Brown Butter Kale and Fontina Spaghetti Squash

 A healthy vegetarian spaghetti squash filled with garlicky sauteed kale, toasted pine nuts, and topped with gooey Fontina cheese. 

I had a spaghetti squash on the counter, along with some kale, a small hunk of Fontina cheese, and toasted pine nuts in the refrigerator, which needed to be used up, so you can imagine how exciting it was to find this brown butter kale and fontina spaghetti squash recipe on Dishing out Health. I love it when that happens. The recipe was simple to make and tasted fantastic! I served these little brown butter kale and fontina spaghetti squash with lemon wedges on the side, and they paired nicely with roasted chicken, a loaded garden salad, and some crusty roasted garlic bread.

Brown Butter Kale and Fontina Spaghetti Squash

Ingredients:

• 1 small spaghetti squash, cut in half lengthwise, seeds removed
• 4 tsp olive oil, divided
• Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
• 1½ tbsp butter
• 2 cloves of garlic, sliced thinly
• 2½ cups lacinato kale, stems removed & chopped
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only
• Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
• 2 tbsp toasted pine nuts
• ⅓ cup Fontina cheese, shredded
• Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish
• Lemon wedges, for serving

How to Make Brown Butter Kale and Fontina Spaghetti Squash

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Carefully cut the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise with a large knife. Scoop out & discard the seeds of each half with a spoon.

Place the cleaned squash on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, then rub the inside and outer rim of each squash half to coat evenly with oil. Season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste.

Place the squash, cut side down, on the baking sheet.

Roast in the oven for 45-55 minutes, or until they are fork-tender.

Remove from the oven and cool for a few minutes. Using a fork to scrape out the squash meat from each half, it will separate into spaghetti-like strands. Set aside until needed.

Heat the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until melted, about 3 minutes. Continue to cook, swirling the nonstick skillet constantly until butter is dark golden brown and has a nice nutty aroma, 3-4 minutes. Watch carefully so it doesn’t burn!!

Remove the nonstick skillet from the heat and add the last two teaspoons of olive oil to the skillet along with the sliced garlic, chopped kale, thyme leaves, and crushed red pepper flakes. Place the skillet back on the stove over medium-high heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the kale is wilted, about 2 minutes.

Add the scraped spaghetti squash to the skillet along with the toasted pine nuts. Toss to combine, then taste and season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste.

Spoon the filling evenly back into the squash shells, then top with shredded fontina cheese.

Place back on the baking sheet and broil on high for 2 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbling.

Top with chopped parsley and a few more toasted pine nuts, if desired.

Serve immediately. Enjoy!