Oven Roasted Spaghetti Squash

Oven-roasted spaghetti squash has a mild, slightly sweet flavor with a subtle nuttiness. The flesh of the unique winter vegetable has long strands that look like spaghetti.

With a delicate balance of nutty and subtly sweet flavors, the spaghetti-like strands are easy to roast, tasty, and suitable for low-carb dairy-free, gluten-free, and vegan diets.

Spaghetti Squash is my favorite grain-free substitute for pasta. A bowl of spaghetti squash is comforting and so delicious. It has a slightly longer cooking time than pasta, but it's always worth the wait.

Jump to:

• Why You'll Love This Recipe
• How to Choose Spaghetti Squash at the Grocery Store
• What You Need
• How to Oven Roast Spaghetti Squash
• Serving Suggestions
• Leftovers and Storage
• Conclusion
• More Roasted Vegetable Recipes
• "📖 Recipe"

Why You'll Love This Recipe

Roasted spaghetti squash is an easy dish to incorporate into your menus. Its long strands look like spaghetti and you can make all kinds of savory dishes with it.

High in fiber and beta-carotene, spaghetti squash is also a low-carb and gluten-free food. If you're on a Paleo or Kaufmann anti-candida diet, the low-sugar vegetable is the perfect base for any of your meals.

Spaghetti squash can be dressed with marinara sauce, chopped mixed vegetables, sauteed chicken breasts, or a fresh piece of fish. My favorite topping is Kerrygold butter and flaky sea salt.

For a sweet holiday dish, dress the squash with brown butter, raisins, and a little cinnamon sugar.

How to Choose Spaghetti Squash at the Grocery Store

1. Depending on where you shop, the skin will be pale or bright yellow. It should feel hard and free from soft spots and dents or bruises.
2. Choose a medium-sized spaghetti squash, 3 to 5 pounds.
3. A good spaghetti squash will feel heavy for its size.
4. Tap the squash lightly. Ripe spaghetti squash will make a hollow sound, similar to tapping a watermelon.

When you get your squash home, store it in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight. You can store it for several weeks.

What You Need

1. Spaghetti squash
2. Olive oil or you can sub avocado oil, butter, or ghee.
3. Salt. Use clean sea salt, pink salt, or Celtic salt.
4. Freshly ground pepper

How to Oven Roast Spaghetti Squash

• Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
• Rinse the outside of the squash with water to remove dust and debris. 
• Next, place the squash on a cutting board. With a sharp chef’s knife, cut the squash in half lengthwise. 
• Scoop out the spaghetti squash seeds and loose fibers.
• Place the squash on a sheet pan covered with parchment paper.
• Season the cut squash halves with a little olive oil. Sprinkle salt, and freshly ground pepper over the flesh.
• Place the spaghetti squash halves, cut side down, on the parchment paper. Pierce the skin of the squash with the tines of a fork several times. Place the pan in the center of the oven and set a timer for 30 minutes. Roast until fork tender and golden brown. 

Serving Suggestions

For a main course, figure one-half squash per person. Depending on the size of the squash, you can serve one squash to 4-6 people.

Seasoning baked spaghetti squash is easy. The easiest topping is butter, salt, and cracked pepper.

For a main course, you can top your spaghetti squash with marinara sauce, a little ricotta, and parmesan cheese to simulate pasta.

Pair spaghetti squash with your favorite dishes such as Grilled Chicken, Roasted Snapper, and Roasted Chicken.

You can layer Blackened Shrimp with Butter Sauce over a bed of roasted spaghetti squash. The butter sauce seasons the squash and it tastes great!

Leftovers and Storage

Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. You can freeze leftovers in freezer-safe bags for up to two months.

Conclusion

Cooking spaghetti squash is easy and if you haven't had it before, you will see how satisfying and filling it is. 

You can make healthy baked Italian squash dishes substituting spaghetti and ziti with the squash.

Whether you choose to toss it in a marinara sauce or sauté cooked spaghetti squash with meatballs, the best roasted spaghetti squash is made in your own kitchen with high-quality ingredients.

More Roasted Vegetable Recipes

There are many ways to cook spaghetti squash and my family loves it roasted in the oven. Try these recipes for broccoli, cauliflower, peppers, garlic and more.

• Paleo Whipped Sweet Potatoes
• Roasted Garlic
• Roasted Asparagus
• Roasted Baby Eggplant Poppers
• The Best Roasted Sweet Potatoes
• Oven Roasted Bell Peppers
• Oven Roasted Cauliflower and Carrots
• Roasted Broccoli and Carrots
• Crispy Oven Roasted Broccoli and Garlic

"📖 Recipe"