Sunday, January 4, 2009

Squash Florentine

Our good friends Doris & Jack love spinach and spaghetti squash, and as I had both on hand decided to try this with them in mind.



1 spaghetti squash, roasted
olive oil- just a drizzle
1 medium shallot, minced
4 garlic cloves, smashed
2 lbs fresh spinach
8 oz ricotta cheese
2 eggs, beaten
sea salt, pepper, parsley, thyme, oregano
marinara sauce
½ cup mozzarella, shredded

Preheat oven 375°

Wash squash, cut in half lengthwise. Remove seeds and set aside. Drizzle with olive oil and seasoning. Place squash cut side down on baking sheet. Rinse the removed seeds in cold water and lightly sprinkle with salt. Place the squash seeds onto baking sheet alongside squash. You will be roasting the seeds right along with the squash.. it makes no sense to me tossing them out, when they are so delicious to eat J Now into the oven for 35 minutes or until squash is tender.

As squash is roasting, sautee until just wilted fresh spinach, garlic cloves, shallots in a bit of olive oil. Set aside until cooled. Once cooled, combine spinach, ricotta cheese, eggs and seasonings. Beat with mixer until blended well.

The squash should be roasted by now. Remove from oven and using a fork, remove spaghetti like strands and discard the shells. Set the roasted seeds aside and grab a few to munch on while assembling the dish.

Place squash strands in a baking dish coated with cooking spray. Spread spinach/ricotta mixture over squash layer. Top with marina sauce and shredded mozzarella cheese. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Enjoy!

6 comments:

Chef Chuck said...

Hello Jady, I have not tried this before, but it looks good and light!
thanks Chuck

~~louise~~ said...

Decidedly Different. I must give this a try. I'm for any dish which includes Ricotta. As a matter of fact, according to Bon Appétit, the Ingredient of the Year is Ricotta! Thanks so much for sharing...

YankeeSoaper said...

Please do Chuck.. it's a pleasant change!

Hi Louise.. I didn't know that about ricotta this year. Thanks for stopping by!

Laurie said...

Wonderful recipe! My grandmother made something similar to this with zucchini! She added bread cubes though to make it more firm! Thanks for sharing this recipe.. yumm!

YankeeSoaper said...

Hi Laurie.. thank you! Was the zucchini/breadcrumb then the base? Sounds interesting!

Karen said...

Jady, I have only one question: Can I come live with you?

Seriously, I'm so glad you found my blog and doubly glad I found yours! I have to try (tho not necessarily in this order) Columbia tamals, picallili(my Portuguese grandmother used to make this!) lobster risotto (oh my), jicama mango salad, lemon saffron risotto (sounds soooo good!) and I was green with envy when I read about your trip to the markets in Italy. I'll certainly be visiting your blog regularly!