Name: Baked Spaghetti Squash
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 75 min
Ingredients: 1 spaghetti squash (2 pounds); 1 tablespoons olive oil; 1 garlic clove (slivered); Coarse salt and ground pepper

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Making baked spaghetti squash is an easy way to serve up a natural, low-carb pasta substitute with your favorite sauce and seasonings.

❤️ Why You’ll Love this Recipe: Baked spaghetti squash is easy to cook and totally hands-off. And once you have it, you can easily dress it up with your family’s favorite sauces for a light but flavorful dinner.

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How to Make Baked Spaghetti Squash

This is a very straightforward and hands-off recipe. You’ll simply pop the squash into a hot oven and let it go until you have soft, tender strands of spaghetti-like veggies.

Remember to set a timer to flip the squash over halfway through the baking time. This will help prevent the bottom of the squash from browning too much.

collage of two steps in making roasted whole spaghetti squash

Should I Cut the Squash Before or After Baking?

I like to bake spaghetti squash whole. While it takes a bit longer than cooking a cut squash, it’s so much easier to cut the squash when it’s nice and soft after baking than before.

If you’re short on time, you can cut the squash in half the long way before baking. Scrape out the seeds, then place the squash cut side down in the baking dish and roast until you can easily pierce the flesh with a butter knife. Tip: If you cut the ends off the squash before cutting it lengthwise, it’s easier to cut in half.

collage of baked spaghetti squash with and without seeds

Choosing Spaghetti Squash

When choosing a spaghetti squash, pick one that has a smooth, blemish-free skin with a stem. Avoid squash with missing stems, soft spots or cracks, It should have a nice yellow color. If it’s green it isn’t ripe. It should feel heavy for its size.

collage of three pans showing how to fry spaghetti squash in a skillet after baking

Cleaning a Spaghetti Squash

Remove the squash from the oven when it’s nice and soft. Before you cut it, let it cool for 10-15 minutes so you can handle it. Squash retains a lot of heat and you want it to be cool enough to handle.

After you cut the squash, you’ll need to scrape out the seeds. Be sure to remove the stringy bits too.

Scooping out the seeds is pretty straight forward but you will also want to get the stringy stands

Now you’re ready to scoop out the squash itself. The key here is to be gentle and make sure not to mash it so the spaghetti strands stay in shape. It will come away from the skin easily.

Finishing the Dish

Once you’ve separated your spaghetti from it’s skin, you’ll give it a quick saute in some flavored olive oil.

The point of sautéing the spaghetti squash on the stove is to infuse it with the garlic oil. It’s fully cooked at this point. In fact, if you’re in a hurry, you can eat the squash as-is from the oven, seasoned however you like. .

Or, for extra flavor, I love to finish the garlicky sauteed spaghetti squash with a sprinkle of freshly grated parmesan.

Storing

This baked spaghetti squash is best served immediately. However, you can store it for up to four days in the fridge. Just note that the more it is reheated, the softer and watery-er it may get.

white plate of baked and stir-fried spaghetti squash

How to Serve Garlicky Spaghetti Squash

Try pairing your easy spaghetti squash with these tasty sides:

Swap out the pasta in this Caprese Pasta Salad for a lighter chilled side dish with cheese, tomatoes and basil.
Make a full meal with spaghetti squash in a Creamy Butternut Squash Sauce with Chicken Sausage and Spinach.
Top spaghetti squash with Instant Pot Parmesan Meatballs from Pressure Cooking Today.

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