Spaghetti Squash Goulash

This Spaghetti Squash Goulash is my "go to" recipe on nights that I come home late from work or the gym and just don't have the energy or ambition to cook yet want something nutritious. I love this recipe because as long as you have three basic ingredients on hand—a jar of tomato sauce, ground sausage, and spaghetti squash—you golden. The rest is whatever vegetables you may have in your fridge that you want to throw in. 

I always keep a package of ground sausage, sweet or hot, stocked in the freezer, and a jar of my favorite tomato sauce in the pantry just for this recipe. The spaghetti squash is a more seasonal item, so sometimes I make it over gluten-free pasta or rice, but the squash is my favorite by far.

Below is the recipe for this particular evenings creation. Feel free to mix and match vegetables you have on hand in your fridge. I haven't come across a bad combination yet. If you like the vegetables you put in, I'm pretty sure it will come out just fine.

Spaghetti Squash Goulash
Ingredients:
1 whole medium spaghetti squash
1 lb. ground Italian sausage
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 zucchini, chopped
10 ounces white button mushrooms, chopped
1 jar (24 ounces) tomato sauce
Salt and pepper, to taste
Grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
1 green onion, chopped for garnish

Directions:
Carefully cut spaghetti squash in half and place cut side down in a microwave safe bowl. Add about 1/2 inch of water to the dish, cover and microwave for about 15 minutes, or until the squash is cooked all the way through. Once it is cooked through, uncover and let it cool for about 10 minutes before handling. 

While the spaghetti squash is cooking, begin to make the meat/vegetable mixture. Place the ground sausage in a medium-sized sauté pan over medium-high heat. As the sausage cooks, use your spatula to crumble into small bite-sized pieces. Continue to cook sausage until almost cooked through and only some pink is showing. 

Next, add in your onions and garlic to the pan, stir to combine. Cook for about 2-3 minutes, then add the rest of your vegetables to the pan. Cook vegetables stirring occasionally until desired tenderness, about 8-10 minutes. 

Add your tomato sauce to the pan, stir to combine. Add salt and pepper if needed. Turn heat down to low, cover pan and simmer for about 5 minutes while you prepare your spaghetti squash for serving.

Now that the squash has cooled enough to handle, take a spoon and remove the seeds, discard. Take a fork and begin to pull through the flesh of the squash making spaghetti-like strands. Place your spaghetti squash into serving bowls and sprinkle with salt and pepper if desired. Spoon your meat/vegetable mixture over top of squash. 

Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and green onion. Serve immediately. 

Yield: 4 servings.
This recipe is gluten-free, and nut-free. It can be easily made vegetarian by adding more vegetables in place of the meat.

My 3 Favorite Gluten-Free Pastas

Last month, Gluten Free•dom NY took a poll to see what your favorite type of gluten-free pasta was. The choices were Corn, Quinoa, Rice, Homemade, or Other. Quinoa pasta came in first place with 45% of votes. Brown rice pasta came in a close second, receiving 41% of votes. Both the quinoa and brown rice pastas left corn pasta in the dust with only receiving 14% of votes. And, no one said they preferred homemade, or any other type of pasta type.

     Below you will find my personal review on each of the three types of pastas voted on in order of your preference. I reviewed my personal favorite brand for each pasta type that I have tried over the past 3 years.

     Although in the poll the Quinoa pasta came in first place, you will notice that I prefer the brown rice pasta to all the other types on the market. Over the past few years, I have tried many brands of brown rice pasta with much disappointment. That was up until I tried Tinkyada’s brown rice pasta. Their pasta reigns supreme in both taste and texture, even when chilled or reheated. Even non-gluten free individuals ask what kind of pasta it is after trying it, and some even use it in place of their regular dry wheat pastas. Tinkyada is generally the only pasta I use now. If you haven’t tried it, I highly encourage you to do so. For optimal results, be sure to follow the instructions on the bag.

Dried Pasta - Brown Rice, Quinoa, and Corn

Cooked Pasta - Brown Rice, Quinoa, and Corn

REVIEWS

Quinoa Pasta

Overall Rating: 3.25

Brand: Ancient Harvest

Website: http://www.quinoa.net/145/163.html

Taste: 5

Texture (hot): 4

Texture (chilled): 2

Texture (reheated): 4

Ease of Use: 5

Cost: 3.5  |  $2.89/8 oz. box (Equivalent to $5.78/lb.) 

Quinoa Pasta Review:

Ancient Harvest quinoa pasta is actually a blend of both quinoa and corn, and its taste is similar to the wheat-based pastas I remembered having before I was gluten-free. Quinoa pasta is pretty neutral in flavor, and goes well with many different types of sauces. Ancient Harvest carries 7 different varieties including elbows, linguine, spaghetti, rotelle, shells, garden pagodas, and veggie curls. You can find quinoa pasta at most health food stores and supermarkets.

