Happy WIAW! So, I’m really liking living in an apartment and cooking for myself! I do miss the social aspect of dining on campus with friends and some of the buffets, but the one I like is quite a bit far away from me anyways, so it’s generally not even an option for me to go.

What have I been loving? SPAGHETTI SQUASH!

it meets all of the requirements for busy people, like students:

• fast!
• can be prepared ahead of time, and in bulk
• healthy!
• most importantly… delicious!

There’s about 2 steps to it::

1. cook the squash
2. cook the sauce with some veg + proteins

That easy! Here’s how it’s broken down:

– Bake the squash. I either pop it in the oven the day I buy it, or at some point when I’m home, so that come dinner time (or some lunches), it is already cooked and just needs reheating. If I buy it right before meal time or it isn’t cooked for whatever reason. I just prick it with a fork or knife a few times and microwave for 10 minutes.
– Choose what veggies go on top. Usually it’s a few handful of frozen kale, sometimes has been spinach, brussel sprouts, broccoli, or even some leftover mixed veggies. about 1 cup per serving
– Choose a protein. If I do tofu (crumbled), I add it before the veg. If I’m doing beans, I’ll just add it on top. (or stir it in at the end to heat up).
– Add the sauce! I LOVE TJ’s original marinara, but it is a bit salty. I add 1-2 tbsp. of red wine vinegar per cup of sauce to freshen it up a bit. If I’m using a sauce I don’t like, I’ll add an equal part of canned (and fresh if I have them) tomatoes. For ex, I bought local Caraba’s sauce at MOON because it was on sale, but it was way to sweet and oily for my taste (I could guess that from the ingredients, but I like the spices used, and that it was local, and heard good reviews, and it was a great price, so I gave it a shot, knowing I could tweak it). It’s good when I add stuff to it, but I wouldn’t buy it again. again, 1 cup-ish per serving.

I usually make 2-3 servings at a time so I can just reheat and go! Lunches can be this, or some grilled veggies, a big salad, or a salad from the dining hall (pay by weight). sometimes it’s an Amy’s meal, or a few granola bars or cereal and milk. I know I can always rely on this to be a good meal!

simmer the sauce for 10 minutes, fork through the squash strands a bit, ladle sauce on, and serve! It’s very hands-off, set and forget stuff. I can start cooking, do homework, grab the food in 10 minutes, then eat while working. And I’m still not sick of it! Lets see a few of the many days I’ve eaten it…

Some squash with sauce, cubed tofu, and edamame, and some other veg. The cubed tofu was really good simmered in the sauce surprisingly!

Had 2 small ones from home (4 days), then ran out, and made “zoodles”. 3 squashes / zucchini = 2 days

In my Food Science lab, my group got to made the spaghetti squash for the vegetable lab! yay! I had probably 1/4th of that haha. (This was at 10am. after everyone samples the food, we throw it away (not allowed to take it home). I wasn’t going to let it go to waste!)

Then, I bought this ENORMOUS squash at MOON! It was 5 lbs.! Only lasted me 3.5 meals though…

It took about 1:20 in the oven!

Sauce with tempeh & kale

Plated with a smoothie!

This was me attempting to find good lighting for the last third of the squash. it was so nice out! but I have no canvas to take a picture haha

I’ll save the best picture for last

When I make hummus, I get as much out as I can, but add a few inches of water at the end and blend it on high for a few minutes, then I can use the water in cooking! Above, was beet hummus water in the sauce

~Masala Girl
what’s your favorite go to easy dinner?!