Enter the spaghetti squash. This was my first time cooking/eating/seeing a spaghetti squash, and man, I've been missing out. Here's what I did to make my bowls:
Slice the squash length-wise, scoop out all the innards, coat the cut edges with olive oil, put face down in a baking dish, and bake for about 40-50 minutes at 350 degrees. Cook times vary based on the size. You really don't want to overcook the squash, as it will turn the beautiful strands of spaghetti into mush. It should feel soft on the outside but not totally collapsing.
Let the squash cool, and then scoop out all of the spaghetti. You now have a canvas, on which to paint your taste buds' dreams.
I started with some of the leftover chicken I normally use in these enchiladas. (It's shredded chicken, cream cheese, and green chiles heated and mixed together.) I also layered on kidney beans (heated on the stove with some mexican spices), fajita style peppers and onions, the scooped out squash, and of course cheese. Lots of cheese. (It was very steamy in my kitchen when I took these pictures.)
When I filled the bowls, I topped then with even more cheese and then baked for about 20 minutes in a 350 degree oven. If you're concerned about cheese brownage, feel free to cover with foil.
After making these a couple times, I decided to go Italian with my spaghetti squash. I cooked chicken breasts in the oven (smothered with a mayo, parmesan cheese, pesto mixture). I chopped it up and added quite a bit more pesto. (You could also add some cream cheese here.)
I layered my squash bowl with spaghetti sauce, the pesto chicken, mozzarella cheese, and the scooped out squash. (This one I topped with mozzarella, but parmesan would be a better choice.) I cooked in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes. All I have to say is yum.
