Spaghetti Squash Salad with Tomato, Basil & Feta ♥

Pretty as a summer garden!Spaghetti Squash - do they have their own flavor or simply deliver other flavors? So far, my vote's on 'delivery'.

This particular spaghetti squash was home-grown, just-picked and small (maybe a pound versus the typical three-pound footballs from the grocery) so I figured if ever there were flavor to be found, this was it. Nope.

But nonetheless, this salad - which 'delivers' fresh tomato, basil and feta - was quite good and easy to pull together.

Spaghetti squash does have its compensations. It has virtually no calories and cooks in a flash (here, in the microwave). So -- as long as we expect no flavor from the squash itself, it's a perfect delivery vehicle.

NEXT TIME I'll be tempted to put the salad into a casserole dish and warm through to serve hot. I'm quite sure that the inspiring recipe intended this to be a warm side dish, but spaghetti squash doesn't hold heat so it just didn't turn out that way. I'll also use all tomatoes versus a mix of tomatoes/red pepper - the tomato moisture is appreciated.

KITCHEN NOTES The 'spaghetti' strings weren't visible until the squash was cooked. I even wondered if I'd brought home a yellow acorn squash.



FROM THE ARCHIVES See the Recipe Box for more winter squash recipes. Tis the season! I've already roasted a butternut squash so new recipes to come!

A YEAR AGO I discovered the anatomy of a squash and for the first time, cooked squash blossoms.

SPAGHETTI SQUASH SALAD with TOMATO, BASIL & FETA

Hands-on time: 20 minutes
Time to table: 30 minutes
Serves 4

HOW TO COOK SPAGHETTI SQUASH IN THE MICROWAVE (here, when cut, you can also cook whole spaghetti squash in the microwave)
1 spaghetti squash (tonight, a small one, about a pound)
1/4 cup water

Cut the squash in half pole to pole. Place cut-side down in a microwave-safe dish with the water. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave for about 6 minutes, turn the dish, then another 6 minutes. (Microwave strengths do vary, so do the moisture content and size of squash. Use the information here as a guideline, not a formula.)

Let squash rest, covered, for 2 - 3 minutes, primarily to cool. (I opened it up first, to make sure the squash was done, then recovered.) With a fork, scrape the flesh, creating 'spaghetti' strings.

MEANWHILE
1/2 pound fresh tomatoes, chopped (I had just one small tomato)
Red pepper, diced (did add nice crunch)
2 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, sliced thin
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
2 square inches feta, crumbled

1 tablespoon olive oil (I added this at the end, hoping it wouldn't be needed, but it was, almost as much as 'binder' as flavor and richness)
Salt & pepper

Mix tomato, pepper, onion, basil, oregano and feta in a medium bowl. Stir in spaghetti squash. Add olive oil and seasoning as needed.



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Alanna Kellogg
Alanna Kellogg

A Veggie Venture is home of "veggie evangelist" Alanna Kellogg and the famous asparagus-to-zucchini Alphabet of Vegetables.

Comments

  1. I remember when I first discovered spaghetti squash -- when I was in college, and cooking on my own. I served it like spaghetti, with tomato sauce and cheese -- and then with more and more cheese -- and then with only cheese, and no spaghetti sauce, so it became a mac-and-cheese kind of dish! Now it's time to get back into spaghetti squash, I think, and your recipe is the perfect reminder.

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  2. That's almost exactly what I made for dinner last night (home-grown and all) - except that I also added some black olives and garbanzo beans.

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  3. I think I love this recipe. Now, to convince TW to make it.

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  4. Yum!!! I love spaghetti squash...it's like having a super nutritious, guilt free, pasta dish!!
    As for the strands...you're right on, they are never visible until after the squash is cooked!

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  5. My sister Ruth and I made the sweet potato salad. We just kind of winged it...it came out awesome...reminded me of my mother-in-law's German potato salad (minus the bacon). We made the dressing but didn't use it...tasted good as is. I may post the photo only on my blog Saturday as we put it on a bed of fresh romaine lettuce and it looked pretty, though my food photography leaves much to be desired. I think it is the lighting, any suggestions?

    Spagetti squash sounds great. I have not seen it at our farmers' market.

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  6. More homegrown goodies? Yum! I just got to my parents' house and we have tomatoes galore.

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  7. Sounds delicious, Alanna--and a lovely photo. A couple of questions, though. First, if the squash doesn't offer much flavor, what does it bring to the party? Also, I've read warnings about using plastic wrap in a microwave--I've tried researching it, but with less than definitive answers. What's your take on this?

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  8. Keep those veggies fresher, longer! I want to let you know about a cool new product that I've discovered. It's called the Mini Mate, this product is placed in your fridge and uses activated oxygen to kill bacteria and eliminate odors, keeping food fresh longer. If you are like me I like to buy fresh veggies and fruit but hate to throw things away because organic foods don't have any chemicals or preservatives to help them stay fresh. I've found that the Mini Mate which costs right around $50 has saved me more than the cost of the product in keeping my produce fresh longer. I love saving money and knowing that the germs and bacteria that may be in my fridge are being eliminated, keeping me and my family healthier. This product is about 5 inches in size and runs on D batteries so all you have to do is put it in the back of your fridge and let it work. I ordered mine at orderminimate dot com! Thanks for reading!

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  9. I love spaghetti squash, but I never, never cook it long enough and it's always crunchy. Very frustrating.

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  10. I had spaghetti squash for dinner again last night, but with Feta, sun dried tomatos & Italian flat leaf parsley. Yummy!
    I got pretty tired of it a while ago, so I started oven roasting it instead of cooking it in the microwave...so much better! It has a nice roasted flavor then and much better texture...and its less watery then when you microwave it.

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  11. Lydia ~ Fun, mac 'n' cheese from spaghetti squash. I bet it'd work with kids?

    Cheryl ~ Funny! Love your additions, for sure!

    Denise ~ Ah yes, in some ways it's easier to be the cook because you always get to make what YOU want!

    Dani ~ I don't get the pasta connection, honestly, aside from the name. Maybe I need to work on that, 'treating' it like pasta.

    Meg ~ Oh good!

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  12. Kelly ~ Tomatoes galore? Lucky you!

    Terry ~ Thanks! No, not flavor, but it's easy to cook and has virtually no calories. On the plastic wrap, I've also seen some alarmist-type stuff but nothing that persuaded me. If anyone's concerned, luckily, there's the oven option.

    Carly ~ Your comment's been deleted. Please, no spam.

    Sara ~ Crunchy spathetti squash, nope, that'd be no good!

    Cowgirrl ~ Oven roasting is great too.

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  13. Excellent spaghetti squash with tomatoes, fresh basil, and a bit of feta cheese.

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Thank you for taking a moment to write! I read each and every comment, for each and every recipe, whether a current recipe or a long-ago favorite. If you have a specific question, it's nearly always answered quick-quick. ~ Alanna