Spaghetti Squash Burrito Bowls



Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour

Ingredients

• 1 spaghetti squash, whole
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 4 fresh tomatoes, chopped (or sub a 14 oz can of petite diced tomatoes, drained)
• 1 can (15 oz) corn, drained (I used frozen)
• 1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can (4.5 oz) green chilies, diced
• 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

Optional: 

• 1 lb chicken, chopped
• 1.5 C shredded Mexican-style cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.
2. Cut ends off the spaghetti squash and slice it down the center lengthwise so that you have two equal halves. Scoop the seeds out, sprinkle with salt, pepper and olive oil and place face down on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Cook for 45-50 minutes and then use 2 forks to scrape out the "spaghetti" insides. Place into a separate bowl.
3. Keep the two empty squash shells and set aside.
4. Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Add chopped bell pepper, tomatoes, corn, black beans, diced green chilies and spices to the skillet. (If you are using chicken, cook the chicken with half the spice mixture before adding the veggies and remaining spices.) Cook 4-5 minutes and remove from heat.
5. Combine veggie mixture (and chicken, if you used it) with the spaghetti squash flesh in a large bowl. Stir to mix well.  Add more salt, cumin and chili powder if needed.

(If you are using cheese, continue to step 6. If you are going for the vegan version, skip to step 9)

6. Set the oven to broil.
7. Stuff each squash half with the mixture from the previous steps and top each squash half with shredded Cheddar cheese.
8. Broil for about 1-2 minutes until the cheese melts.
9. Remove from the oven and top each squash half with chopped fresh cilantro.