Does spaghetti squash taste like pasta?

achojnacki

I like to mix a ton of spaghetti squash with a small serving of whole grain pasta, cover in sauce, add cheese. yum.

ash12783

I read all of the comments above but I've never tried Spaghetti Squash. How would I cook it if I wanted to make it as much like spaghetti as possible? Boil it? I've never even seen it before but I'm on a MISSION for some pasta substitue lol. I cannot simply 'reduce' my whole wheat pasta portion...that's just a tease!:laugh:

I really like spaghetti squash...the first time i had it i was amazed at how much it was like actual spaghetti...obviously you can still tell it's a veggie but such a great alternative! The way i've always done it is to cut the squash in half and put the cut sides down on a baking pan that's sprayed with pam or something. I don't remember the exact temp and how long (you can find that easily by googling :P ) once it's done i just scrape the "noodles" out with a fork and top with sauce of choice....It's really great with alfredo sauce so if you can find a healthy alfredo sauce that'd be even better lol. I've never heard of boiling it like i've seen in this thread but it sounds like it's quicker...i'm going to have to try it that way too.

pannacottayum

If you are looking for a pasta alternative, i can imagine there is something better out there than spaghetti squash. Don't get me wrong, i love spaghetti squash. But i love it prepared as a vegetable (more squash than spaghetti). It is wonderfully sweet and tender when roasted.

Cut it in half lengthwise, on a baking sheet, cut side up, drizzled with olive oil, salt and pepper, covered with foil, oven at 450, roast 45min or until you can pierce with a knife, remove from oven. When cool enough to handle, fork strands out into a bowl, adjust seasoning, more olive oil if you wish, add fresh oregano, and juice of half a lemon. Warm it will have a soft creamy texture, and super sweet flavor that pairs well with seafood, especially white flaky fish (cod, halibut, etc). Cold it makes a great component in composed salads, say with sliced tomatoes, olives, greens, shredded chicken breast. Also I'll eat it straight out of the fridge as a snack.

So to actually answer your question, no, it does not taste like pasta

unsuspectingfish

No, but when I was briefly on Atkins (in high school, not my choice), my mom would put spaghetti sauce on it for me. It's a bit more runny, but it helped with the spaghetti cravings.

jenkamac

I put sage (dried or fresh) and Parmesan cheese on it and a little olive oil. It doesn't taste like spaghetti but it's super filling and really good! Plus....really low calories.

mere282

its a texture thing... kinda trick your brain in to thinking your eating something bad.. when your not...I like it with salsa...

llovegrove

Bump

tmoran8403

NO it does not taste like real pasta at all. I find it's disgusting...but if you don't want to waste the time doing it, Ruby Tuesdays has it as a new side dish right now so you could try it there and see if you like it.

jdm_taco

It is pretty awesome! You can eat a ton of it to for low amount of calories.

Tressa_T

Bumb for later!

kimhaught

If you like squash, then you would probably enjoy spaghetti squash. I have made it and put spaghetti sauce on it and serve. It is a good low carb alternative to pasta. If you try it let me know how you like it.
Kim

andketch

It doesn't taste like pasta, but it is good. I cu mine in half and bake at 400 for 40 minutes or so. Scrape out the insides and then I put it in the crockpot to make sure it is tender - sometimes it is a little too crunchy for me just out of the oven. I add in ground turkey, crushed tomatoes and ff ricotta.

Zombielicious

If you are looking for a pasta substitute, you could also try tofu shirataki. This is what I always use in place of pasta. 20 calories per 4oz serving. I'm subscribed to Hungry-Girl.com & she always raves about them. So, I finally tracked them down and tried them for myself and I love them! They don't taste exactly like pasta, the texture is a bit different at first but then it goes away. And I would suggest rinsing and boiling them first before you serve them. But other than that, they rock! There are a few varieties - fettuchini, spaghetti and angel hair. I believe they are coming out with a macaroni soon too!

Oh yeah, I've had that before. The smell before you rinse it is foul. I suppose it works in place of pasta well, especially for the calories. The texture is a bit off...and it's a tad chewy...but not bad overall.

JEK717

Um well i have had it before and i personally do not think it tastes like spaghetti but my step mom says it tastes really good.

nybor101

I am Italian and have not touched pasta in six months, and really I could care less about it. My success is more important and with foods like sphagetti squash and the rest I described above, it is totally possible.

Here is another idea---take zucchini and peel it, skin and all, until you get to the seeds, then throw it out. Take about 3 of them and put them in pan with 1/4 cup of chicken broth, 2 wedges of laughing cow cheese, garlic and pepper, cover and steam, stir, steam, stir, etc, until the cheese is melted and noodles are soft. My husband who is not dieting begs for these, and swears it tastes just like alfredo.

awesome!!

Winged_Victory

I loooooove it. Doesn't taste exactly the same as pasta, but it tastes delicious!

Easy to cook in the microwave. I always just stabbed it several times with a nice, put it in whole and did 7 mins then turned it over for 8 mins. Cut in half, scrape out seeds then scoop out flesh and serve.

suzooz

bump

saphire76

I read all of the comments above but I've never tried Spaghetti Squash. How would I cook it if I wanted to make it as much like spaghetti as possible? Boil it? I've never even seen it before but I'm on a MISSION for some pasta substitue lol. I cannot simply 'reduce' my whole wheat pasta portion...that's just a tease!:laugh:

Google Rachel rays recipe.

cindy4mica

i'm going to answer "no" on the "does it really taste like pasta?" question. but i'm italian and a "pasta snob" so unless it's authentic with homemade sauce, i won't like it. :bigsmile: however, it *is* good when baked with butter & brown sugar. you can substitute the i cannot believe it's not butter spray (zero calories) and a low-cal sugar substitute, but it won't taste exactly the same (or as good - but that's the case with most "diet" foods).

Tribonian

I put on most of my 30s weight in Italy with pasta and am now trying to lose it in my early 40s.

There is a whole art of matching the shape of the pasta to the shape of the ingredients it is served with- long pastas for saucier toppings, short pastas that match or complement the shapes of diced vegetables etc. Spaghetti squash seems to work pretty well in taking up the flavors reeserved for paste lunghe.

Much as I love pasta lunga (esp. linguine), I prefer pasta corta like orecchiette, gemelle and loved acini di pepe in broths. The dish I missed was pasta e fagioli and I find that carmelized cauliflower works pretty well as a short pasta substitute.

I've also found that zucchine can also get a very starchy consistency if you are patient and carmelize medallions over low heat with garlic.



buon appetito!