     I personally have not tried quinoa pasta in soup since I prefer the brown rice and corn pasta types. However, based on my experience with cooking quinoa and corn pastas in general, you probably would want to keep the pasta separate until serving. These two pasta types get too mushy for my taste if kept in hot liquid over time.

     Quinoa pasta has a good texture as long as you don’t over- or under-cook it. It has a tendency to get very mushy and fall apart if overcooked.

     Also, I find that both quinoa pasta and corn pastas do not fair well once chilled. The pasta tends to harden and they get an undesirable texture, so therefore I do not recommend using quinoa pasta for chilled salads. The box suggests rinsing the pasta and lightly coating with oil for cold dishes. I still had issues with this type of pasta even after doing so.

     Quinoa pasta is easy to prepare and does reheat fairly well. The cooking process is the same as any other dried wheat pasta. It cooks al dente in about 8-9 minutes. Of the three pastas I rated, the quinoa pasta is the most expensive at $5.78 per pound.

Brown Rice Pasta

Overall Rating: 4.8

Brand: Tinkyada

Website: http://www.tinkyada.com/

Taste: 5

Texture (hot): 5

Texture (chilled): 5

Texture (reheated): 5

Ease of Use: 4.5

Cost: 4.5  |  $3.59/16 oz. bag (Equivalent to $3.59/lb.) 

Review:

Tinkyada brown rice pasta is an extremely well-rounded gluten-free pasta, and is my personal favorite. Tinkyada carries 18 varieties of pasta including spaghetti, spirals, penne, shells, fettuchini, and more. They also carry organic varieties including spaghetti, spirals, penne, elbows, and lasagna. You can find Tinkyada pasta at most health food stores and in large supermarkets.

     The taste of this pasta is very neutral. The texture is exceptional, and can withstand a bit of overcooking without falling apart. It is not gritty like many other rice pastas I’ve tried, and goes well with any type of sauce it is accompanied with. I’ve tried it with two different types of sauces: asian peanut sauce, and your classic marinara.

     I have also made lasagna with the Tinkyada lasagna noodles. At first, I was fearful to try them since I had failed many times before using other gluten-free lasagna noodles. But to my surprise and delight, my lasagna came out perfect with the Tinkyada noodles! I undercooked the noodles slightly and rinsed them as the directions suggested before assembling my lasagna. I then baked it at 350 degrees for about an hour. When I pulled my lasagna from the oven, the noodles were perfectly cooked; not too mushy, or overdone.

     I have also used the Tinkyada brown rice spirals in soup. Although the pasta does plump up considerably, it does hold up nicely without getting too mushy.

     These noodles also hold up well when chilled, so for greater success try using Tinkyada when making pasta salads.

     I have served Tinkyada brown rice pasta to both gluten-free and non-gluten free people, all with rave reviews.

     This pasta is fairly easy to cook, with the exception of one additional step added to the cooking process. For this pasta, you must rinse it with cold water right after cooking. While this is an extra step from other pastas available, I feel that this step is what gives this pasta its superb texture. You will notice that the water it is cooked in will cloud up, but it won’t get thick and slimy like some other rice pastas do. Tinkyada pasta cooks al dente in about 12-14 minutes. Of the three pastas I rated, this pasta is the least expensive at $3.59 per pound.

Corn Pasta

Brand: Schar

Overall Rating: 3.9

Website: http://www.schar.com/us/gluten-free-products/pasta/

Taste: 4.5

Texture (hot): 4.5

Texture (chilled): 1

Texture (reheated): 4.5

Ease of Use: 5

Cost: 4  |  3.5 $4.39/12 oz. box (Equivalent to $5.48/lb.) 

Review:

Corn was one of the first types of gluten-free pastas that I tried, and for a long time, one of my favorites. Schar’s is readily available in most health food stores and supermarkets. Schar’s carries 6 varieties of pasta including penne, multi-grain penne, spaghetti, fusilli, tagliatelle, and anellini.

     The taste of corn pasta is a little stronger than the brown rice and quinoa. You can certainly taste the corn in this pasta. The texture is good, and similar to what I remembered wheat-based pastas to be like as long as you don’t over- or under-cook it. Corn pasta works well with a variety of sauces such as marinara and alfredo sauces.

     I have tried Schar’s corn pasta in soups, and have found that you should cook them separately, and then add into your soup just before serving. I have found that even running the corn pasta under cold water to help stop the cooking process before adding it to my soups still didn’t keep the pasta from turning mushy after some time.

    I have also tried using corn pasta when making cold pasta salads with little success. When I first make the pasta salad the texture is pretty good. It is when I put the salad into the refrigerator to chill that the pasta tends to harden, and the texture becomes undesirable.

     Corn pasta is easy to prepare. The cooking process is the same as any other dried wheat pasta. It cooks al dente in about 8-10 minutes.