Want to cook spaghetti squash? It makes slurpable noodles you can use to pack vegetables into all your meals. Pasta marinara, pad Thai and even mac and cheese become instantly more nutrient-dense. This popular veggie is always a hit over here. The only obstacle to using it in a tasty meal: cooking the squash! There are two best ways we’ve found to do it: roasted or in a pressure cooker. Alex and I have picked up a few tips along the way to streamline the process. Let’s get started!
The trick to cutting spaghetti squash
Spaghetti squash is notoriously difficult to cut. It’s hard to pierce the thick skin and hack through the tough flesh. Even worse, it’s easy for your knife to slip: which is dangerous. Here’s a trick! Unbelievably, all you need is a small paring knife to cut through this hard vegetable:
Cut around the middle width-wise, not lengthwise. Here’s a little known fact: the strands of spaghetti squash run around the interior width-wise. So instead of cutting it lengthwise, cut it in the middle! You’ll get the longest, most luscious squash noodles. Use a paring knife to make small cuts around the middle. Pierce the knife into the squash and swing down, making small slices around the squash until it breaks in half.Cut around the seeds. Then scoop them out with a spoon!
How to cook spaghetti squash: roasted!
The standard way of how to cook spaghetti squash is roasted! This method takes a little over 1 hour. You can make it ahead and refrigerate until you’re ready to make the rest of the recipe. After you cut the squash with the trick above, pop it in the oven and…wait. Here’s what you need to know:
How to cook spaghetti squash: in an Instant Pot
Got an Instant Pot or other type of pressure cooker? Spaghetti squash is the perfect place to use it. Why? It shaves the total time down to 25 minutes. This is key because it takes spaghetti squash into the easy weeknight meal category. Here’s how to cook spaghetti squash in a pressure cooker:
4 ways to eat spaghetti squash
Got those beautiful noodle-like strands? Good: let’s make a recipe! Once you learn how to cook spaghetti squash, it’s the canvas for your culinary genius! Dress it up like Italian pasta, or make it into pad Thai (one of our fan favorites!). Here are our top favorite spaghetti squash recipes:
Spaghetti squash nutrition info
Spaghetti squash is a nutrient dense food, meaning it’s low in calories and high in vitamins (source). Compare it to pasta, and you get less nutrients for more calories. Though pasta isn’t bad for you…in fact, in moderation it’s actually part of a healthy diet! Here’s a quick breakdown of spaghetti squash nutrition info and facts:
Low in calories: 1 cup has 42 calories. Full of Vitamin B6 and Vitamin C: 1 cup has about 10% of your daily value. Good source of fiber, which can help with digestive health and may also promote weight loss.
How to store spaghetti squash
The biggest benefit to winter squash: you can store it for months! Here’s what to know about keeping it fresh:
Store spaghetti squash in a cool dry place for up to 3 months! Do not refrigerate spaghetti squash! It only lasts 1 to 2 weeks.
This recipe is…
Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free, and gluten-free.
More squash recipes
There are lots of tasty ways to eat squashes of all types! Here are a few squash recipes you might enjoy: No reviews
Curried Butternut Squash Soup or Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup Creamy sweet soups are the perfect way to eat squash in cool weather. Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta Like mac and cheese, with a little squash for good measure. Roasted Delicata Squash Our favorite variety! Roast it up into tender moon-shaped fries.
