Spaghetti Squash a la Mexicana

(c) Robin Grose

Robin: The other day at work I overheard part of a conversation. One women made a comment that went something like, “Spaghetti squash? Yeah, I’ve had it, and it doesn’t fool me!” I had to smile, because I don’t think that spaghetti squash intends to actually fool much of anyone. Yes, its long strands can make a delicious alternative to carb-heavy ordinary flour spaghetti, but the texture is so different from “regular” pasta that I don’t think one could seriously expect to confuse the two.

I love spaghetti squash with a meaty tomato sauce, but I also think we need to get away from the idea of using this veggie pretty much only as a substitute base for pasta sauce. I have prepared it in several different ways over the years, usually as a side dish, and always with good results. Spaghetti Squash a la Mexicana is the great alternative that I’d like to share with you today.

(Learn more about spaghetti squash from my article in Spanish)

The phrase a la mexicana refers—at least inside Mexico itself—to a dish prepared with ingredients that bear the colors of the Mexican flag: green, white and red. Most often, the color red is represented by tomatoes, white by onion, cream, and/or cheese, and green by fresh chile pepper. Bistec (thinly cut beef steak) a la mexicana and huevos (eggs) a la mexicana are common uses of this treatment.

Now, to be honest, I lived in central Mexico for over 20 years and never once saw spaghetti squash there. It might have been available at a very local rural level or in specialty markets or shops that I did not patronize, and I did hear a friend of a friend comment one time that they had purchased (in the USA) a spaghetti squash whose label said that it had been grown in Mexico, but for all intents and purposes, this vegetable is not known or used in that country—which makes this dish a fusion of an authentic Mexican treatment with a non-Mexican vegetable. The result is a delightful low-card side dish to a grilled or roasted meat.

Note: If you decide to garnish your squash with cheese, I recommend a shredded Cotija cheese (Mexico’s answer to parmesan) or a crumbled queso fresco. Read more about authentic Mexican cheeses.

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Spaghetti Squash a la Mexicana

The mild-mannered strands of this novelty squash become an interesting side dish when prepared with this authentically Mexican method.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Mexican

Keyword spaghetti, squash

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 5 servings

Calories 60 kcal

Author Robin Grose / comboplate.net

Ingredients

• 2 medium-sized ripe tomatoes
• 1 medium-sized white onion
• 2 fresh jalapeño or serrano chile peppers or to taste
• 1 tablespoon good quality pork lard or vegetable oil
• 3 cups cooked spaghetti squash boil, bake, or steam as desired
• ½ teaspoon salt
• Cream, sour cream, or shredded/crumbled white cheese to taste (optional)

Instructions

1. Peel and dice the tomatoes. Dice the onion. Cut the stems off of the hot peppers and remove their seeds, then finely dice the flesh.

2. Heat the lard or vegetable oil in a large skillet. Add the diced onion and sautee, stirring often, until it has become transparent. Add the diced tomatoes and pepper and continue to sautee and stir frequently for 5-10 minutes, until the tomato is cooked.

3. Add the spaghetti squash to the skillet and sautee for about 10 more minutes so that flavors can meld, stirring occasionally so that the mix does not stick too much to the pan. (I find it easiest to do this with tongs.) If it becomes too dry during this phase, just add a few teaspoons of water or any type of broth that you might have on hand.

4. Add the sal, mix well, and turn the stove off. If you are not going to serve this immediately, cover the skillet so that your veggies will retain their moisture.
5. Sirve your delilcious Spaghetti Squash a la Mexicana as-is, or top it with a dollop of cream, sour cream, or a crumbled or shredded white Mexican cheese (such as Cotija or queso fresco.)

Recipe Notes

Note: The term a la mexicana generally refers to a dish prepared with ingredients that bear the colors of the Mexican flag: green (fresh hot pepper), white (onion or optional cheese/cream), and red (tomatoes). While spaghetti squash is not a vegetable found in traditional Mexican cuisine, the a la mexicana treatment of it here definitely is an authentic everyday use of the ingredients.