Spicy Spaghetti Squash Casserole

Adapted from Sunset Magazine. This was the last recipe I bookmarked before my hard drive crashed. All those bookmarked recipes *poof* are gone now. Sigh...

1 spaghetti squash (about 3 lbs.)
1 can fat-free evaporated milk plus enough regular milk to make 2 C
1 large jalapeƱo, stemmed and finely diced (remove seeds if you want less heat)
1 chili in adobo sauce, minced
1/4 C red onions, small dice
3 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 T canola oil
1 C shredded jack cheese, reserve a handful to top casserole

Poke several holes in skin of squash with a fork and microwave it on high 10 minutes. Squash should be tender when pierced with a fork; if it isn't, microwave on high in 1-minute intervals until tender. Let sit until cool. You can also do this in the oven but it takes 30-40 minutes at 375. When squash is cool enough to handle, use a fork to scrape the strands out of the skin and onto a large absorbent tea towel. Cover with another tea towel and roll up into a tight cylinder. You want to remove as much moisture as possible or water will form at the bottom of the casserole. Allow to sit for 10 minutes or so.

Preheat oven to 375. Combine milk and flour with a whisk until smooth, set aside. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, add oil, jalapeƱos and onions and stir. Saute until onions are light brown and fragrant. Add chile and salt; stir. Add milk and flour mixture and whisk constantly. Reduce heat to medium and continue whisking until mixture thickens. Add cheese and whisk until smooth and creamy. Add squash and stir until well combined.

Transfer mixture to a buttered 2-qt. baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining jack cheese and bake until bubbling and brown on top, about 30-40 minutes. Allow to sit 5 minutes before serving. Makes 8 side dish servings and 6 entree servings (3 Kelly-sized and 3 Michael-sized).

Comments

Alissa said…
Yum. This was really good. Spicy, but not too spicy. I like the smokiness of the chipotle. Will definitely make again... maybe this weekend. :)
Kelly said…
I just made this again and either didn't have a big enough squash or so thoroughly squeezed out the water that I didn't have that much squash left to put in the casserole. Maybe I should use a ricer to squeeze out the water next time. Anyway, I added a can of black beans, drained and rinsed, and it was delicious.
Alissa said…
Made this again this week and it was WAY too spicy. I don't know if I had an unusually large chipotle or if the intensity of chipotle peppers increases when frozen or what. I didn't use any jalapeno or any other kind of heat, but the one chipotle was totally overpowering. Note to self if I make it again - maybe use less than a full pepper.
Alissa said…
Oh, but I did add a can of black beans, which was good in it. I would add that again next time.

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