Here are all the best spaghetti squash recipes! Everyone’s favorite vegetable can be made into everything from lasagna to pad Thai.
What’s more fun than squash masquerading as pasta? Cooking spaghetti squash and scraping it into long, luxurious noodles seems like a trick invented by a clever marketer. But of course it’s all due to good old Mother Nature! Everyone’s favorite squash can be made into so many different things: mac and cheese, pad Thai, and spaghetti with marinara. And at its best: it’s a simple side dish. Here are our favorite spaghetti squash recipes: plus a little background info on this popular fall vegetable.
How to cut spaghetti squash
While most people think they know the right way to cut spaghetti squash: there’s actually a trick to it! Cutting it width-wise actually makes for the longest, most luxurious noodles. Here’s a video Alex made that shows you exactly how to cut it!
Spaghetti squash nutrition
As you might guess from its bright yellow color, spaghetti squash is full of nutrients. According to the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, squash is full of beta carotene, protein, Vitamin C & B6, potassium, and fiber. While there are no studies to cite on specific health benefits of spaghetti squash, here’s what we can say! A diet rich in vegetables and fruits can reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke, prevent some types of cancer, and have a positive effect on blood sugar to keep your appetite in check.
Sounds pretty good to us. Ready to get cooking?
And now… our top spaghetti squash recipes!
Here’s an easy spaghetti squash recipe that we’ve been making often as a healthy side dish. The tender squash noodles are swirled with basil pesto and doused with fluffy grated Parmesan. WOW! I announced after my first bite. And we hope you will too! (Side note: Kids love it.) You can make this in the oven or pressure cooker: and you’re going to want to make it all the time.
Meet your new favorite dream-boat spaghetti squash recipe: baked Spaghetti Squash Lasagna! This delicious no-noodle spin on the classic so satisfying, you’ll find yourself dreaming about the next time you get to eat it. It’s naturally gluten-free yet cheesy enough that you won’t miss the noodles. Mix those squash noodles with ricotta and Parmesan, then bake them with marinara and gooey mozzarella on top.
An incredibly delicious spaghetti squash recipe? Spaghetti squash spaghetti! Roast up the squash (or cook it in the Instant Pot!). Then saute it with garlic and herbs to up the Italian flavors. To serve, douse it in your very favorite marinara sauce! Add a generous sprinkling of Parmesan cheese (or vegan Parm) and it's a tasty side dish! To make it filling enough for a main dish, add lentils, meat, or vegan meatballs or another side of hearty plant based protein.
This casserole is an Italian style spin on the traditional, featuring basil pesto, sundried tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and Parmesan cheese. It’s seriously hearty and satisfying. Serve it as a vegetarian main dish with a few sides (like these?), or as a showy side dish when entertaining or for a pitch in.
One of our most popular spaghetti squash recipes is this spaghetti squash pad Thai! It's just like your favorite Thai takeout, but using spaghetti squash for the noodles instead. It's got a tangy, zesty sauce, lots of crunchy veggies, and is topped with peanuts and lots of cilantro.
This mac and cheese recipe is just as comforting and homey as it sounds. The spaghetti squash noodles are mixed with a creamy cheesy Béchamel sauce made with Gruyere cheese, a pinch of nutmeg and a dash of white wine. It sounds fancy, but at its core: it's comfort food at its finest. Roasting or pressure cooking spaghetti squash transforms its interior into long, slender "noodles." You can even use the squash shell as a serving dish!
Here's the right way to roast spaghetti squash! This trick makes for the longest, most luxurious spaghetti squash noodles. What's the secret? Cutting the squash in half width-wise instead of lengthwise makes for longer noodles. Head over for the full method!
This Instant Pot spaghetti squash recipe is done in less than 30 minutes! And the cook time is only 8 minutes. That's game changing in our book, since the roasting method takes over 1 hour to cook. Because of the Instant Pot method, we've been cooking up spaghetti squash more than ever in our house! Head over for our easy method.
Pesto Roasted Spaghetti Squash Recipe
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
This easy roasted spaghetti squash recipe dresses up the squash “noodles” with pesto and Parmesan cheese!
Ingredients
- 1 medium squash (about 3 pounds)
- ⅓ cup basil pesto (homemade, vegan, or purchased)
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more to serve (or vegan Parmesan)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Farenheit.
- Using a small sharp paring knife, cut the spaghetti squash around the middle width-wise (not lengthwise!). To cut, pierce the knife into the squash and swing down, making small slices around the squash until it breaks in half. Use the knife to cut around the seeds, and then scoop them out with a spoon.
- Rub inside with with about 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Place halves on baking sheet and roast 40 to 55 minutes (depending on the size and freshness of the squash), until tender all the way through when pierced with a fork.
- Allow the squash to cool slightly, then use a fork to scrape out the squash into “spaghetti” strands. Place the noodles in a colander or strainer and rest for 10 minutes to remove any extra moisture.
- In a bowl, combine the pesto, Parmesan, and squash noodles. Toss until well combined. Taste, and add additional salt or pesto as necessary. (Leftovers store in the refrigerator for a few days; you may have to refresh the flavor with additional pesto.)
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Roasted
- Cuisine: Squash
Keywords: Spaghetti Squash Recipes, Roasted Spaghetti Squash Recipe
More with squash
Love butternut squash? Found an acorn squash but no spaghetti squash at your market? Here are some resources for other types of squash:
- Butternut Squash Risotto
- Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup
- Roasted Delicata Squash Fries
- Stuffed Delicata Squash Recipe
- Delicata Squash Recipe with Black Bean Stuffing
- Stuffed Acorn Squash
- Curried Acorn Squash Soup
- 8 Cozy Butternut Squash Recipes
- Best Acorn Squash Recipes
Last updated: November 2020
