Tex-Mex Black and Kidney Bean Stuffed Spaghetti Squash Recipe

The season has changed here in Canada and with spring finally here, it’s a good time to lighten up your meals. Spring is the time for detoxification and shedding of winter sleep and weight. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, it is the season of renewal and regeneration and this is best supported through eating lighter meals and whole, clean foods. We are very early into spring right now, the weather is still chilly and you may not feel like eating light salads and raw foods just yet. That said, there are some swaps that you can make to lighten up your meals while keeping them warming until it gets a bit later into spring and fresh greens are growing in your garden (or your grocery store). One of my favourite swaps for some of the heavier winter carbohydrates is spaghetti squash. It is simple to prepare and it’s so dynamic. Leave the strands long to serve like pasta or cut them into shorter pieces to serve as rice in a cozy spring meal bowl. Spaghetti squash makes the perfect base for all types of dishes, such as my Tex-Mex Black and Kidney Bean stuffing or lentil/beef Bolognese sauce, to name a few.

Ohhhhhh Yeahhhhh - Look at that Cheesy Tex-Mex Black and Kidney Bean Stuffed Spaghetti Squash.

I like to serve up more vegetarian-type meals in the spring and summer months. I simply tend to crave them more but as a bonus, plant-based meals are super helpful with detoxification because they are loaded with fiber! Why does that matter? Because it helps you to move out toxins by keeping your bowels moving efficiently. It also feeds your happy microbes (bacteria, etc) in your gut and keeps the bad guys in check. This is awesome for the reason that the good guys keep you healthy and feeling great whereas the bad bugs actually add to your toxic load. With your digestive elimination working smoothly, the liver is better able to perform and help you to filter out toxins, some of which may be recirculating in your body if your elimination is not regular. This is a very important function, especially in this day and age, where we are surrounded by toxins in the environment, our diet, our cleaning and skincare products, and the list goes on and on.

Beans are an incredible source of fiber (on average 16g of fiber per 100g of beans) and they are also very low in fat (on average 1.2g of fat per 100g of beans). Both black beans and kidney beans are amazing sources of folate and iron and also contain some vitamin B6 and calcium (1). They are also remarkably cheaper to buy than meat and tend to go a lot farther. Spaghetti squash contains fiber too and is low in carbohydrate (7g carb per 100g squash), whereas regular white pasta is very high in carbohydrate (31g carb per 100g of pasta) and very low in fiber (1.8g fiber per 100g pasta). A diet that is high in carbohydrates and low in fiber can result in all kinds of health complications, such as weight gain, problems in the intestinal tract, high cholesterol and heart disease, insulin resistance, fatty liver, etc. There are 5 areas in the world where the benefits of eating a high fiber diet are evident and can be seen in real-time. Many people in these areas live to 100 years old or more and they are doing so with vitality, health and quality of life. These are referred to as the “5 Blue Zones”, a concept popularized by Dan Buettner, a National Geographic explorer.

These areas include:
1. Ikaria, Greece
2. Okinawa, Japan
3. Ogliastra Region, Sardinia
4. Loma Linda, California
5. Niycoa Peninsula, Costa Rica

What they all have in common is a diet that is as I mentioned, extremely high in fiber but also mainly plant-based and with no processed foods. I’m certain that another thing that they all have in common is exceptional gut health!!

I make it my mission to include as many plants in my diet as possible and tend to load up my recipes with as much as I can squeeze in. If you are interested in upping the fiber content in your diet, a good question to ask yourself when cooking a meal is, “Can I incorporate any more plants into this meal?” After a little practice and experimentation, I bet you will come up with ways you never imagined to add in more plants to every meal.

Check out the way that I served up my Tex-Mex Black and Kidney Bean Stuffed Spaghetti Squash - This meal contains a total of 13 plants alone!

Tex-Mex Black Bean and Kidney Bean Stuffed Spaghetti Squash Recipe

Author: Andrea Black
Prep time: 20 mins
Cook time: 1 hour
Total time: 1 hour 20 mins
Yields: 4 - 6 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 whole spaghetti squash 

• 1 medium yellow onion chopped finely

• 4 cloves of garlic minced

• ½ sweet bell pepper chopped finely

• 4 mushrooms finely chopped

• 1 large carrot chopped

• 1/2 zucchini chopped finely

• 1 - 540mL can of kidney beans

• 1 – 540mL can of black beans

• 1 - 1½ cups of broth of your choice (I use my own homemade bone broth)

• 1 cup of tomato sauce

• ½ - 1 tbsp of chilli powder (dependant on how much you like)

• 1 tsp cumin powder

• 1 tsp turmeric powder

• 1 tsp oregano

• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• Salt and Pepper to taste

• *Optional - 1 cup of grated cheese of your choice (vegan cheese works too if it’s a melty type) or omit and instead you can oil and broil the top of the squash to make it a bit crispy after stuffing.

How To?

Preheat oven to 375 F

Half spaghetti squash and remove seeds, rub with a little olive oil and salt and pepper or another seasoning of your choice

Bake for about 40 mins or until it is softened and ready to shred – once cooked, prepare by scraping the squash off of the skin being careful not to tear it as you will use it as your baking dish.  If you do tear it, no big deal, you can use a ceramic or glass baking dish instead.  Set aside.  **You can also do this step ahead of time if you want to use this recipe as a quick weeknight meal.

While the spaghetti squash cooks, prepare your other ingredients.

Finely chop onion, sweet bell pepper, zucchini and mushrooms. Mince garlic. Chop carrots.

Open and drain and rinse black beans and kidney beans. (if you are using dry beans you will have to soak and cook them ahead of time).

Heat oil in a pan, add onions and sauté for a few minutes until soft.  Add garlic, mushrooms, sweet bell pepper, carrots and sauté for a few minutes.  Add spices, broth, tomato sauce and beans.  Cook until veggies are soft and the liquid has diminished so that it’s not soupy but not dry. **NOTE: to save yourself some time, prepare your sides while the beans mixture is cooking. 

Turn off the heat and mix in cooked spaghetti squash.  Once mixed together, add back into the skins of the squash.  Top with grated cheese of choice or brush the top with olive oil and continue to bake until cheese is melted and bubbly (skip this part if you are omitting the cheese and go straight to broil so as not to dry it out).  Finally broil at 410 F, watching for the cheese to brown up to your liking or the oiled top to brown a little. 

Remove from the oven and let sit for a couple of minutes and serve with your choice of sides.  I chose to serve it with raw red onion, guacamole, chopped red cabbage, fresh chopped tomatoes and salsa.

Looking for more plant-based meal ideas? You can check out the rest of my recipes on my blog here.

Enjoy and stay well! 

References:
(1) https://vegfaqs.com/black-beans-vs-kidney-beans/
(2) https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/. (for comparison of nutrient contents listed in this article)