How to cook spaghetti squash in oven or on the grill and obtain vegetable strands that are perfectly cooked through yet still have some crunch and retain their nutritional value. Enjoy the delicious grilled or oven roasted spaghetti squash as a side dish, as the base of a salad or instead of spaghetti noodles with light pasta sauces.
Pre-heat oven to 425 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper,
Cut the spaghetti squash in half and scoop out the seeds with a spoon.
Place the two halves face down onto the lined baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.
Temporarily remove from the oven and flip the spaghetti squash to face upwards, Drizzle the flesh with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Return to the oven for another 10 to 15 minutes, as needed, until the flesh has softened and it is easy to twist and separate strands with a fork or the tips of metal kitchen tongs. Tenderness is to your discretion, but be careful to not overcook the squash.
Once cooled down, scrape out the squash noodles-like strands into a bowl.
Charcoal Grilled Spaghetti Squash
Prepare charcoal grill as per the manufacturer's instructions.
Cut the squash lengthwise in halves, scoop out the seeds with a spoon.
Grill face down over the direct radiant heat of the charcoals until a char develops around the rims of each half. Then pull away a bit towards the periphery of the direct heat zone of the grill.
Cook until the spaghetti squash has softened and is tender and easy to pull apart with the tips of metal tongs or a fork when tested. It can take 20 minutes or more, depends on how hot the charcoals, how close the grate of the grill is to them, etc.
When satisfied with the tenderness of the squash, remove it from the grill and allow it to cool down a bit. Using a fork scrape out the noodles-like flesh into a large bowl and immediately season with salt an peppper and drizzle with olive oil. Toss well.
Notes
* Smaller and younger spaghetti squash tastes fresher and more delicious, easier to cut as it is thinner skinned and cooks faster. If you can opt for smaller vegetables.