Italian two bean spaghetti (squash)

Discovering spaghetti squash was a big moment in my life, and it happened just last year!  Since then, I've done the standard thing and topped it with a thick marinara sauce.  I've also added soy chorizo and chopped kale to the marinara sauce, yielding one of my favorite quick and satisfying go-to dishes.

I started playing with spaghetti squash without sauce last year, too.  For some reason, white balsamic vinegar became a favorite add in, along with veggies (let's be honest, kale almost always made the cut) and beans (lbh again, chickpeas, always.)  I also really loved the flavors of the spices P.S. Cooper and I used to make the stuffed portabella mushrooms, so I made sure to include some of those spices.  Unfortunately, I had no herbes de provence to speak of and instead went for thyme.  What resulted was an italian-inspired spaghetti squash dish that provides protein with both chickpeas and kidney beans.

Italian Two Bean Spaghetti (Squash)

Ingredients

1 spaghetti squash, cut in half length-wise, seeds removed with a spoon

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tomato, cut into 6 large chunks

1 small zucchini, diced

2 c. spinach, roughly chopped

1 can (16 oz) kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 can (16 oz) garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

2 Tbsp. white balsamic vinegar

Spice blend (divided in 1/2), adjust to your personal taste:

1 Tbsp. dried oregano

1 Tpsp. dried thyme

2 tsp. dried basil

2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

Salt and pepper, to taste

1.  Microwave half of your spaghetti squash with the cut-open side up for 7 minutes.  When you remove from microwave, heat the other half of the spaghetti squash for 7 minutes.

2.  In the meantime, place the garlic, tomato, and zucchini in a large, non-stick sauce pan.  On medium heat, allow the veggies to begin to cook, stirring occasionally, and covering after 5 minutes.  Add 1/2 of your spice blend to the vegetables as they cook. Keep on heat until the zucchini is nearly cooked through, then add in your spinach, mix, and cover.  Take off the heat after the spinach has wilted and the zucchini is done.

3.  To make the "noodles," stand your heated squash inside of a large mixing bowl (if your squash is fresh out of the microwave, be careful!) and run a fork over the squash. Strands of spaghetti will fall easily when you do this -- wa la!  There really is no technique here. Do the same with the second half of your squash.

4.  Add the vegetables to the large mixing bowl as well.  Stir to combine with the spaghetti squash.  Add in the two cans of drained and rinsed beans.  At this point, toss in the white balsamic vinegar and the other half of your spice blend.  Mix until everything is incorporated.

5.  Enjoy warm or cold (I personally prefer warm!).  Re-heats well and keeps for 3-5 days.