Years in the past a neighbor gave me a packet of spaghetti squash seeds. Since I nonetheless had loads of room in my backyard among the many butternut squash and zucchini vegetation, I made a decision to plant a number of of the seeds. Later that summer season, I discovered myself with a bumper crop of spaghetti squash. The irony was that I’d by no means ready (or eaten) one in my life so I had some studying to do. After some trial and error I lastly settled on the right methodology for cooking this extremely versatile and nutritious winter squash which could be a scrumptious low-carb stand-in for pasta in your favourite recipes or you may serve these tender, spaghetti-like strands as a easy facet dish with further virgin olive oil and herbs or toss them right into a pizza-inspired dish that the entire household will love.
Recipe Highlights
Baking spaghetti squash within the oven is surprisingly straightforward to do and also you get nice outcomes each time. You can too steam it in your Immediate Pot however that is by far my favourite approach to prepare dinner spaghetti squash as a result of the sides get a bit caramelized and it’s much less watery than if you use the steaming or boiling methodology. The toughest half is reducing the squash however I’ve some nice ideas beneath to assist make that simpler too.
Vitamin Highlight
Spaghetti squash is of course gluten-free and has a gentle, nutty taste that’s scrumptious by itself nevertheless it’s additionally scrumptious in this flavor-packed dish or topped with meatballs and your favourite marinara sauce. It has a powerful diet profile together with being:
- A great supply of fiber
- Low calorie
- Low carbohydrate
- A great supply of pantothenic acid (a B vitamin)
- Wealthy in antioxidants resembling beta carotene (a precursor to vitamin A) and vitamin C
- Saturated fats-free
- Naturally gluten-free
How To Make Cooked Spaghetti Squash
There are principally 3 methods to prepare dinner spaghetti squash: roast, steam or microwave. Right now I’m sharing with you what I believe is the easiest way to prepare dinner spaghetti squash, which is to roast the squash halves lower facet down within the oven. This provides the sides a pleasant caramelized coloration which provides a little bit of taste.
Step 1 – Put together the squash for reducing. Wash and dry the squash then slice off the highest and backside ends (the stem and blossom ends).
Step 2 – Lower the squash in half lengthwise. Place the squash upright on a reducing board on one of many lower ends then use a big chef’s knife to chop down the center. Make sure you place your hand on high of the squash to carry it regular, being cautious to not lower your self.
That is finest finished with a pointy knife. You could want to put a folded dish towel between your hand and the top of the blade (the place you’ll must additionally apply some stress) to assist information the knife downward by way of the flesh.
Step 3 – Scoop out the seeds and stringy insides. Use a big spoon to scoop out the insides. Sprinkle with salt then place the squash cut-side down on a big baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Step 3 – Bake the squash. Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 40-55 minutes or till fork tender. Baking time will range relying on the dimensions of the spaghetti squash you might be cooking. When the squash is tender, take away the pan from the oven and permit the squash to chill barely.
Step 4 – Launch these scrumptious squash strands. Use a fork to scrape the within of the squash from high to backside to kind lengthy strands of “spaghetti”. Season with further salt and black pepper or high with desired toppings and revel in.
For serving measurement and the whole instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll right down to the recipe card beneath. All of our recipes embody the diet evaluation, itemizing energy (kcals), protein, carbohydrates/carb, fiber, sugar, sodium, ldl cholesterol, and extra per serving.
Tip from Dietitian Stacie
An Even Simpler Means To Lower Squash
To make your squash simpler to chop, I like to recommend inserting your complete spaghetti squash right into a preheated 350°F oven for 10 minutes or microwave it on excessive for five minutes. Permit the squash to chill barely earlier than reducing it.
Scoring the surface of the squash with a pointy paring knife from high to backside on either side earlier than inserting it within the oven or microwave may make it simpler to chop, and also you’ll have a information to comply with when it comes time to chop.
How To Serve
Whereas roasted spaghetti squash is commonly an ingredient in different dishes, it can be served as a facet dish to enrich roasted asparagus, grilled rooster or fish, Italian-style meatballs, and/or roasted veggies with a creamy dairy-free sauce.
Baked spaghetti sauce with a creamy sauce, rooster, bacon, and asparagus pairs excellently with a crisp white wine or glowing water with a slice of lemon or lime.
How To Retailer
Leftover cooked squash might be saved in an hermetic container with a lid within the fridge for as much as 4 days.
For longer storage, place cooled squash into zip-top freezer luggage or different freezer-safe containers and freeze. Thaw partially earlier than utilizing (both within the fridge or by operating the bag beneath heat water), then microwave for 1-2 minutes or till sizzling.
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Recipe
Tips on how to Prepare dinner Spaghetti Squash
Cooking spaghetti squash within the oven produces tender pasta-like strands that may be dressed up for a easy but flavorful facet dish or be utilized in one other recipe.
Prep: 5 minutesPrepare dinner: 35 minutesComplete: 40 minutes
Servings: 1 spaghetti squash 1x
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and put aside.
- Slice each ends from the squash and discard.
- Stand the squash up on one in all its lower ends and use a big chef’s knife to chop the squash in half lengthwise.
- Scoop the seeds and stringy insides out utilizing a big spoon. Sprinkle with salt.
- Place the squash cut-side down on the baking sheet.
- Bake 40-55 minutes or till the squash is tender. Baking time will rely on the dimensions of your squash with bigger squash requiring an extended cooking time.
- Take away the baking sheet from the oven and permit the squash to chill barely.
- Scrape the strands out utilizing a fork. Season with salt and pepper and use as desired.
- Leftovers could also be saved in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 4 days. For longer storage, place cooled spaghetti squash strands in a freezer-safe container with lid or plastic zip-top bag and freeze for as much as 3 months.
- To reheat, thaw spaghetti squash within the fridge in a single day and microwave on excessive for 1-2 minutes or till sizzling.
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Notes
To make your squash simpler to chop, you may place the entire spaghetti squash right into a 350°F oven for 10 minutes or microwave it on excessive for five minutes. Permit the squash to chill barely earlier than reducing. Scoring the surface of the squash with a pointy knife from high to backside on either side earlier than inserting it within the oven or microwave also needs to make it simpler to chop and also you’ll have a information to comply with when it comes time to chop.
Vitamin Data
- Serving Dimension: 1 cup
- Energy: 42
- Fats: 0g
- Sodium: 28mg
- Carbohydrate: 10g
- (Fiber: 2g
- Sugar: 4g)
- Protein: 1g
Dietary
Steadily Requested Questions
Cooking your spaghetti squash simply till al dente will give it a extra pasta-like texture.
An entire spaghetti squash will take about 20 minutes to prepare dinner within the microwave. To take action, place the lower spaghetti squash face down in a glass baking dish with about 1 inch of water. Microwave on excessive for 20 minutes or till you may simply insert a fork into the flesh.
We don’t suggest that you simply prepare dinner your spaghetti squash complete as this may occasionally trigger it to blow up in your oven or microwave because of the buildup of steam inside as it’s cooking. You possibly can, nevertheless, place a complete spaghetti squash in a 350 levels f oven for 10 minutes or microwave for five minutes to assist soften in earlier than reducing in half.
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