Spaghetti squash. Is it more like Spaghetti or is it more like a squash? The answer really depends on how you prepare it. Learn how to get the most of your squash with these preparation tips!
What is Spaghetti Squash?
Spaghetti Squash is a smaller oval squash with a yellow rind and relatively mild flavor. It’s a seasonable gourd, and it’s best in from early fall through winter. (Still getting spaghetti sqaudh confused with butternut squash? Look no further? Here's quick guide on how to tell the difference between types of squash.)
You won’t find anyone who serves raw spaghetti squash - it’s bitter, dry, and coarse. Luckily, there’s an easy way to cook spaghetti squash and after reading this guide, you’ll know how to make noodles out of squash.
Where Do You Find Spaghetti Squash and How To Pick Spaghetti Squash?
You can find them at your local grocery store year-round. You should pick the biggest and brightest squash from the pile; the bigger and brighter they are, the more flavorful and the longer the noodles.
How To Cook Spaghetti Squash
Using this technique, you’ll get a spaghetti squash side dish or squash noodles tasty enough to swap for pasta noodles.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- While the oven is preheating, take the squash and slice it in half, lengthwise. Squash can have a tough exterior, so make sure you use a good chef’s knife and have a towel to keep the squash from sliding.
- Use a spoon to scoop and scrape out the seeds and excess fibers from the squash until it looks clean and fairly smooth.
- Even the oven reaches 400 degrees, put the squash on a baking pan, cut side down.
- Use ⅓ cup of water to cover the bottom of the pan to help steam the squash’s meat.
- Cook for 45 minutes and at 35 minutes take it out and pierce the squash with a fork. If the squash is tender and it’s easy to peel back the skin, flip it over and try scraping the meat of the squash. If the meat easily separates into spaghetti-like strands, it’s done cooking. If it’s tough to scape and the “noodles” break apart or seem coarse, cook for another 10-15 minutes.
- When the squash is done, use a fork to rake the meat of the squash horizontally to get long, perfect spaghetti squash noodles.
- Place noodles in a serving bowl and top with your favorite sauce or add a little butter or olive oil to keep things simple.
Pro Tip! Noodles are perfect to pair with a sauce made in our saucier and saucepans for as a lighter alternative to pasta noodles. Check out our sauce article to learn how to perfect the 5 mother sauces that impact how you prepare every type of sauce.
Dear Crabby Questions
Our in-house content creator, Crabby, receives a ton of questions on how to cook squash, including:
- How long do you cook Spaghetti Squash? Or What is the cooking time of Spaghetti Squash?
- What is spaghetti squash? Where do you buy spaghetti squash?
- What can you make with squash?
- How to roast spaghetti squash?
- How do you cook spaghetti squash in the oven? How do you cook squash in the oven?
- How do you cook spaghetti squash in the microwave?
We hope this tutorial helped answer these common spaghetti squash questions! Try making a noodles with our favorite tomato sauce recipe tonight.
