Versatile Spaghetti Squash My Two Favorite Ways

spaghetti squash and eggs

Versatile spaghetti squash, a healthy winter squash that can be used in so many dishes. It’s a mild flavored and neutral tasting squash, so it’s able to take on the flavors and spices that you use to cook it with.

I’ve cooked with it many times in the past and even posted several recipes on this blog like here and here.

These two recipes posted here today are my current favorite ways to eat it. I’m sure as time goes on there will more!

You’ve heard of eggs in purgatory, well I make that every time I have some leftover strands of cooked spaghetti squash. Delicious to eat for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Seasoned browned butter squash that I made the night before lays as a base to hold eggs that sit in a puddle of flavored marinara, it’s out of this world good and so comforting!

roasted spaghetti squash

There are many different ways to prepare your spaghetti squash, I simply like to roast it. I also like my strands to be al’dente. Overcooking the squash results in mushy clumped together strands, not very appealing.

I like to slice the squash in half, ( be very careful), scoop out the seeds and place the 2 halves on a parchment lined sheet pan. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees, salt and pepper each half and give it a light drizzle with olive oil. Place cut side down and pierce a couple of times with the tip of a knife. Roast 30-40 minutes depending on the size of your squash. Let it cool down then fluff the strands with a fork. 

brown butter squash

Now you’re ready to make this!

Spaghetti squash strands tossed into a garlicky browned butter and sage sauce. Then it’s showered with a very generous amount of Parmigiano Reggiano and toasted hazelnuts.

browned butter

Just grate some fresh garlic into your nutty brown butter and sage sauce, it smells amazing and takes the dish over the top!

butter and sage infused squash

 

squash with eggs

Be sure to save some of the leftovers so you can make this eggs in purgatory version with spaghetti squash for breakfast the next day, it will become one of your favorites, like mine.

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Eggs and Veggies, The Perfect Pairing

egg with rapini

Eggs in combination with veggies have produced many a meal in my house for breakfast, lunch and dinner over the years and it’s still evolving. It’s still evolving because the variety of veggies are endless and because eggs can be prepared in so many different ways.

 

Take for example this crispy egg with leftover garlicky rapini, I’ve eaten this for breakfast, lunch and dinner, I always make extra rapini so I can make this combination. If you never had a crispy egg before just google “how to make a crispy egg” there’s a certain technique to it and the result will give you a souffled white with lacy, crispy edges and a nice runny yolk. I like to top mine with red pepper flakes, oregano, black pepper and salt.egg with asparagus

 

Here’s a winning combination fit for a fancy breakfast or brunch, a poached egg on a bed of roasted asparagus with crispy prosciutto and shaved parmesan, the creamy yolk when broken open oozes out and mingles with all the flavors, it’s heavenly!eggs with peppers

Peppers and eggs, I seriously grew up on this as a kid, the best sandwich ever with Italian bread, a great lunch or dinner with a salad on the side.eggs with artichokes

 

This is a favorite of mine, a recipe from Ina Garten, it’s her herb-baked eggs and it’s wonderful for a lazy Sunday morning. You can make this in individual gratin dishes like Ina, or as I did, all in one pan. My twist on it is to add in some artichoke hearts, a perfect addition I think to the creamy herbs and cheese, but make sure you have some toasted, crispy bread for dipping.

egg caprese

 

This caprese omelet can be a staple for you this summer made with fresh mozzarella, garden basil and summer tomatoes, nice for brunch and a light dinner..eggs with spring veggie

 

It’s spring here in Chicago and I love making my Spring Vegetable Frittata with Brie, with tender zucchini, asparagus and peas. I can go on and on about frittata’s they’re a staple. They’re not just for breakfast or lunch either, frittata’s make the best dinner with a side salad and crusty bread of course.

eggs with string beans

 

Pressed for time? You can always make this for dinner, Eggs in Purgatory, the way I make it has evolved over the years but here’s my basic recipe.

 

You can use chunky tomatoes or straight up marinara as I did above but I always add in some vegetables and herbs, here I added haricot verts with a few olives.eggs with broccolini

My clean out the fridge frittata with a little bit of this and a little bit of that like broccolini, mushrooms, red pepper and fresh mozzarella. It doesn’t’ take a lot of ingredients to put a meal on the table, a couple of mushrooms, a handful of broccolini and a red pepper sliced around some bruised spots creates a nice meal.

cauliflower steaks

 

The other day I sliced rainbow colored cauliflower into “steaks” and roasted them, basically I only get two or three nicely shaped slices from a head of cauliflower because I cut them an inch thick, the leftover florets can then be tossed into a frittata of course!eggs and cauliflower

 

Like this one, so delicious and colorful too..eggs with cauliflower

And lastly my version of “steak and eggs“. A crispy egg perched on top of a roasted cauliflower steak sitting in a pool of marinara, healthy, hearty and delicious and perfect for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Endless meals can be made with veggies and eggs, these are just a few of my favorites. Go for what’s in season and just let your creative juices flow!

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Lazy Weekend Breakfast!

Don’t you just love a lazy Sunday morning? You know, the kind of morning you don’t have to be anywhere, or do anything. The kind of morning where you wake up and the smell of coffee is in the air, you grab your big cup, pour some, and then go over and start reading the Sunday paper.

An hour or two later you start getting hungry, but you want something different, something special, well this is it!! Eggs in Purgatory, Uovo in Purgatorio, or just plain Eggs cooked in a Chunky Marinara Sauce. Whatever you call it, I call it DELICIOUS!

For 4 eggs I used one 14OZ can of whole, crushed, or in this case, I used an Italian brand of canned cherry tomatoes. Saute in olive oil, 1 clove of crushed garlic, 1/2 of an onion, red pepper flakes(optional). Simmer until tomatoes cook down, I had to pierce my little tomatoes to help it along. Finish by throwing in some fresh chopped basil.

Now carefully crack your eggs on top of your cooked sauce, let the eggs poach slowly, covering them slightly to cook the yolks to your likeness.

At this point, you’ll want to toast up some good Italian bread, I stuck mine under the broiler for a few minutes.

When every things done, place your egg right on top of your toasted crusty bread, grab another cup of coffee and enjoy!!

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