Spaghetti Squash Bridge Salad

How does one accidentally buy spaghetti squash?

That’s the question I’ve been asking myself for weeks.

After a recent buying frenzy at a local farmers’ market, I emptied my bag to find not one, not two, but three spaghetti squashes. And here’s the thing: I didn’t intend to buy any. Delicatas? Yes. Butternuts? Yes. Acorns? Yes.

Spaghettis? Uh uh. And not just one variety, but two: the common yellow, and one funky Stripetti variety (which I’m kind of glad about in retrospect, but still. Where was SoupAddict’s head through all this?)

Working my way through these squashes meant coming up with something other than spaghetti-spaghetti squash. In SoupAddict’s world, spaghetti is a fast, comfort-food meal, and having to pause to roast the “spaghetti” first completely defeats its Calgon-take-me-away mission.

If I were more paranoid, I’d suspect that squash were plotting to take over the world, one household at a time. “You three: get in that bag! Infiltrate and report back!”

Sometime later, the same market that unleashed their scout squashes on me included a recipe in its weekly newsletter featuring … spaghetti squash. Velly intarestingk [taps fingertips]

No, seriously, it was. Really! Instead of drowning the squash strands in tomato sauce, some clever person tried a lighter version of “pasta” salad by simply using fresh vegetables and a light dressing. It really works.

I’m still making this salad, in fact, and I love it because it’s been a sort of transitional dish — a bridge, if you will — between summer and fall produce. It’s October, but my garden is still pumping out plenty of summer tomatoes, cukes, celery, carrots and peppers, and this salad helps me abide by my strict no-waste rules.

If you still have access to summer vegetables, I hope you’ll give this a try – it’s a light, refreshing side or satisfying lunch alongside a toasty baguette.

In the meantime, SoupAddict is keeping a tighter grip on her market bag. No more scout squashes!