Squash is a great, diverse ingredient to cook with during the winter when few vegetables are in season — they can be a main dish or mixed into a side or salad. The long strands from cooked spaghetti squash can serve as a gluten-free option to pasta, are lovely sautéed with garlic and butter for a side dish, or can be used to fill grain bowls. The only issue I have with spaghetti squash is one medium squash yields too much for just two people to eat. Rather than waste half of a squash, I reserve one half for a meal later in the week, minimizing my cooking time. I prefer using the extra squash for a low-key dinner: spaghetti squash fritters served with grilled chicken, kabobs, or soup. The fritters are flavorful on their own from the garlic and leeks, but if you want more tang to balance the savory fritters, serve them with sour cream or caper mayonnaise. If you don’t have leeks, use green onions instead. You can also add a ¼ cup chopped cooked bacon to the batter and serve for brunch.

Spaghetti Squash and Leek Fritters
Yields 6 fritters 

Ingredients
3 cups roasted spaghetti squash, directions below
1 small leek or 2 green onions
2 eggs
⅓ cup all-purpose flour
Salt
Ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon paprika
3 tablespoons olive oil

Directions
Roasted Spaghetti Squash 

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

2. Cut the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds and fiber and discard. Rub the flesh (the inside of the squash) with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the squash cut side down and roast for 30-40 minutes or until the squash is soft and tender.

3. Remove from the oven and carefully turn the cut sides up and let squash cool completely. Once cooled, scrape the squash with a fork to remove flesh in long strands and transfer to a bowl.

4. Place 3 cups of squash in a paper towel and wring out the squash, squeezing hard to remove excess liquid. Place squash into a bowl and fluff with a fork to separate the strands; set aside.

5. Roasted spaghetti squash can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Fritters

1. Fill a small bowl with water and set aside. Cut off the root and dark green top of the leek and discard. Thinly slice the white and light green portions of the leek and place in the bowl of water. Let set for a few minutes to remove any dirt from the inside of the leek. If using green onions, simply slice thinly and set aside.

2. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, vigorously whisk together eggs for about 1 minute. Add flour and whisk together to fully combine with no lumps.

3. Add ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, garlic powder, and paprika, then whisk to combine.

4. Add spaghetti squash to egg mixture and whisk to combine. Drain leeks from water and pat dry with a paper towel. Add ¼ cup of leeks to the batter and whisk to combine. Reserve the remaining leeks for garnish.

5. Heat a medium skillet with olive oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, working in batches of two, use a ¼ cup measuring cup to scoop batter and pour in the skillet. Use the back of the measuring cup to flatten the batter out. Fry fritters for 2 minutes or until golden brown, then flip and fry for another 2 minutes. Remove fritters from the skillet and place on a tray lined with a paper towel to remove excess oil. Season with salt.

6. Garnish with reserved leeks and serve warm with sour cream or caper mayonnaise (¼ cup of mayonnaise with a tablespoon of capers and liquid mixed together and seasoned to taste with salt and ground black pepper).

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