Yesterday I cooked up my enormous 5 lb. + spaghetti squash using my slow cooker and today I wanted to experiment with a new way to eat it. Most people use spaghetti squash just like regular pasta and serve it with marinara, meatballs, cheese, or other Italian inspired ingredients. BUT spaghetti squash is good for so much more. Because this squash is so mildly flavored, it’s almost like a blank canvas for whatever you want to pair with it. Today I decided to take it in a southwest direction and made some very simple Southwest Spaghetti Squash Bowls to feed me for the week ahead.
Beans, Salsa, and Cheese Always Wins
This recipe is basically a low-carb version of my “Poor Man’s” Burrito Bowls. It’s the most simple, basic combo of beans, salsa, cheese, and in this case spaghetti squash. It’s so simple yet SO good. If you crave something a little more complex, you can always start getting fancy with the toppings and add things like sliced jalapeño, avocado, tortilla strips, black olives, or whatever you like to add to your burrito bowls at Chipotle.
How to Reheat Southwest Spaghetti Squash Bowls
I plan to reheat one bowl each day in the microwave for lunch, so the directions below don’t include instructions for heating the beans or squash. If you want to make this fresh for dinner or consumption just after preparing, simply reheat the squash in the microwave (if it isn’t still hot from cooking), and heat the beans in a sauce pan with the liquid from the can. Once hot, drain the beans before adding them to your bowls. The heat from the squash and beans should be enough to melt the cheese and warm the salsa.
Southwest Spaghetti Squash Bowls
Servings 4Ingredients
- 4 cups cooked spaghetti squash ($3.56)
- 1/2 Tbsp chili powder* ($0.07)
- Salt to taste ($0.05)
- 1 15oz. can black beans ($1.09)
- 1 cup salsa ($0.80)
- 4 oz. Monterey jack cheese ($1.20)
- 2 green onions ($0.22)
Instructions
- Place the cooked spaghetti squash in a bowl. Sprinkle the chili powder and a pinch of salt over the spaghetti squash. Toss the spaghetti squash in the seasoning until evenly covered. Taste and adjust the salt if needed.
- Drain the black beans, shred the cheese, and slice the green onions. Divide the spaghetti squash between four bowls, then add 1/3 cup beans and 1/4 cup salsa to each bowl. Top each bowl with shredded cheese and a few sliced green onions. Refrigerate until ready to eat. Reheat in the microwave just before serving (one minute on high, stir, then add more time in 30 second intervals until heated through).
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!How to Make Southwest Spaghetti Squash – Step by Step Photos
Place 4 cups cooked spaghetti squash in a bowl and sprinkle 1/2 Tbsp chili powder and a pinch of salt over top. The chili powder I use is made by McCormick and is not spicy.
Toss the spaghetti squash in the seasoning until it is evenly covered. Taste and adjust the salt if needed.
Rinse and drain one 15oz. can of black beans. Also shred 4oz. Monterey jack cheese and slice two green onions.
Now it’s time to assemble the bowls. Add 1 cup of the seasoned spaghetti squash to each bowl along with 1/3 cup black beans, and 1/4 cup salsa. Top with shredded cheese and sliced green onions!
And that’s seriously all there is to it. This is the type of “simple” food that I like to eat when I’m busy. I can prepare a few of these bowls and keep them in the fridge for the next few days and have a meal always ready to go. Spaghetti squash—it’s not just for spaghetti. LOL
I’ve been calling everything I make “southwest” lately, just so that I could work black beans, sour cream, and cheese into everything. Looks like I’ve got another excuse. Trying this out this weekend!
I love spaghetti squash and was recently the beneficiary of a HUGE one compliments of a neighbor, who grew it in her backyard garden. (I traded her an equally huge butternut squash I grew in my own garden.) I usually make a healthy version of spaghetti pie with mine, but I am so inspired to try this dish. Looks absolutely delicious!
I cannot tell you how much I am enjoying your blog. Sadly, my husband recently lost his job. While nobody is in danger of starving, we’re having to be extra careful with our money right now, and your recipes have been a Godsend. Our whole family is eating better than ever, and that’s helping everyone keep their spirits up during this period of uncertainty. Thank you so much!
