Let's talk spaghetti squash

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AngeliaDR
AngeliaDR Posts: 55
in Food and Nutrition
I keep hearing all about it and how it's a great alternative but is it a satisfying alternative? I love love pasta in any shape, form, and accompanying sauce. Is spaghetti squash similar in texture? Does it taste like a pile of squash covered in marinera or can I fool myself into thinking it's pasta-ish? The only way I've ever enjoyed squash is battered, deep-fried, and dipped in ranch. I don't want to just 'go try one' and end up wasting it (and my homemade marinera).
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  • stef_monster
    stef_monster Posts: 205 Member
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    Spaghetti squash really only LOOKS like pasta. It's ever so slightly sweet, and yes, it does taste like a squash. The texture depends on how long you cook it. Mine tend to come out better when I bake them for 30-40 minutes as opposed to putting them in the microwave for 10-12.

    My advice: if you've got an awesome sauce you'd like to enjoy, make a spaghetti squash and pile it on. It sort of absorbs the flavor of the sauce, and cuts out most of the calories. Using squash allows you to use the high-octane versions of stuff you put with pasta: meatballs, cream sauces, fancy cheese, etc. Maybe get a small one and give it a try. If all else fails, drown it in cheese, haha!
  • 19TaraLynn84
    19TaraLynn84 Posts: 739 Member
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    It tastes nothing like pasta to me, so I don't use it as a pasta substitute. I do, however, enjoy eating it as squash. My favorite way to prepare it is to saute it in butter with garlic.
  • dixoncrew
    dixoncrew Posts: 186 Member
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    It tastes like squash and it slightly resembles spaghetti. I made a spaghetti squash au gratin and it was pretty good but it definitely didn't taste like the real thing and I didn't expect it to. No sub is going to taste just like the original. I think it is a great low carb alternative though but definitely doesn't taste like pasta.
  • toadg53
    toadg53 Posts: 302 Member
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    No, it's not of the same consistency as pasta. I make mine by baking in the oven. I stab it several times with a sharp knife then bake it. You can google it to see the temp and time. Then you cut in half and shred it. It will look kind of like spaghetti when it's shredded and in a pile on your plate. But it doesn't taste like pasta and doesn't have the same consistency. It's just a really nice substitute. Personally, I like it. But I can take or leave pasta anyway. If you have really good, homemade sauce, I would suggest that you give the spaghetti squash a try, along with a good store-bought sauce and just see what you think. Its a good alternative. It's worth a shot just to see what you think. Each person has their own taste. But if you're a big pasta fan, I don't think this is gonna do it for you :sad:
  • ballert1
    ballert1 Posts: 98 Member
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    I love it. It's a great alternative. But thats all it is, an alternative. If you are on a boat all day, in the hot son with blue salty water, the best alternative to ice cream(for the melting purposes) would be apple sauce. however, is it just as satisfying? to most, no, to me yes.
    same goes for SS
  • AngeliaDR
    AngeliaDR Posts: 55
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    Texture is where I get hung up on squash. If I dont burn it to a crisp it's too....slimy and fibrous? Does that make sense? I was hoping maybe it had a bite to it like pasta.
  • AngeliaDR
    AngeliaDR Posts: 55
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    I love it. It's a great alternative. But thats all it is, an alternative. If you are on a boat all day, in the hot son with blue salty water, the best alternative to ice cream(for the melting purposes) would be apple sauce. however, is it just as satisfying? to most, no, to me yes.
    same goes for SS

    Perfect perspective. :)
  • AngeliaDR
    AngeliaDR Posts: 55
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    Thanks everyone. Pasta shall continue to be my weakness I suppose. (I ate half a lasagna last night because I'd been keeping from eating it so long)
  • MinMin97
    MinMin97 Posts: 2,676 Member
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    Love it. Great food, and my children love it too.
  • snow00774
    snow00774 Posts: 62
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    Texture is where I get hung up on squash. If I dont burn it to a crisp it's too....slimy and fibrous? Does that make sense? I was hoping maybe it had a bite to it like pasta.

    you will not like it then.

    you have to just think of it as filler that you use to get your cals and save the good ones for something more yum. It is not pasta. it is not like pasta. by the time you dehydrated it to anything like pasta you would just fling it at a wall.

    but if you want to use it as a less cal vehicle to convey spag sauce to your face that is more tasty than a fork by itself, it is aces. I like it for that.
  • KatVarley
    KatVarley Posts: 534 Member
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    If you look at my pictures, I have a dish I make that is my "faux spaghetti". True you can't think it will taste the same, but if you want to twist something around a fork - give it a try. If you want the recipe, message and/or friend me. I make a decent "faux pizza" and "faux Potatoes" too. I welcome any friends. Just started here 10 days ago, but am getting very caught up in the support and be supported portion of this app. :smile:
  • stef_monster
    stef_monster Posts: 205 Member
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    Texture is where I get hung up on squash. If I dont burn it to a crisp it's too....slimy and fibrous? Does that make sense? I was hoping maybe it had a bite to it like pasta.

