How to Cook Spaghetti Squash

How to Cook Spaghetti Squash

The best two ways to cook spaghetti squash are to roast it in the oven or to grill it over the direct heat of a charcoal grill, ideally burning wood briquetes such as eucalyptus.

Spaghetti squash is best when just cooked through, when its thin noodle like strands are easy to scrape out, have a pleasant softness to them but retain a certain degree of firmness. The unique flavor of the vegetable expresses and its nutrient rich, fresh texture makes it perfect to use as a healthy version of thin spaghetti noodles.

The one mistake people make with spaghetti squash is overcook it to such a mushy state that the strands turn into a puree-like mess and the flavor becomes too sweet, more akin to a roasted pie pumpkin. A far cry from the delicious results you can see in the pictures below.

TIP: The younger and the smaller the spaghetti squash, the more tender it is. This makes it easier to cut and the flavor is much fresher.

Cutting Spaghetti Squash for Roasting or Grilling

Always use a non-slip cutting board when cutting the spaghetti squash lengthwise. Placing a lightly moist kitchen towel under the board is helpful if you are going to use a wood board that would otherwise slide around. Additionally, always use a sturdy, sharp chef's knife that can handle the job.

We typically cut it by inserting the tip of the chef's knife in the middle of the spagheti squash and then driving it down all the way from the center towards one end, then turning the vegetable around a hundred and eighty degrees and doing the same on the other side. This manner of cutting creates two near perfect oval halves (sometimes one half is a little larger than the other).

Cutting Tip: If you are new to cutting spaghetti squash the act as described above may feel a bit intimidating. A trick you can use is to slice off the ends on each side, creating flat surfaces, stand it up and cut it in the middle, top to bottom (picture below).

Oven Roasted Spaghetti Squash

To cook spaghetti squash in the oven:

• first cut in halves and use a spoon to scoop out the seeds. Place it face down onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet and roast it for 20 minutes in a pre-heated 425 F oven
• after 20 minutes, take out the spaghetti squash and flip it over, drizzle it with olive oil and season it with salt and pepper; return it to the oven
• bake for an extra 10-15 minutes, until it reaches a softness level where it is easy to separate out the strands with a fork or the tips of metal kitchen tongs, don't overcook it
• allow the halves to cool down a bit and use a fork to scrape out the noodle shaped strands

TIP: If you like roasted pumpkin seeds you will like the roasted seeds of the spaghetti squash. To prepare them separate them from the pulp, rinse them and then scatter them around the two halves you are roasting, directly onto the parchment paper in a single layer, sprinkled with a bit of salt. They will be done when you flip the squash halves after 20 minutes or so and you can remove them from the baking sheet before you return the squash to the oven to complete the cooking.

Grilled Spaghetti Squash

As delicious as roasted spaghetti squash is, the grilled equivalent easily supercedes it in terms of flavor. The char that develops around the edges of the vegetable and the infusion of the flesh by the savory aromas produced by the charcoal wood briquetes elevate the flavor in a very noticeable and enjoyable way.

To grill spaghetti squash:

• cut in halves and scoop out the seeds, prepare a charcoal grill
• grill the halves face down over the direct radiant heat of the charcoals, move to the side of the direct heat zone as needed, you want to observe the edges of each half developing a char and then allow the vegetable to cook through without drying out.
• as the spaghetti squash begins to soften, test to see how easily the strands separate, you may flip it and cook it for a bit longer near the direct radiant heat, until satisfied with the softness
• the total time to grill spaghetti squash is arbitrary and you need to observe the progress to determine when to stop cooking; it depends on how close to the charcoals the grate of the grill is, how large the spaghetti squash, how intense the heat produced by the charcoals
• once the cooked vegetable has cooled down to where you handle it, scrape out the strands and then separate them with two forks, immediately season with salt and pepper and some oilve oil

Spaghetti Squash as Spaghetti Noodles, a Side Dish, or a Salad Base

Spaghetti noodles - spaghetti squash pairs really well with creamy pasta sauces such as the garlic cream sauce shown below or other cream sauce recipes from this list.

Alternatively, you can prepare a fresh, cold olive oil based sauce with the ingredients to taste (more of a dressing). As an idea - we like to smash a couple of anchovies for the umami, add a minced garlic clove, lemon juice, olive oil, red pepper flakes and toss the noodles in that and a bit of grated parmesan cheese - a dreamy base for grilled shrimp in summer!

Salad - the cold noodles, tossed with olive oil and fresh herbs such as thyme or Greek oregano make an excellent base for a variety of salads. Use your imagination and add your favorite ingredients.

One salad we often make is with burrata cheese - it is absolutely delicious, looks spectacular and always elicits sincere compliments from guests we share it with. Below it is pictured with peppered Italian salami added, sliced in thin bands.

Side dish - this is the most obvious way to enjoy spaghetti squash but one idea we would like to offer to your attention is to serve smaller half heads in their own skins as the bowls. You have to be careful while scraping the strands out to not damage the skins, so you can keep the strands within. We love drizzling them with Garlic Butter Sauce and enjoying them with grilled meats.

Storage and Reheating

Spagahetti squash noodles are very easy to store in an airtight container in the refrigerator and can keep well for a couple of days.

When cooking a larger vegetable we often enjoy half the quantity shortly after preparing it and refrigerate the other half to use in a couple of days. It is a good idea to first toss the scraped out 'noodles' with some olive oil, salt and pepper and then refrigerate them. They absorb the flavors and are that much more delicious when reheated.

To reheat spaghetti squash without overcooking it we find that it is better to avoid the microwave. You can simply place the leftover quantity in a skillet and reheat it over a medium-low stove burner. Having tossed it with olive oil prior to storing it definitely helps!