Hot Mama’s Kitchen is back—and this time with a flavorful and absolutely DELICIOUS spaghetti squash. My roommate and I were inspired after watching a Tasty video on our Facebook newsfeed (shocker), and decided to take on the challenge of making the pesto-variation in our small Orchard South kitchen.
We decided to make a pesto, mushroom, green bean, and sun dried tomato squash. The first step in this process was baking the squash. We had to microwave the squash for approximately 4 minutes, cut it in half, and then bake for about 45 minutes. For best results, coat the squash with olive oil, salt, and pepper before putting in the oven.
The second step was locating our food processor in order to make the homemade pesto. We combined:
- Avocado
- Basil
- Olive oil
- Garlic & salt
- Pine nuts
- Parmesan cheese
This pesto alone was so good that you could probably eat it as-is with a spoon. Maybe this is an exaggeration, but probably not. Because we used avocado, it was a little thicker than typical pesto—which I thought made it an excellent compliment to the overall meal.
While the squash was still baking (but close to being done), we took our cooking talents to the stove to sauté all the veggies that would be included in the squash. We added the mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes, and green beans to a pan with a dash of olive oil, and let them heat for about 2-3 minutes.
Once the squash was done, we took a spork and pulled at the edges to get all of the “spaghetti” from the squash, which was WAY more than we originally anticipated.
After we got all the spaghetti squash out, we combined it to our veggie pan and let is simmer for a minute or so. Then we added the pesto—these were the final moments of full hunger anticipation.
Once the pesto was fully mixed in with the spaghetti squash and veggies, we put it back into the squash (because, you know…presentation is everything.)
And then, finally, we plated the squash, and obviously took 100 Snapchats of it—because as all great foodies say, the camera eats first.
So yes, dorm cooking can still be easy and delicious.
Make sure to follow @hotmamaskitchen_ on Instagram for more updates about the meals that the ladies of Orchard South are cheffin’ up!