Below you will find an easy tutorial with photos on how to roast spaghetti squash, PLUS recipe ideas for serving your roasted spaghetti squash noodles.
Would you believe me if I told you one of the meals I crave the most is a steamy bowl of spaghetti squash with some fresh pesto sauce, chicken and parmesan cheese? I know, it may sound odd, but this is my idea of a perfectly comforting meal.
During the fall and winter months, I find myself craving pasta in all forms, and love the idea of re-creating my favorite hearty pasta dishes using spaghetti squash in place of noodles. It’s a lower-carb, healthier option, plus I wake up the next morning feeling great instead of heavy and weighted down.
My first attempt at spaghetti squash was one of confusion and didn’t turn out all that great if I am being truly honest, but after get to understand the mechanics of the squash, it’s now one of the easiest and my favourite things to make!
The first time I roasted a spaghetti squash a year back and I was unsure of how to actually get into the squash. Eventually I did and of course, once I ate it, I was like, “ this is DELICIOUS!…but it doesn’t really taste like spaghetti.” Because it doesn’t. In fact, it’s not even really close to an authentic noodle, but it turns out I like the flavour of it better and find myself craving it.
I decided if I had trouble figuring out how to get into the spaghetti squash, there had to be others in the same boat. For that reason, here is a little tutorial – hopefully you find it helpful!
So let’s jump right on in…. Stay tuned at the end of this post for ideas on how to serve your spaghetti squash noodles.
How to Roast Spaghetti Squash
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grab your spaghetti squash and chop off the tip and tail.
Stand the squash upright on a cutting board. Use a sharp knife, as dull knives likely won’t be able to get the job done. Allow gravity to help you cut from top to bottom and be very careful while cutting – don’t force it! You will be halving it length-wise.
Scoop out the middle and seeds using a metal spoon. Get the spoon as close to the flesh as possible while you’re scooping so that the innards release easily.
Coat the flesh with olive oil and use your hands to smooth the oil over the full surface of the flesh. Sprinkle salt and pepper over each half.
Place both halves cut-side down on a baking sheet.
Roast for 40 to 50 minutes, or until the flesh is very tender when poked with a fork. Note: You can adjust the bake time according to your personal taste – roasting the squash for less time will result in al dente “noodles.”
Using a fork, gently scrape the flesh, releasing strings of squash.
Okay, now we have our spaghetti squash “noodles” …. what should you do with them?? You can serve spaghetti squash with your favorite sauce and parmesan cheese, or try one of my favorite recipes – Roasted Garlic and Kale Spaghetti Squash with Shrimp. Believe me it wont disappoint.
Comment below if you give it a try and let me know if spaghetti squash is something you would use for a pasta substitution.
How To Roast Spaghetti Squash
Ingredients
- 1 Medium Spaghetti squash
- 1 Tbsp Olive oil
- Salt & Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Chop the tip and the tail off of the spaghetti squash, cut it in half length-wise, and scoop the seeds out of each half.
- Rub about a tablespoon of olive oil over the flesh of each half. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Place the squash cut-side down on a baking sheet.
- Roast the squash for 35 to 50 minutes or until the flesh is tender. Note: For crunchy noodles, roast for 35 minutes. For al dente noodles, roast for 40-45. For tender noodles, roast for 50 to 55 minutes.
- When the squash is cool enough to handle, use a fork to gently scrape the flesh, releasing spaghetti-like stands. Do this until both halves of the spaghetti squash are scraped clean and place the “spaghetti” into a large serving bowl.
- Serve spaghetti squash with your favorite sauce and cheese.