If ever there was a “fun” vegetable, it would be spaghetti squash. I enjoy serving it to anyone who has never tried it, as everyone seems amused by its spaghetti-like appearance.

Serves: 6

• 1 large spaghetti squash
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium red onion, halved and sliced
• 2 cups diced fresh tomato, or one 16-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon good-quality curry powder, or more to taste
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1 1/2 cups thawed frozen green peas
• 1/2 cup slivered toasted almonds

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the squash in half lengthwise; remove the stem and seeds. Place, cut side up, in a casserole dish with l/2 inch of water. Cover tightly with foil and bake until easily pierced with a fork, about 40 to 45 minutes. When the squash is cool enough to handle, scrape it lengthwise with a fork to release the spaghetti-like strands. If you have children, let them do the scraping—they have a blast doing it.

Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and sauté over moderate heat until golden. Add the tomatoes, ginger, basil, nutmeg, and curry powder, then stir in the squash. Simmer over low heat, covered, for 10 minutes, stirring occasion ally. Season to taste with salt and pepper. This dish may be made ahead of time up to this point.

Just before serving, add the peas and parsley and heat through. Take care not to overcook, so that the peas don’t lose their bright color. Transfer to a serving container and scatter the almonds over the top. Serve at once.

•  Here are more recipes using healthy lentils and peas. ^[1]