Spaghetti Squash
Spaghetti squash is a large winter squash with a unique attribute: when cooked, the flesh separates into strands that are similar to spaghetti noodles!
What is spaghetti squash?
Sometimes called vegetable spaghetti, they are a large squash that is grown on the ground. While most in the US are a vibrant shade of yellow, you can also find them in ivory or bright orange.
How to Serve Spaghetti Squash
You can eat it plain, but it is very watery and doesn’t have a ton of flavor, which makes it the perfect blank slate.
I like it simple with just butter, cheese, salt and pepper, but you can also top it with your favorite pasta sauces like marinara, alfredo or even fra diavolo.
I’ve tried to make it into carbonara, but failed miserably since you need the hot pasta to make the sauce and it is hard to get the squash to that temperature.
How to Cook Spaghetti Squash
Spaghetti squash can be roasted or microwaved for best results. I like the flavor attached to roasting. You can cook it whole or cut it in half before roasting which will cut down cooking time and also give a slight caramelized flavor.
The recipe below is for basic roast spaghetti squash for which you need a handful of ingredients:
- 1 spaghetti squash
- butter
- large flaky salt (such as Maldon)
- Freshly ground pepper
- Shredded parmesan cheese
How to Cook Spaghetti Squash in the Oven
Preheat the oven and poke the outside of the spaghetti squash all over with a fork.
Place the squash in a roasting pan with 1 cup water in the bottom.
Bake for 60-90 minutes, which will depend on the size of the squash. You should be able to easily pierce it with a fork.
Remove and cut in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds.
Use a fork to scrape up the strands of flesh. Place it back into the spaghetti squash, like a boat, and then top each half evenly with butter, salt and pepper.
Shredded cheese is optional. I like a hard aged Parmesan, but you can use any you’d like.
How to Cook Spaghetti Squash in the Microwave
Prepare the squash the same and place in a microwave safe bowl or pan with water. Cook on high for 5 minutes.
Poke it to test the softness, then continue to cook at 2 minute increments until super soft to pierce. A medium squash will take 8-10 minutes.
Spaghetti squash are pretty large and have a lot of flesh. A large will weigh 3-4 pounds and yield about 6-8 cups of cooked, loosely packed squash.
This sounds like a lot, but be mindful it is mostly water and not very filling, so you might eat more of it than actual pasta.
