This dish is inspired by both my mom’s delicious spaghetti squash and a dish i had at a local restaurant a few years ago. Growing up, one of my favorite side dishes with dinner was my mom’s simple spaghetti squash with honey and butter. It was like candy with my dinner, only it wasn’t overly sweet and I was getting my daily veggies in. It wasn’t until I saw a special for spaghetti squash on the menu at Lodge one night that I thought of the delicious stringy vegetable as a main course. With double inspiration in hand, I decided to make my own twist on this, combining my mom’s recipe for spaghetti squash with a few of the toppings from my dinner at Lodge- with a few tweaks. In order to make spaghetti squash really soft and flavorful, all you need is a little butter and a touch of honey. I added the goat cheese and truffle oil that were in my Lodge dish, and instead of walnuts, I added toasted pecans. I also skipped the parsley that was in the Lodge dish as I’ve never cared for the stuff.  In fact, it tends to ruin dishes for me. The result was a delicious sweet and savory dish with a touch of tang from the goat cheese. The truffle oil makes this dish feel a little heavy, so I recommend small portions when preparing. Here’s how to make it…

Recipe is for one serving:
1/2 spaghetti squash
2 pats of butter
1 tbsp honey
3 tbsp goat cheese
1/2 cup pecans
1 tsp truffle oil

Slice spaghetti squash in half and scoop out seeds (you can toast these in the oven like pumpkin seeds). Place squash face down in pyrex dish and fill with 1/4 – 1/2 inch water. Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes or until squash removes easily from skin with a spoon- should be stringy. When squash is close to being finished, toast pecans over medium-high heat for 5 or so minutes, tossing frequently and making sure not to burn. With a spoon, scoop out squash from skin, place in bowl and mix in butter and honey. Top with goat cheese and pecans and drizzle truffle oil over top.