Updated 10.10.25
What makes spaghetti squash so appealing is the mix of comfort and freshness. It has that cozy, satisfying feel of something roasted, but it still keeps the dish feeling light. It works beautifully with butter, tomato sauce, pesto, browned sausage, or simply a little olive oil and Parmesan.
Spaghetti squash are relatively bland to slightly sweet in taste and as the name indicates, they are a perfect alternative to the traditional spaghetti pasta. The big difference tough is the nutritional value; spaghetti squashes are very low in calories and the orange variety is high in beta carotene. Furthermore, these vegetables are as good source of fiber, vitamin A, folic acid and potassium.
The hardest part for many people is not the cooking but the cutting. A large winter squash can feel awkward to handle, so knowing how to cut it safely and cook it properly takes away a lot of the intimidation. Once you get the hang of it, spaghetti squash becomes an easy, dependable option for colder months.
How to Cut Spaghetti Squash
Step 1A – Cut the spaghetti squash lengthwise. This will give you a large surface to showcase your sauce/filling. It may be a little harder to do, as the squash may be longer than your knife.
If you want to be really careful, cut off the top first and then cut the squash in half.
Step 1B – Alternatively, you can cut a spaghetti squash crosswise. If you’re going to serve the squash strands separate from the squash, the crosswise cut is the way to go. In order to stabilize the squash, cut a thin slice off the top and the bottom.
Cutting the squash crosswise gives you longer strands as well.
Step 1C – The third way is to cut the squash in slices, crosswise. Cut the top and bottom off and cut the squash in slices of approx. 2 inches.
Step 2A – With a spoon, scoop the seeds and the strands that hold the seeds. You end up with a nice clean inside.
Step 2B – The procedure is the same, whatever way you cut the squash. You’ll end up with a nice clean inside.
Step 2C – Also in case of slices, scoop all seeds and strands out. In this case you’ll end up with a ring.
How to Cook Spaghetti Squash
Step 3 – Drizzle the insides lightly with olive oil and use your fingers to spread it over the inside and the cut perimeter. Spread oil on both sided of the rings. You won’t need a lot. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Feel free to use spices you like.
Step 4 – Turn the squash halves over, cut side down on a baking dish, lined with parchment paper. No need to rub with olive oil or to poke holes in the skin.
Bake in a 375 degrees F oven for about 30-35 minutes.
For the rings, both sides are cut side. So bake them and turn them half way through the baking time. Cooking time is around 20-25 minutes.
Don’t cook them too long, as they may become mussy. A little bit of bite to the spaghetti strands is more tasteful.
Step 5 – This is the fun part. Once the squash halves are done, turn them over. Now you have two choices
- With a fork, scrape/scoop out the strands, the spaghetti. Transfer the squash spaghetti in a bowl or plate and mix with a sauce.
- Fill the squash halves with your filling or sauce and serve as such. When you want to serve the filled squash rings, first loosen some of the strands, so they can serve as a ‘bottom’ that holds the filling (or at least most of it), and transfer the filling on top. Then use a spatula to transfer the rings onto a plate.
Depending on your recipe, spaghetti squash can be a breakfast, lunch, a side dish or a main course.
Recipes with Spaghetti Squash to Try
How to Cut & Cook Spaghetti Squash
Materials
- 1 spaghetti squash
- olive oil
- salt & pepper
Instructions
- Cut the spaghetti squash. You can do this lengthwise, crosswise or in slices/rings. (NOTE 1)
- With a spoon, scoop the seeds and the strands that hold the seeds. You'll end up with a clean inside or with no center (in case of the slices).
- Drizzle the insides lightly with olive oil and use your fingers to spread it out all over the inside and over the cut perimeter. You will not need a lot. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Rub oil and spices on both sides of the rings. Use spices if you prefer.
- Turn the squash halves over, cut side down on a baking dish, lined with parchment paper. (NOTE 2) When you have squash rings, you have 2 cut sides.
- Bake in a 375 degrees F oven for about 30-35 minutes. Cook the squash rings about 20-25 minutes and turn half way through your cooking time. Don’t cook them too long, as they may become mussy. (NOTE 3)
- Once the squash is done, turn them over. You have 2 choices:
- a. With a fork, scrape/scoop out the strands, the spaghetti. Transfer the squash spaghetti in a bowl or plate and mix with a sauce.b. Fill the squash halves with your filling or sauce and serve as such. When you want to serve filled rings, first loosen some of the strands, so they can serve as a ‘bottom’ that holds the filling (or at least most of it), and transfer the filling on top. Then use a spatula to transfer the slices onto a plate.
Notes
- Cutting the squash lengthwise will give you a larger surface to showcase your sauce/filling, but the cut is a little harder to do. If you’re going to serve you dish outside the squash, I would selected the easier way to cut (crosswise).
- No need to rub with olive oil or to poke holes in the skin.
- When you cook spaghetti squash too long, the strands/spaghetti becomes mushy. It is far more enjoyable when you cook them ‘al dente’, so there is some bite left.