I want to try spaghetti squash, recipes?

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hollyeverhart
hollyeverhart Posts: 397 Member
in Recipes
suggestions? do you like it? can you compare the texture to any thing else? I miss pasta :/
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  • idrewacat
    idrewacat Posts: 42 Member
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    I don't think it is much like pasta in texture at all. I'd rather just make a bowl of steamed veggies and put pasta sauce over them.

    That might just be me, though. It is a yummy squash though, and I like it roasted with some oil and spice.
  • nahralynn
    nahralynn Posts: 125 Member
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    The usual thing we do with Spaghetti Squash is to cut it into 4 quarters and use some spray butter and a little bit of brown sugar then bake at 350 for like 45 minutes or so. We usually just eat it straight like this with a lean meat.

    If you want the squash like spaghetti do the same thing, without the brown sugar, and then we make a topping of sauteed yellow squash, zucchini, and grape tomatoes, and a can of diced tomatoes, then lots of garlic (we love garlic!) the 'topping' is the flavor part of the meal. Although spaghetti squash doesn't taste like spaghetti it can be used as a good base like spaghetti.

    Those are just things we do with it!
  • Junepal
    Junepal Posts: 148 Member
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    I eat is in substitute for pasta at times. No it is not the same but still yummy with a meat sauce.
  • PandaFAmBAm
    PandaFAmBAm Posts: 111
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    i LOVE IT!
  • hollyeverhart
    hollyeverhart Posts: 397 Member
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    I don't eat meat so no meat sauce, but I LOVE all veggies so hopefully I will enjoy it with some good spaghetti sauce and some chunky veggies mixed in. I'm just nervous about preparing it because I never have made squash in anyway.
  • andreacord
    andreacord Posts: 928
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    Personally, I love it. I only really eat it with pasta sauce and ground beef though.

    I did find this recipe from skinnytaste,com the other day, and it looks REALLY good.

    Spaghetti Squash Lasagna
    Skinnytaste.com
    Servings: 4 • Serving Size: 1 lasagna • Old Points: 6 pts • Points+: 7 pts
    Calories: 291.0 • Fat: 13.7 g • Protein: 19.6 g • Carb: 21.0 g • Fiber: 2.7 g
    Sodium: 358.3 mg

    Ingredients:
    2 cups marinara sauce
    3 cups cooked roasted spaghetti squash
    1 cup part skim ricotta
    8 tsp parmesan cheese
    6 oz part skim shredded mozzarella (I used Sargento)


    Directions:

    See instructions on how to roasted spaghetti squash here.

    Preheat oven to 375°.

    In four individual 5 x 7-inch oven safe baking dishes, ladle 1/4 cup quick marinara sauce on the bottom of each dish. Top each with 3/4 cup of cooked spaghetti squash and spread evenly. Top each with 1/4 cup ricotta. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of grated parmesan cheese and .75 oz mozzarella on each. Add the remaining sauce, parmesan and mozzarella cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 15 - 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the edges begin to bubble; uncover and cook an additional 5 minutes
  • ChantelleFowler
    ChantelleFowler Posts: 208 Member
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    Honestly I just cut the squash in half, put one half in the microwave for 10ish minutes or so (depending on size). When the outside of the squash is soft, it's done. Take out all the seeds with a fork and then I put some spaghetti sauce on it, a little bit of parmesan cheese and that's it! =] One cup of spaghetti squash is something like 42 calories and that gives you a LOT of squash!
  • ChefSuzzieQ
    ChefSuzzieQ Posts: 119
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    there was some healthy pasta alternative on Dr. Oz like a month ago, but I cannot remember what it was. It might be worth searching his site. The audience loved it.
  • dls06
    dls06 Posts: 6,774 Member
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    Cut it in half. It's really hard so if you have a guy around it's even better. Brush it with olive oil and put it on a baking pan face down.
    Bake it for 90 min on 350. After it cools get a fork and scrape out the threads. It can be used just like pasta in any recipe. I love it!
  • dls06
    dls06 Posts: 6,774 Member
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    double post.
  • thepanttherlady
    thepanttherlady Posts: 258 Member
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    I actually found this recipe on a blog of another member here. I would love to give tribute to her but don't remember her name. :(

    Ingredients:
    1 Whole spaghetti squash
    2 Avocados
    Salt
    Pepper
    about 1/2 lemon’s worth of Lemon juice
    2 tbsp Olive Oil
    3 Garlic cloves
    1/2 an Onion
    Chopped basil (as much as desired)
    Directions:
    There are many different ways to cook a spaghetti squash. You could cut it open, spoon out the seeds, and fork the insides FIRST, then boil, bake, or microwave it. OR you could boil, bake, or microwave the entire squash before you even cut it open. Now, the squash is extremely hard to cut open if you haven’t cooked it first, so I decided to cook it first. The downfall to this, is it takes a little more time. Here’s what I did:
    Preheat your oven to 375 F

    Pierce your squash several times with a large knife. (To prevent squash volcano explosion mayhem in your oven.) &Place squash in preheated oven for 1 hour.

    About 15 minutes before your squash is done, gather the avocado, onion, salt pepper, garlic cloves, lemon juice, olive oiland basil into food processor, blender, or my personal choice- my handy dandy Magic Bullet.

    Pulse the ingredients until they’re smooth. Add more olive oil if it’s too thick for your liking.

