Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F. Carefully cut the squash in half from top to bottom using a knife and a rolling pin. Watch the video below to see how I safely do this. Scoop out the seeds and save them for roasting and snacking while watching Netflix. Season the inside of the squash with a drizzle of oil and a generous pinch of salt and a few cracks of pepper. Roast on a sheet tray, cut side up, for 60-70 minutes or until the flesh can easily be pierced with a knife. Set aside so the squash can cool a bit.

While the squash is cooking, make the pesto by add the walnuts to a food processor and pulse for 10 seconds. Add the remaining ingredients except the ricotta, pecorino, and olive oil, run the processor until everything is well combined, about 10-15 seconds. With the machine running, slowly add enough olive oil until the mixture is smooth, loose, and creamy. Add the ricotta and pecorino cheese and process another 10 seconds. Turn the machine off and taste the pesto, it might need more cheese or lemon juice. If the consistency is dry, add more oil while the machine is running. Set aside.

Once the squash has cooled a bit, use a fork to rake the surface from top to bottom. Place all the spaghetti strands in a large bowl. Add enough pesto to thoroughly coat the squash and mix well. Finely slice the chile pepper and add that to the spaghetti, or add a pinch of red pepper flakes. Check for seasoning, you will likely need a squeeze of lemon juice and maybe a pinch of salt. Set aside.

For the shrimp, pre-heat a large cast iron pan over medium-high heat for 2 minutes with 2 teaspoons of oil. Make sure the shrimp are very dry, otherwise pat dry with paper towels, and season half of the shrimp with ½ teaspoon oil, a nice pinch of salt, and a few cracks of pepper. Cook the shrimp for 2 minutes on the first side, flip, and only cook 1-2 minutes on the second side. Remove shrimp from pan, season the second batch and cook them. Overcooked shrimp are rubbery and taste like crap, make sure not to do that.

Serve the squash pesto with the shrimp and enjoy! The squash pesto will last in the fridge for 5 days, but can’t be frozen and the shrimp will last for 3 days in the fridge. Make more shrimp on day 3 or freeze some, although I don’t like frozen shrimp, they get rubbery. The best way to reheat the squash pesto and shrimp is in a hot non-stick pan for a few minutes, otherwise cover the container with a wet paper towel and gently reheat in the microwave, making sure not to overcook the shrimp.