Thank YOU! I’m so glad it’s helpful. :)
Just bought a spaghetti squash yesterday and made one like this. Now that I saw this recipe, I’m very excited to buy another pack of spaghetti squash again and try your crock pot style for this one. Thank you for this nice idea.
Yum! That combo of flavors sounds really good. I would add some avocado or guac on top for an extra treat. :)
Hi there, this looks great. I have tried cooking with spaghetti squash before and have ended up with a lot of liquid pooling on the plate. Has this happened to you? Any suggestions? Thanks!
Hmm, that hasn’t happened to me so I’m not sure.
The price for squashes is at Trader Joe’s!! At least that’s what I’ve found. They don’t sell them by weight! I bought a BIG one a couple weeks ago and I think it was $2.29. They had an organic version for a bit more. All their squashes are sold by the item and not the weight. Just one of the million reasons I love TJ’s.
In our city, we have these two dollar produce bags. One time it included spaghetti squash. I guess many people dislike it, probably because they don’t know how to cook it. People were taking it out of their bags, and leaving it behind at the truck. The person manning the bags asked if I want to take more of them for free (about 8-9 squashes are abandoned). I had no idea how to cook it then, so I didn’t get extras aside from what’s in my bag. I microwaved it for 8 mins, after seeing it done as so at a noon time show. It also suggested EVOO, salt and pepper on it. That was it! But if I knew beforehand how much I could’ve done with it, I would’ve taken all those squashes! :) next time, I’ll know better. Thanks Beth for the post!
WOW!
Love the idea of his recipe. I’ve tried cooking with spaghetti squash before but always end up with lots of water in the dish. Like it was coming out if the squash itself. Have you run into this problem? Any suggestions? Thanks for all the great recipes!
I love spaghetti squash, buy one every time I see them at a good price. Sometimes our produce market will sell them at a per squash price vs per pound. My favorite is to fry the strands in some butter, then add a couple fried eggs on top. Salt and pepper, maybe a piece of toast and it’s a totally happy meal for me. :)
Trader Joe’s has an awesome seasonal salsa (I think it’s call “Fall Harvest”) that pairs extremely well with spaghetti squash! It would be perfect in these bowls.
I might replace the cheese with guacamole, or make a vegan nacho cheese sauce to plop on top.
Thanks for another great, simple recipe.
What a wonderful idea! Saw that salsa last time I was in there! Totally buying it next time to make with these bowls :)
Oooh, I need to look for that!
A southwestern twist sounds tasty! I’ve done Thai-style spaghetti squash, with a peanut sauce, sautéed chicken and veg, and cilantro. Greek/Mediterranean (olive oil, oregano, olives, artichoke hearts, tomatoes, feta) is good as well.
Ooh, I like the Thai idea!
My new favorite thing to do with black beans is from the Yotam Ottolenghi cookbook (was too lazy to make the salsa, so I just made the black bean paste part and threw it in a tortilla with some cheese – so cheap and easy and good! Maybe could combine with your recipe, too):
http://www.ottolenghi.co.uk/quesadillas-shop
This inspires me to give spaghetti squash another shot. I had a bad experience cooking spaghetti squash before and haven’t touched it since (but I know why, it was in my old apartment with a faulty oven that always went up to to the max temperature no matter what you set it at. It got so hot with the water bath that the glass pans shattered into a million pieces).
I’m in the Midwest so I’d imagine it’s cheap. There’s a co-op grocer that sells from local farmers, which is pretty cool (although not cheap).
Would love to prepare it in the crock pot like you did, but that assumes I could find one small enough. We’ll see. ;o)
LOL, you gotta love apartment ovens, right?? Glad you didn’t get hurt (or at least I assume)!
Yum! This looks great!
I work from home (and only get 30 minutes for lunch break) so I’m always on the lookout for easy meals i can prep on the weekend and heat up quickly in the microwave. Thank you for sharing another delicious looking recipe. What type/brand of salsa do you use?
It’s the generic store brand from my local supermarket. I think it’s called Best Choice. Hahah