    As long as you don't waaaaay over cook it, it's not slimy or squishy at all. I like mine baked so that it's still pretty firm. After it's been in the oven for 20 or 30 mins, you can test it to see if it's done to your liking.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    It's different. Whether it's satisfying or not, well, it's open to debate.

    I like it with spaghetti sauce, but I do use a lot of spaghetti sauce.
  • Amanda_Gx6
    Amanda_Gx6 Posts: 320 Member
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    Its similar. I tricked my boyfriends 4 year old into thinking it was pasta. I just put some sauce and Parmesan cheese on it, part skim mozz if your are trying to disguise it further for children, some garlic. Delicious!

    I've also heard of people baking the squash with salsa inside and pairing it with chicken and some guac.
  • jfauci
    jfauci Posts: 531 Member
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    I LOVE spaghetti squash!!! But, it is NOT a substitute for spaghetti. You will be disappointed if you try it thinking it is a pasta alternative. I make Jackson's Spaghetti Squash (from the Biggest Loser). It's a great recipe and easy to make!

    Can't give you the link from work (it's blocked), but you can just Google it.
  • alglenn2013
    alglenn2013 Posts: 97 Member
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    If you have a local Ruby Tuesday's restaurant they have a very nice spaghetti squash marinara you can try. I think it's on the lunch menu, but don't quote me on that. I had the same reservations, since I LOVE pasta, but I really enjoyed this dish. I agree that it isn't pasta, but a very tasty alternative.
  • yankeedownsouth
    yankeedownsouth Posts: 717 Member
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    I tried it this week for the first time. To be fair, I'm not a big squash fan. But this stuff tasted like DIRT. So awful. It totally ruined my pasta meat sauce. Never, ever again...
  • mrsbeck
    mrsbeck Posts: 234 Member
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    I've also heard of people baking the squash with salsa inside and pairing it with chicken and some guac.

    Whoa. That sounds awesome. Gonna try that this fall, when the CSA starts handing out tons of squash.

    As to OP's question:
    In my experience, it doesn't taste or feel like pasta, BUT it is really awesome at absorbing the flavor of whatever you cook it with. So your awesome homemade marinara will still be awesome. To me, spaghetti squash doesn't really have a very strong flavor, so it's a great way to enjoy something a little indulgent like a great sauce without totally blowing my goals.

    Now, this is going to sound mean, but I swear to you, if we were face to face and you could hear my tone, you would see that I am saying this kindly: You have to get past not liking healthy alternatives if you're going to make a long-term, sustainable lifestyle change. Just do it slowly. Like someone else suggested, use a store-bought sauce the first time you make it, so you don't feel like you're wasting the effort it took to make the good stuff. Instead of deep-frying squash and putting ranch on it, saute it quickly in a little olive oil, sprinkle some parmesan and black pepper on it and have it as a side with a main dish you really like. If you must have ranch, I've had great success with thinning out ranch dressing with white wine vinegar, so I get 2 tbsp. of dressing for 1 tbsp worth of calories. I promise, your taste buds do adjust to healthier options. And P.S.--that doesn't mean you never have pasta again. It means you make pasta a once in a while treat, and eat a sensible portion of it, and you enjoy it even more.

    Anyway, I'm awful talkative this morning...sorry for the novel, OP. Good luck!
  • martyqueen52
    martyqueen52 Posts: 1,120 Member
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    I really like it. The first two times I tried it, it made my stomach hurt, gurgle, and turn all night long... it hurt BAD.

    But the third time it was fine.

    I just cut mine in half, flip it cut side down on tinfoil and bake it for 50-55 minutes. Brown some lean beef, throw browned beef into the "boat" as I call it..... since that's what it resembles if you cut it in half, length-wise. Throw some fat free cheese, grek yogurt, and hot sauce and you got a tasty meal.
  • MinMin97
    MinMin97 Posts: 2,676 Member
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    I really like it. The first two times I tried it, it made my stomach hurt, gurgle, and turn all night long... it hurt BAD.

    But the third time it was fine.

    I just cut mine in half, flip it cut side down on tinfoil and bake it for 50-55 minutes. Brown some lean beef, throw browned beef into the "boat" as I call it..... since that's what it resembles if you cut it in half, length-wise. Throw some fat free cheese, grek yogurt, and hot sauce and you got a tasty meal.
    lol cool. Such a man meal!!

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