I threw it in the oven for an hour, let it cool for a few minutes after, and then I was able to pierce the skin very easily with a knife.  Next I scooped out the seeds like a pumpkin, which is kind of a pain, and then used a fork to "shred" the strands of the squash.

The squash in general has a very subtle flavor, which makes it good for a pasta substitute.  It has enough taste that you can toss it with a few ingredients and it's pretty good and relatively easy.  I had no idea how to judge the amount of spaghetti-like strands that come from a spaghetti squash, so I had a lot leftover-- a whole half of the squash, to be exact.  I probably shouldn't have saved it in the refrigerator, but I did anyway, figuring I would make something else with it the next day.

Well, the next day, I had a taste for Mexican... but I had a half of a spaghetti squash leftover to use, and I really didn't want it to go to waste.  So I got online, searched for "Mexican and spaghetti squash" and came up with a surprisingly great recipe.  I added a splash of water to the spaghetti squash and re-heated it in the microwave.  Meanwhile, on the stovetop, I combined black beans, corn, diced onions, tomatoes and peppers, and whatever spices I thought would give it a little flair.  Once everything was cooked and heated, I mixed the veggie and bean mixture with spaghetti squash and sprinkled a little bit of Monterrey Jack cheese on top.  This brightly colorful dish came out better than I had expected!  And aside from the cheese, it's pretty healthy and full of all good stuff.   I will definitely make this again because it was so easy and tasty, and had a lot of different flavors that actually worked together.  Who would have thought?