While pasta is a cheap and easy part of any meal you can swap it out for spaghetti squash for a healthier alternative for you and your family. Spaghetti squash is easy to find in the grocery stores but I find a lot of people are unfamiliar with it and are not sure how to cook spaghetti squash. I promise it is easy to make and delicious! Today I will show you how to cook spaghetti squash plus a bonus recipe of spaghetti squash with spicy tomato sauce.
While it is not the same taste and texture as pasta, it does look a lot like pasta once cooked. Because of the look of the cooked squash it is often used as a substitute for pasta and kids especially love this.
Nutritionally a cup of spaghetti squash has only about 40 calories compared to about 200 calories in a cup of traditional pasta. If you are watching your carbs there are about 10 grams of carbs in a cup of spaghetti squash while regular spaghetti has about 70 grams. If you are eating gluten free then spaghetti squash is a great way to go.
Spaghetti squash comes in a few varieties but most commonly you will find them looking like this (above) – light yellow and oblong. They are very firm just like other squash and they keep for quite some time. You can cook spaghetti squash in many ways like boiling, microwaving and roasting in an oven – I prefer roasting as I think it brings out the best flavor.
Preheat the oven to 400° F. Then prepare the spaghetti squash for the oven.
Because spaghetti squash is so firm you will need a sharp knife to cut through it. I prefer cutting them in half lengthwise. Start with the tip of your knife going in to get a starter slit and then you can lay the knife down more to cut all the way through the spaghetti squash.
After you slice the spaghetti squash open, place the cut side face down and use your knife or a fork to poke a few slits into the skin before cooking.
The inside of spaghetti squash has lot of seeds and pulp in the center once you cut it open. Use a metal spoon to clean the seeds and pulp out and discard, leaving just the firm flesh.
After cleaning out the inside give a very light drizzle of olive oil and a bit of salt and black pepper. Go easy on the oil because spaghetti squash is a bit wet even after cooking.
Place the spaghetti squash on a sheet pan, cut side down, and roast for 30-40 minutes at 400° F. I see a lot of people saying to cook for an hour or more but I find that just tends to overcook and the squash ends up mushy. The actual cooking time will vary based on the size of the squash.
Once the spaghetti squash is cooked it will look just a little darker. From the outside you will be able to squish the skin as well. A fork will easily poke the inner flesh when cooked.
Turn the spaghetti squash cut side up and let cool a bit after it comes out of the oven. About 10-15 minutes resting time. This will make it so you can hold onto the squash when you go to shred it.
Hold the spaghetti squash with one hand and use a fork in the other hand to shred the flesh into strands. This happens very easily. Once you get to the bottom you might have to use a tiny bit more force but if cooked thru it will still be easy to shred.
You can leave the strands of the spaghetti squash in the skin and serve that way or remove to a dish, your choice. Season with more salt and pepper to taste.
If you have leftover spaghetti squash it will keep, in a sealed container, in the fridge for about 3 days. They say you can freeze it also, but I have not tried that myself.
The first way I tried spaghetti squash was with my regular pasta sauce. It is still the favorite of mine although I found that I like a spicier version of tomato sauce to top the spaghetti squash. You could of course use a store bought jarred sauce if you like, but here is my super simple spicy tomato sauce recipe for you to try.
Spicy Tomato Sauce
Again, this is an easy and quick tomato sauce to make that is perfect to top your spaghetti squash. It will cook in the same time it takes for the spaghetti squash to be roasting in the oven even so everything will be done at once.
Like all good sauces, start out by chopping your onions and garlic. You want a fairly small chop on both of these for this spicy tomato sauce.
Heat up a bit of olive oil and then add your onions. Sauté for a minute or two. Now add your chopped garlic in with the onions. Continue to sauté for another couple of minutes.
Add your tomato paste to the same skillet with the sautéed onions and garlic in a little clear spot in the center of the pan. Stir around in that spot for a minute or so to cook out the raw taste. Then stir in with the onions and garlic.
Now comes the spicy part! Add in your crushed red pepper flakes. If you are unsure of the heat level you can handle then just add half or so at this point. It won’t hurt to add more in later if you want it spicier.
Turn the heat down and then add your large can of crushed tomatoes. Make sure you stir right away if the pan is still hot because it will start to bubble up and pop all over right away and hot tomato sauce gets everywhere. You could use petite diced tomatoes here also if you want a little more texture to your finished sauce.
Finally, add in your Italian seasoning and red wine vinegar (or wine if you prefer). Let this all simmer, stirring regularly, and then taste and adjust salt and black pepper. This is where you could also add in more crushed red pepper flakes if you want it spicier. Keep it on low and just let it do its thing while you finish up your spaghetti squash.
Once your spaghetti squash is shredded simply spoon your sauce over the top and enjoy!
You could obviously use this sauce on things other than spaghetti squash too. It is great on regular pasta, chicken, or even as a pizza sauce. You can see I also made some chicken this night and the sauce was great to dip that in a bit as I ate dinner. You can also freeze the sauce if you make extra.
So have you cooked spaghetti squash yourself before? How do you prepare it? What do you serve it with? Do you think you will try this recipe of Spaghetti Sauce with Spicy Tomato Sauce?
Spaghetti Squash with Spicy Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
Spaghetti Squash
- 1 spaghetti squash
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper, to taste
Spicy Tomato Sauce
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small white onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 28 oz crushed tomatoes (or petite diced tomatoes)
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Spaghetti Squash
- Preheat oven to 400 F
- Slice spaghetti squash in half, lengthwise. Place cut side down and pierce skin several times with knife or fork. Turn over so cut side is up and use a spoon to scoop out seeds and pulp from center of squash. Discard seeds and pulp.
- Season cut side of spaghetti squash with olive oil, salt and pepper.
- Place cut side down on baking sheet.. Bake in preheated oven for 30-40 minutes until inside is tender.
- While spaghetti squash is in the oven, prepare and cook the Spicy Tomato Sauce (see below)
- Remove from oven. Turn cut side up. Let cool for 10-15 minutes. Use fork to shred inside of spaghetti squash into strands.
- Season, as needed, with additional salt and pepper.
Spicy Tomato Sauce
- Chop onion and garlic.
- In skillet, add olive oil and heat. Add chopped onion and sauté for 2 minutes. Add chopped garlic and sauté an additional 2 minutes.
- Make small space in center of pan and add the tomato paste and stir a bit for about 1 minute. Then mix the paste in with the onions and garlic already in the pan. Add crushed red pepper flakes and sauté about 1-2 minutes.
- Turn heat down. Add crushed tomatoes. Stir well. Add Italian seasoning and red wine vinegar. Simmer for 5 minutes. Taste and add salt, black pepper and any additional crushed red pepper flakes to taste. Continue to simmer on low for about 15-20 minutes or until the spaghetti squash is ready.
- Spoon finished sauce on top of the spaghetti squash. Serve.
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