    When your spaghetti squash is finished baking, get it out and let it cool until you can touch it without burning your hand off. I used my ove-glove because I’m impatient :)

    Cut your spaghetti squash in half length wise with a sharp knife. (It’s way easier to cut now.) Begin spooning out the middle seeds, just like you would a pumpkin. These seeds CAN be baked later, I’ve heard they’re amazing.

    Get a large bowl (this squash makes more spaghetti than you think!) and get a fork and fork out the insides into bowl making long spaghetti like strands.

    Mix in your avocado sauce, serve, and enjoy!

    I'm so trying this recipe this weekend!
  • MaggieMay131
    MaggieMay131 Posts: 211 Member
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    Yep, just substitute the spaghetti squash in your favorite pasta recipe!

    How to cook it:
    -Get your oven to 375. Prick the squash a couple times so it won't explode in the oven ;)
    -Bake for 1 hour in a baking dish (some people like to cut it in half first, but it's easier to cut after you've cooked it.)
    -If you haven't, cut in half lengthwise. (lengthwise? hot dog style. lol.) Scoop out the seeds.
    -With a fork, scrape the meaty parts of the squash into spaghett-like fibers.
    Done!
  • sara1923
    sara1923 Posts: 53
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    I love it but have had a hard time finding recipes too. Biggest thing is to make sure to prepare it right. You want to poke holes in it with a fork so it wont burst when it is baked. Bake it at 375 for an hour. After you remove it from the oven, cut it in half and use a fork to scrape the strands off. Don't be an idiot like me and try to cut it in half and start scraping without baking it!!! Its a good replacement for pasta and I have also used brown sugar on it as well.
  • Audddua
    Audddua Posts: 176 Member
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    I've recently fallen in love with spaghetti squash - in fact I had leftovers for lunch! Be careful that you don't treat it exactly like you treat normal pasta. Typically I would toss my nearly-cooked pasta in the pan with the sauce & toppings to incorporate it and finish cooking. With the squash this turns into a strange mess that tastes good but is watery and off. Always plate the squash, and THEN add toppings and (in my experience) a little less sauce than you would normally use.

    Works great for shrimp with some white wine, olive oil, garlic & onions!
  • usafbeach
    usafbeach Posts: 147 Member
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    Love it! I made the following recipe for me and my wife (who is gluten-free) and it was a hit!

    http://bevcooks.com/2011/10/southwestern-stuffed-spaghetti-squash/
  • mrsdauer
    mrsdauer Posts: 102
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    i cut in half, scoop out seeds, place face down on cookie sheet, bake about an hour or until you can pierce the "skin" with fork. I add small amount (maybe a tablespoon) of butter, then sprinkle on parmesan cheese...
    spaghetti squash has a "different" taste, i have found in my family of 6, either you like it or hate it..2 out of the 6 in my house love it!!
  • Erindipitous
    Erindipitous Posts: 1,234 Member
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    I LOVE spaghetti squash!! :)

    My current favorite meal is:

    - Baked spaghetti squash, "flaked" from skin (I literally eat an entire squash. All 3+ pounds of it)
    - 1.5 cups of a chunky vegetable spaghetti sauce (or meat sauce if I have some available)
    - 1/2 cup of 2% cottage cheese

    I microwave it all together to get it all hot and bubbly, and then I top it with a nice coating of Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and a hefty dose of red pepper flakes.

    I also sometimes use Alfredo sauce and add broccoli, or cut up grilled chicken and use lemon caper sauce.

    I love how versatile this squash is. I buy at least three at a time.. I could eat it every day. :)
  • cramernh
    cramernh Posts: 3,335 Member
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    I just purchased a spaghetti squash tonight... its about 3.5lbs.

    This will yield 24oz of freshly cooked spaghetti-squash threads .... that in turn is 3 portions of 8oz each.

    I make a fresh-mixed compound butter with tons of fresh herbs and garlic. I will make a light sauce using that compound butter and throw the threads in there for a great side dish.

    I use this for my pasta replacement. For me though, it does give me that need to have that certain 'something' for pasta dishes. I make a wonderful fresh primavera with roasted vegetables, olive oil, kosher salt, pepper, oregano, basil, thyme and rosemary.. fresh parsley for finishing, throw some shrimp and chicken.... Fresh grated parmesan on top, lightly baked to get that tasty goodness lightly brown.. OH MY GAWD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My husband absolutely LOVES this dish.

    And for those of you who are into spicy or super-bold hot dishes, I make a mean shrimp creole and spoon some of that 'love' over freshly cooked threads that have been seasoned with garlic, arbol and ancho chili powder (sweet and smoky), my creole has vegetables of all sorts, jumbo shrimp, and a sauce that will warm up anyone on a cold wintry night!
  • Bexx435
    Bexx435 Posts: 83 Member
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    I love it! I actually prefer spaghetti squash over pasta. I don't feel that heavy full feeling after eating the squash, and I can eat a lot more of it than I can pasta!

    This is a great recipe, although I usually cut back the cheese: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/baked-spaghetti-squash-lasagna-style/detail.aspx
  • pucenavel
    pucenavel Posts: 972 Member
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    Cut in half
    Dig out seeds
    Put 2 T. Olive Oil or Butter in each half
    Put 2 T. Brown Sugar in each half
    Wrap in foil and cook in the oven at 350 (or better yet on the grill over low heat) for about an hour
    Unwrap, dig out the 'meat' into a bowl and serve

    Marinara is great for pasta.....



    ...Spaghetti squash is NOT pasta

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