Recipe: Spaghetti Squash Yakisoba Style

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I'm always looking for new ways to eat spaghetti squash that's not just with pasta sauce. So when I saw this Asian-inspired recipe on the Pickled Plum blog, I definitely wanted to try it.

This is one of those blogs that goes on and ON before finally getting to the ingredients and instructions. So I'm going to save you the time and give you all of that in the beginning:

Ingredients

• 1.5 pounds spaghetti squash
• 1 small onion (finely chopped)
• 10 shiitake mushrooms (or button mushrooms)
• 2 stalks scallions (finely chopped)
• 1 cup coleslaw mix of carrots and cabbage
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon dried red chile (chopped) - optional
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds

For the sauce:

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce or regular soy sauce
• 1/2 tablespoon granulated sugar
• salt and white pepper to taste

Directions

1. Place spaghetti squash on a microwave safe plate or other microwave safe container. Place the cut side down (skin facing up). Microwave on high for 10 minutes.
2. Take the spaghetti squash out of the microwave and shred with a fork. If the squash is still hard, microwave for another 2-3 minutes, or until tender.
3. Use a fork and scrape the flesh into strings.
4. In a large pan over high heat, add vegetable oil and onions. Cook for 3 minutes or until onions are soft. Add coleslaw mix and red chile and cook for 2 minutes.
5. Add shiitake mushrooms and cook for another 2 minutes.
6. Add spaghetti squash, scallions and sauce, and mix well until the sauce has evenly coated all the vegetables. Cook for 2 minutes and turn the heat off. 
7. Transfer to a bowl, top with sesame seeds and serve.  

As usual, I didn't bother with all of the ingredients. For the sauce, I just poured in a bunch of soy sauce. And I didn't buy fancy mushrooms or sesame seeds just for this recipe. I just bought regular sliced white mushrooms, and I added bean sprouts for a little crunch. And I don't like things to be too spicy, so I did not use any red chile.

And I cook my spaghetti squash differently. I still recommend microwaving it (SO much faster than roasting it in the oven!), but I don't even cut it before hand. I just take a knife and poke lots of holes into the skin to let out the steam as it cooks. I microwave it for five minutes, roll it over, and then microwave it for another five minutes. Works like a charm!

Unlike the recipe says, I'm not sure I would cook everything on high heat. I burned the onions a little bit because it was so hot. I think medium-high heat would be sufficient.

Otherwise I thought this recipe was pretty good! For me it made three servings; this may depend on the size of squash you start with (I did not weigh my squash, clearly.). The recipe was easy to make, so I will certainly keep it in mind for future meals.