Simple roast squash is the perfect (edible) bowl for this zesty, colorful meal!

This started as one of those meals where I was trying to use up odds and ends that were hanging around in my kitchen. There was leftover cabbage from this crazy delicious pizza recipe and ground pork in the freezer.

I had picked up some spaghetti squash from the store and wanted to do something different with it. I feel like because it has the word “spaghetti” in it, people tend to go with Italian flavors. So I tried to think of what would be a different route to go with the squash and decided that Asian was the way to go.

This dish is pretty easy to put together. The squash is super low-maintenance. You just cut them in half, scoop out the seeds and roast them with some water in the pan.

While it’s cooking, you sauté some aromatics on the stovetop, brown the meat on top and stir in hoisin, soy sauce and chili garlic sauce for some depth of flavor.

Fill up your squash with the mixture and pop on a colorful garnish and dinner is served!

A photo posted by Ashley Covelli (@bigflavors) on Mar 17, 2016 at 8:14pm PDT

This was a surprise hit with my family, and it’s one that I’ll definitely be making again.

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Sweet & Spicy Asian Pork-Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour
Yield: 4 Servings 1x

Description

Simple roast squash is the perfect (edible) bowl for this zesty, colorful meal!

Scale

Ingredients

2 whole spaghetti squash
1 tablespoon peanut oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, thinly sliced (about 2 tablespoons)
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1 pound ground pork
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce*
2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce*
1 1/2 teaspoon chili garlic sauce
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 cup shredded red cabbage
2–3 green onions, sliced
*optional: use gluten free

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut each squash in half horizontally and scoop out the seeds. Lay them cut-side down in a roasting pan or other baking dish, and add about an inch of water. Place the pan in the preheated oven and roast for 45-60 minutes, until tender when poked with a fork.
While the squash is roasting, heat oil in a large, non-stick skillet over moderate heat. Add garlic, shallot and ginger and sauté until fragrant and beginning to soften, about 2 minutes. Add pork and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon or spatula as you go, until it is browned all over. Add hoisin, soy sauce and chili garlic cause and continue cooking until the meat is cooked through. Remove from heat.
To serve, place each squash on a plate, cut-side up. Drizzle each with 1/8 teaspoon sesame oil. Place 1/4 of the pork mixture inside each squash. Sprinkle cabbage and green onions over top to garnish. Enjoy!