I absolutely love spaghetti squash! It is healthy, tasty, and surprisingly easy to make if you know what you are doing!
Today we are going to tell you all of our best tips and tricks for cooking spaghetti squash. We are going to start off by answering some of the questions we get asked most frequently about spaghetti squash, then we will move on to a step-by-step tutorial for roasting spaghetti squash in the oven. If you are primarily interested in our tutorial, feel free to skip ahead to the tutorial section!
Spaghetti squash Q&A
Cooking spaghetti squash
How do you prepare spaghetti squash?
Before you roast a spaghetti squash in the oven, you should prepare it by cutting it in half and scooping out the seeds. Spaghetti squash has seeds and stringy bits of flesh that surround the seeds just like pumpkins do. You should scoop the seeds out with a spoon and set them to the side. You can roast spaghetti squash seeds and eat them if you like, but that’s a topic for another day.
How do you cut spaghetti squash?
I recommend poking a few holes in a spaghetti squash and microwaving it for 3-4 minutes before you cut it. This will soften the skin without cooking it too much. I recommend cutting spaghetti squash with a serrated knife using a sawing motion. The flesh of spaghetti squash is dense and fibrous so it is not as easy to slice through with a chef’s knife as something like butternut squash. I like to cut the stem and the opposite end off of the spaghetti squash before cutting the spaghetti squash in half. This creates a flat surface that I can rest the squash on to keep it from rolling away.
Be careful when you cut a spaghetti squash. Spaghetti squash has tough flesh that can be difficult to cut through. This compounded with the fact that it is round and bulky and generally not easy to keep in one place, means that accidents can happen.
How do you cook spaghetti squash?
You should cook spaghetti squash in the oven at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes. If you like your spaghetti squash (or spaghetti) al dente then cook it for closer to 30 minutes. The squash should be cut in half and cooked with the flat side down so that water cannot pool inside the squash.
How do you cook spaghetti squash without getting it soggy?
Spaghetti squash can get soggy if pools of water form in the squash while it cooks. If you do not cut the spaghetti squash in half, or if you cook the squash with the flat side up, water will collect in the squash. The spaghetti squash will not get soggy if you cut it in half and cook it with the flat side down. The water will have nowhere to collect.
Is spaghetti squash supposed to be crunchy?
No, spaghetti squash is not supposed to be crunchy when it has been cooked. Spaghetti squash is crunchy when it is undercooked. If your spaghetti squash is crunchy that means it needs to be cooked for a longer period of time.
Nutrition and health benefits of spaghetti squash
Is spaghetti squash healthy?
Yes, spaghetti squash is very healthy. Spaghetti squash is lower in calories and higher in nutrients than standard spaghetti. It has a high fiber content that makes you feel full faster. Spaghetti squash is also high in vitamin C, manganese, vitamin b6, and potassium.
Is spaghetti squash a good carb?
Yes, spaghetti squash is a good carb. Spaghetti squash is a low calorie food that is high in dietary fiber. It also contains key vitamins and minerals such as vitamin c.
Is spaghetti squash keto friendly?
Spaghetti squash can be keto friendly depending on how strict you are with your carb intake. A one cup serving of spaghetti squash contains 10 grams of carbs. If you stick to 50 grams of carbs a day, eating spaghetti squash is very doable. If you try to stay under 20 grams of carbs a day, it will be more difficult to incorporate spaghetti squash into your diet.
Is spaghetti squash paleo?
Yes, you can eat spaghetti squash on a paleo diet. Spaghetti squash is a vegetable that could naturally be obtained by humans in the wild.
Serving spaghetti squash
Is spaghetti squash a good substitute for pasta?
Spaghetti squash is a great substitute for pasta if you are looking for something that is healthier than standard pasta and easier to make than other vegetable noodles. With spaghetti squash, there is no need for a spiralizer. The texture of spaghetti squash is great and it holds up well in saucy dishes.
Does spaghetti squash really taste like pasta?
Spaghetti squash does not taste exactly the same as pasta, but you might not even be able to tell the difference depending on what sauce you use. The natural flavor of spaghetti squash is sweeter than that of pasta, but if you use a strong acidic sauce like tomato sauce then the sweetness will be masked.
What does cooked spaghetti squash taste like?
Spaghetti squash has a naturally sweet flavor. The longer you cook spaghetti squash, the more prominent this flavor becomes. If you serve your spaghetti squash al dente the flavor is very mild, but if you cook it longer it becomes very sweet.
What sauce goes well on spaghetti squash?
Spaghetti squash has a naturally sweet flavor so it goes well with sauces that are acidic. Tomato sauce, white wine sauce, and lemon garlic sauce all go well with spaghetti squash. You could also opt for a sauce that has both creamy and acidic elements like a pink sauce that borrows elements from both tomato sauce and alfredo sauce.
Miscellaneous
How do you cut spaghetti squash for long strands?
Cutting spaghetti squash into long strands is easy if you know what you are doing. You should grab a fork and place it along the top edge of the spaghetti squash then drag it down into the bowl of the spaghetti squash. This will produce long strands because you are cutting in the natural direction of the strands. If you do not cut in the natural direction of the spaghetti squash strands you will risk cutting the strands in half. Refer to the photo tutorial if you need any clarification.
Can you use regular squash as spaghetti squash?
The short answer is no, you cannot use a regular squash as spaghetti squash. Spaghetti squash is unique in that it’s flesh falls away in stringy spaghetti-like strands when it is cooked. Making spaghetti squash requires no special tools other than a fork or spoon to scoop the flesh out of the squash.
You can make noodles with other kinds of squash such as butternut squash, but that is an entirely different process. To make noodles from other kinds of squash you need a spiralizer that can coerce the flesh into a noodle shape.
Spaghetti squash cooking tutorial
How to make spaghetti squash
Ingredients
- 1 spaghetti squash
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Poke holes in the spaghetti squash with a fork and microwave it for 3-4 minutes to soften the skin
- Cut the spaghetti squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Watch out for any steam that might have formed inside of the spaghetti squash when it was microwaved. Brush the inside of the spaghetti squash with olive oil and sprinkle it with salt
- Bake the spaghetti squash at 400 for 30 minutes with the flat side down
- Use a fork to scrape out the flesh. Start with the fork at the outer rim of the squash and drag it vertically down into the bowl of the squash as pictured. Watch out for any steam trapped under the spaghetti squash that might be released when you flip it
References
The nutrition information we provide in this article was sourced from webmd.
Other articles you might like
If you liked this article on how to cook spaghetti squash, you might also like our article on how to cook butternut squash. This article contains everything you need to know on how to prepare, cook, and serve butternut squash.
Other recipes you might like
If you are looking for recipes that use spaghetti squash – look no further! Our lemon garlic spaghetti squash recipe is gluten free, vegan, paleo, and keto friendly!
