In seeking out something new and interesting to do with spaghetti squash, I quickly found inspiration from a recipe on Kayln’s Kitchen. I never would have thought to combine spaghetti squash and Swiss chard! I had to adapt her recipe given the ingredients I happened to have on hand and I think it’s fair to say it was a fun and delicious combination.
Photo by Renato Ghio
Spaghetti Squash & Swiss Chard Gratin
Ingredients
- 1 large spaghetti squash
- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
- 1/3 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 bunch Swiss chard, chopped
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup grated smoked gruyere
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Cut off the stem and blossom end of the squash, then carefully cut in half lengthwise.
- Scrape out seeds and the slimy material that surrounds them and discard.
- Rub cut sides of squash with about 1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil for each half and sprinkle each with dried sage and thyme.
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and place the squash cut side down on the baking sheet. Pour 1/4 cup water around bottom of squash.
- Roast squash about 45-50 minutes or until it separates easy into strands when pulled with a fork. Let squash cool for a few minutes, then shred into spaghetti-like strands.
- Heat 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil in heavy frying pan, add chopped onions, salt and pepper to taste, and saute until onion is translucent.
- Add minced garlic and cook about 1 minute more, then add chopped chard.
- Cook chard until it’s wilted to about half the size it was. (The chard shouldn’t be completely cooked, since it will cook more in the gratin.) Turn off heat.
- In a bowl mix together the beaten egg and smoked gruyere, salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Using a large fork, gently mix the shredded spaghetti squash into the onion/chard mixture. Pour on the egg and cheese mixture.
- Put the combined ingredients into a baking dish. Sprinkle top with Panko bread crumbs and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.
- Bake about 30-35 minutes, or until the mixture is bubbling and cheese is browned on top.
- Serve the gratin hot.
Okay, so I admit my adaptation of this recipe isn’t exactly low calorie with all the cheese and cream. Everything in moderation, right? It was nice to indulge a little and since the husband gave it a thumbs up I’ll definitely be making it again soon.
Yum! This look fabulous… I can't resist greens and cream. I just can't!