Here’s an unusual but delicious way to use the delicate strands of spaghetti squash—in an Asian-inspired pork stir-fry. The flavors of toasted sesame oil, fresh ginger, garlic and a hit of spicy red chile sauce cling to the beautiful strands. Serve with jasmine rice.

Makes 4 servings, about 1 1/2 cups each

ACTIVE TIME: 30 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 1 1/2 hours

EASE OF PREPARATION: Easy

1 3-pound spaghetti squash
1 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
5 medium scallions, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon Asian red chile sauce, such as sriracha, or chile oil

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Cut squash in half. Scoop out and discard seeds. Place each half, cut-side down, on a baking sheet. Bake until the squash is tender, about 1 hour. Let cool for 10 minutes then shred the flesh with a fork into a bowl. Discard the shell.
3. Slice pork into thin rounds; cut each round into matchsticks.
4. Heat a large wok over medium-high heat. Swirl in oil, then add scallions, garlic, ginger and salt; cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add the pork; cook, stirring constantly, until just cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the squash threads and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add soy sauce, rice vinegar and chile sauce (or chile oil); cook, stirring constantly, until aromatic, about 30 seconds.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per serving: 236 calories; 6 g fat (1 g sat, 2 g mono); 74 mg cholesterol; 22 g carbohydrate; 27 g protein; 5 g fiber; 707 mg sodium; 878 mg potassium.
Nutrition bonus: Vitamin C (25% daily value), Potassium (24% dv), Iron (17% dv).
1 Carbohydrate Serving
Exchanges: 1/2 other carbohydrates, 3 lean meat

MAKE AHEAD TIP: Prepare the squash (Steps 1 & 2), cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

While this recipe does take a while to prepare with due to roasting the squash, it is overall quite easy, low stress, and tastes wonderful! It could easily be made vegetarian with tofu, tempe or added veggies instead of pork. Quite tasty and satisfying. Enjoy!

Anonymous, New York, NY

Problem: when you stir in the soy sauce it turns everything brown. Other than that it had a great flavor and I would make it again, leaving out the soy sauce.

Anonymous, Albany, NY

This was very good! If I made it again, I would drain after browning the meat, and I would add lots of other veggies - green and red peppers, bean sprouts, etc. We also think it would be great with tofu.

Anonymous, Plano, TX

In spite of adding a subtle sesame flavor to the dish, sesame oil has a low smoking point and is not recommended for frying. Next time I would use canola oil and maybe add a teaspoon of sesame oil once the dish is ready to serve.

Anonymous, Clearwater, FL

Great flavor combination, and easy to prepare, though it's not the most visually appealing dish! I'd say it serves only three, rather than four, even with the addition of vegetables and a side salad. And if you're hungry, it will definitely only serve two diners!

Jennifer, NJ

This was delicious and pretty easy to make. Unlike the others, we used 1.5 lbs pork since we don't lean toward the tofu side of life. We'll try it again with chicken, soba noodles, more veggies...

Cheryl, Denver, CO

I made this last night and really enjoyed it. I use naturally brewed Japanese soy which has no dye (like the super market brands) therefore it did not discolor the dish. I agree with a couple of the previous posters - next time I will add more veggies for different texture and I also sauteed and cooked the pork in a non-stick wok with cooking spray and added 1 tsp of the sesame oil in with the soy, vinegar etc. Very tasty.

Melissa, Tucson, AZ

Delicious! Next time i will cook the squash less time, mabe 45 minutes. i did use a bit more ginger. i will definitely make this again.

anneonymous, Colo. Springs, CO

A quick way to cut down on the time is to cook the spaghetti squash in the microwave. Cut in half, scoop out the seeds, lay skin side up on a microwave-safe dish with a little water in it. Depending on the size of the squash, it will take 15-25 minutes max. I haven't tried this yet but I love spaghetti squash (also love the flavor from sesame oil) so I probably will - it sounds good, especially with all the good suggestions.

Jane, East Greenwich, RI

This was superb. Easy prep, 5 min cook time,can't beat it. I agree that some other veggies could be added.

Bruce, Berkley, MI