Spaghetti Squash Burrito Bowls

Back in Denver, April now, the mud season turning to something drier. The team is in the final weeks of spring practice before the spring game and the effort level in practice is where I want it. I've been running the freshman QB with the first team for two weeks now, which is an unusual choice for a sophomore-to-be but which is supported by the evidence every day in practice. He's not making sophomore mistakes. He's making small mistakes that improve quickly. That's the profile of a player who gets better faster than you expect.

Diego has been more focused this spring. He started running with me in the mornings — not with Sofia, who does Saturday races, but alone with me at six AM on Tuesdays and Thursdays, two miles each time, mostly quiet. He doesn't talk much on runs. Neither do I. We run and come home and I make green chile eggs and we eat and he goes to school and I go to the facility. It's one of the best parts of my week and it happened without planning, which is often how the best parts of your life arrive — not designed but recognized when they show up.

Made a full green chile chicken this week — whole bird, spatchcocked and rubbed under the skin with a mixture of roasted green chile, garlic, butter, and cumin, then grilled over indirect heat for an hour. The technique is more work than the reward of the flavor would suggest, which means the reward of the flavor is enormous, which it is. The skin crisps while the meat stays impossibly moist and the chile and garlic work their way into every part of the bird. Lisa ate the whole thigh and half the leg before she stopped and said, "Okay. This is a thing you should make more often." From Lisa, that is a review I would frame.

Spring game is Saturday. A week after that, we break for summer. The season is five months away. The work continues.

The spatchcocked chicken was a weekend project — the kind of cook that earns Lisa’s highest praise and earns its place in the permanent rotation. But most weeks aren’t weekend projects. Most weeks are Tuesday after a long day at the facility, Diego finishing homework, the whole household running on a schedule. When I want those same green chile and cumin flavors in a fraction of the time, spaghetti squash burrito bowls are the answer — same bold, roasted heat, same feeling of eating something that was actually made rather than assembled, just built for the weeks when the effort has to go somewhere else.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 45 min | Total Time: 1 hr | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 large spaghetti squash (about 3 lbs), halved lengthwise and seeds removed
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 lb ground turkey or chicken
1 small yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (4 oz) diced green chiles
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup salsa verde
3/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
1 avocado, sliced
Lime wedges, for serving

Instructions

Roast the squash. Preheat oven to 400°F. Brush the cut sides of the spaghetti squash with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and the black pepper. Place cut-side down on a rimmed baking sheet and roast for 40—45 minutes, until the flesh is fork-tender and pulls apart easily into strands.
Cook the filling. While the squash roasts, heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
Brown the meat. Add the ground turkey or chicken to the skillet. Cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 6—8 minutes. Drain any excess fat.
Build the chile base. Stir in the diced green chiles, cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Add the black beans and salsa verde, stir to combine, and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 5 minutes until the liquid tightens slightly.
Prep the squash shells. Remove the squash from the oven and let it cool for 5 minutes. Flip each half cut-side up and use a fork to loosen the strands, leaving them inside the shell to form a bowl.
Fill and finish. Divide the meat and bean mixture evenly between the two squash halves. Top each with shredded Monterey Jack. Return to the oven and broil on high for 2—3 minutes until the cheese is melted and beginning to bubble.
Serve. Top with fresh cilantro and avocado slices. Serve directly from the squash shell with lime wedges on the side. Cut each half in two for four portions.

Nutrition (per serving)

Spaghetti Squash Burrito Bowls — The Same Green Chile Energy, Weeknight Fast