By 2021. We are here. Ryan went to work on New Year Day and I stayed home and made soup and watched the news and felt cautiously hopeful in the way you can only feel if you have also been paying attention enough to know caution is warranted. The vaccine is being distributed. My dad is in a priority group. Babcia Rose might be vaccinated by spring. These facts sit in my chest like something warming up.
Back to school Monday — remote still — and the new year has brought some renewed energy to my students, which I attribute to the break and also to children just generally being better at recovering than adults. One of my students sent me a voice message over the weekend with a recording of her reading a book out loud, just because she wanted to. That is the thing. That right there.
I made a big pot of hoppin John on New Year Day, because I read somewhere that eating black-eyed peas on January 1st brings good luck and I figured we needed all the luck that recipe can deliver. Black-eyed peas, bacon, rice, onion, garlic, a pinch of cayenne. It cost almost nothing and fed us for two days. The luck is TBD but the food was good and sometimes that has to be enough of a reason.
January now and the wedding is six months away. Six months. We have a venue, a florist, a date, a dress, and a family that is already cooking their assigned dishes in their heads. We have the VFW hall with the kitchen and eighty-five people who love us and Babcia Rose pierogi as a guaranteed hit. We have a June date and a good reason to get through January and February. That is a lot to hold onto. I am holding onto it.
I made the hoppin John because I needed something to do with my hands and because luck felt worth chasing, even if I wasn’t sure I believed in it. That combination of bacon, something starchy, and a little heat—it turns out that’s just the kind of cooking I reach for when things are uncertain. This Cheesy Bacon Spaghetti Squash hits that same note: it’s inexpensive, it fills the kitchen with a smell that makes the whole apartment feel okay, and it gives you something good to eat while the rest of the world figures itself out. We had two days of leftovers out of it, which in January felt like its own kind of fortune.
Cheesy Bacon Spaghetti Squash
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 45 min | Total Time: 1 hr | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 medium spaghetti squash (about 3 lbs), halved lengthwise and seeded
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 6 slices bacon, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Roast the squash. Preheat oven to 400°F. Brush the cut sides of the spaghetti squash with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place cut-side down on a rimmed baking sheet and roast for 35–40 minutes, until the flesh is tender and easily pulls into strands with a fork.
- Cook the bacon. While the squash roasts, cook the chopped bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate, leaving about 1 tablespoon of drippings in the pan.
- Soften the garlic. Add the minced garlic and red pepper flakes to the skillet with the bacon drippings. Cook over medium-low heat for 1–2 minutes, stirring, until fragrant. Remove from heat.
- Scrape the squash. Let the roasted squash cool for 5 minutes, then use a fork to scrape the flesh into spaghetti-like strands directly into the skillet. Toss to coat in the garlic drippings.
- Add the cheese and bacon. Return the skillet to low heat. Stir in the cheddar cheese, most of the cooked bacon, and half the Parmesan. Toss until the cheese is melted and everything is well combined.
- Serve. Transfer to a serving dish or serve straight from the pan. Top with remaining bacon, remaining Parmesan, and fresh parsley if using.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 310 | Protein: 14g | Fat: 21g | Carbs: 18g | Fiber: 4g | Sodium: 620mg