Jamaican Inspired Spaghetti Squash and Black Beans

Ingredients
1 large spaghetti squash
15 oz canned black beans, drained
3 slices bacon, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1 medium onion, diced
3 teaspoons jerk seasoning
1 scotch bonnet pepper, seeded and chopped
juice of 1/2 lime
1 teaspoon sea salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375. Place the squash in a baking dish and roast for about 50 minutes or until tender. Cool slightly. Slice in half. Remove the seeds and then scoop flesh from squash and set aside. Heat a large skillet and saute the bacon until almost crisp (drain any extra fat) then add onion, pepper, garlic, and saute until just fragenent. Add beans, squash, jerk seasoning, and salt, cook about five minutes, stirring frequently. Squirt with lime juice. Serve hot.


Yield: 4-6 servings

My thoughts:

Most recipes I see for spaghetti squash call for you to treat it like you would actual spaghetti with an Italian tomato-based sauce. The recipes claim that "you can't tell it isn't pasta!" but really, anyone with a mouth can tell that spaghetti squash, no matter how tasty, isn't real pasta. I'd much rather highlight the squash's unique texture than cover it up with sauces. This recipe is just spicy enough to be interesting and with the beans could be a light one dish meal.