pesto on spaghetti squash

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jcmrax5
jcmrax5 Posts: 133
in Food and Nutrition
Ive never made spaghetti squash before (or even eaten it) but im really wanting to try it. My daughter loves taking leftovers from dinner for her school lunch the next day so my question is- would the spaghetti squash be ok in her lunch pail? Can i refrigerate the leftovers then just put them in her lunch pail or would they be gross as "left overs"? Not sure how well spaghetti squash keeps. Also would one spaghetti squash be enough, do you think, for a family of 5 (one being a 1 year old) plus a 1st graders lunch the following day? how much does one squash tend to make?

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  • Ian_Stuart
    Ian_Stuart Posts: 252 Member
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    For a family of 5, I would probably go with 2 large squash, though they are cheap enough that erring on the side of having an extra your first time probably wouldn't hurt.. I think it is delicious and my kids like it too. It doesn't seem to matter whether I cook it in the oven or the microwave, (I can only do 1/2 of a squash at a time in the microwave, but it is still faster, just more effort. What does matter is getting it all the way done before you shred the "spaghetti" out of it. Otherwise it has a little bit of a vegetable crunch to it that the kids don't care for, though I don't mind it that way. Fully cooked it is soft like well cooked noodles. I think it is good cold the next day, though. If you have a strong sauce, like the pesto you mentioned, they might not even realize they weren't eating pasta.
  • BabyDmama
    BabyDmama Posts: 2 Member
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    Delaney loves spaghetti squash! She didn't realize at all it wasn't the real deal and she is an incredibly picky eater! I even added turkey meat balls to mine!
    I'm not sure how it would taste the next day in a lunch pail.. I imagine it would just taste like cold spaghetti? I think it would keep fine but maybe pack a little etra something in case she doesn't like it??
  • MyChocolateDiet
    MyChocolateDiet Posts: 22,281 Member
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    I just ate half of one for breakfast by myself because I was craving it.

    IDK how it would be for a kids lunch, can't imagine eating it cold?

    Warm from my oven though this morning it was yum in its shell in a bowl with italian seasonging, salt, pepper, and cayenne and olive oil. delish.

    OOPs, i see i need to clarify. It tastes like squash. NOT like spaghetti. I am not of the philosophy to trick ppl into eating something under the guise of being something else. It is not spaghetti, it is squash. Good squash, but still squash.
  • kkimber2
    kkimber2 Posts: 13 Member
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    How do you cook this. Just bought one lst night for the hubby and I to try and never have had it before.
  • writergeek313
    writergeek313 Posts: 390 Member
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    I'm making spaghetti squash tonight for the first time. My dad told me to cut it in half, scoop out the seeds, then boil it. I'm going to make a tomato sauce with Italian chicken sausage, spinach, mushrooms, and roasted red peppers.
  • sajero2
    sajero2 Posts: 47 Member
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    I am single and live alone and I routinely have leftovers. I just put it in the fridge and reheat the next day like anything else! I think it tastes fine.

    My favorite way to eat spaghetti squash is with diced tomatoes (I like to buy the kind that is seasoned with basil and garlic), turkey meatballs and a little shredded parmesan cheese. A cup+ of the squash, with half a can of tomatoes, 6 turkey meatballs and two tablespoons of cheese is just under 300 calories for a huge portion.
  • justformel
    justformel Posts: 193 Member
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    The best way I have learned to cook it and I've tried in microwave and the oven is this. Throw the whole squash in crockpot, not cutting, no water or anything added. Cover, cook on low for 8 hrs and it comes out insanely tender and so easy to scoop out seeds, and then scrape the "spaghetti" out.
  • andreamck
    andreamck Posts: 8 Member
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    I love spaghetti squash but I could never pass it off as real spaghetti to my kids! I slice it in half, scoop out the seeds, put some Wegman's basting oil and pepper on it (or just olive oil and seasoning), and roast it on a foil lined pan. It takes about 45 minutes and you don't want to under cook it. I find that it's kind of expensive but one squash yields a lot of food. It gets a little watery as leftovers, but I still love it re-heated. Not sure how it would be in a school lunch. Great with grilled chicken, tomato and fresh basil tossed in.
  • lisalsd1
    lisalsd1 Posts: 1,520 Member
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    We had spaghetti squash tonight in place of noodles. I cut it in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, roast, flesh side out in a small amount of water @ 400 degrees for about 40minutes. When it cools, I scoop out the inside with a fork.

    1 squash fed 2 adults and 2 kids with a small amount of leftovers. Last week, I packed the leftovers with baked tofu for my 5 year old son. He ate it for lunch and didn't complain. I did put a cold pack at the bottom of his lunch bag.

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