All the flavors of hearty sausage and white bean soup are packed into a tender roasted spaghetti squash. A fork is all it takes to separate the pale orange strands of the gourd into vegetable noodles.
ingredients
directions
Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Cut the squash in half lengthwise using a serrated knife and remove the seeds with a spoon. Brush the flesh of both halves with 1 teaspoon oil and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Put the halves flesh-side down on a baking sheet and cook until tender, the flesh can easily be flaked with a fork and the edges just turn brown, about 45 minutes. Separate the strands of squash by scraping the flesh with a fork. Leave the scraped strands inside the squash.
Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon and taking care to keep some larger chunks, until it just starts to brown and crisp up, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the tomatoes, thyme, red pepper flakes and garlic and cook, stirring, until just fragrant, about 1 minute. Pour in the wine and cook until reduced by half, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the heavy cream and 1 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium and simmer until the sauce reduces by half, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the white beans and spinach to the skillet and cook, stirring frequently, until the spinach just wilts and is still vibrant green, 1 to 2 minutes.
Divide the sausage mixture between the 2 squash halves and mix with the squash strands until well combined. Sprinkle each squash half with 1 tablespoon Parmesan and serve with more red pepper flakes, if using.