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 a little bit of kale,  a small hunk of Fontina cheese, and toasted pine nuts in the refrigerator that all needed to be used up. You can imagine how exciting it was to find this recipe on Dishing out Health because it used all four of those ingredients. I love it when that happens. I simply roasted the squash in the oven sauteed some kale and garlic slices in some brown butter then tossed it together with the scraped spaghetti squash and some toasted pine nuts. After spooning the mixture back into the squash shells, I topped them with some shredded Fontina cheese and then broiled them until the cheese was melted and bubbling. I served these little brown butter kale and fontina spaghetti squash with lemon wedges on the side and my husband and I loved them. I served this recipe for a healthy lunch recently but it would also be a terrific vegetarian side or main dish for Thanksgiving.

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 evenly coat 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 fork-tender.

Remove from the oven and cool for a few minutes before 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 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 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!