Spaghetti Squash Spaghetti
Filed Under: Healthy | Main Dish | Pasta | Sauce | Savory | Vegetable

Spaghetti Squash Spaghetti

By Tessa Arias
  |  
November 30th, 2021
5 from 1 vote
5 from 1 vote

Learn how to make healthy, gluten-free, and low-carb spaghetti using spaghetti squash. It’s easier and tastier than you might think!

Yield: 4 servings

Tessa's Recipe Rundown...

Taste: The squash is slightly sweet but the savory, spicy, and acidic taste of the sauce balances that out beautifully. Texture: Very satisfying, though not an exact replica of the texture of actual pasta. I was surprised by how each string of "spaghetti" from the squash had a substantial texture to it. Ease: Super duper easy. Appearance: Just like spaghetti! Pros: Low-carb and gluten-free for those on special diets. Plus you're getting an extra serving of vegetables! Cons: None at all! Would I make this again? Yes.

Learn how to make healthy, gluten-free, and low-carb spaghetti using spaghetti squash. It’s easier and tastier than you might think!
Spaghetti Squash Spaghetti - easy, gluten-free, and low carb!

Last month I asked my friends on Facebook what kind of videos they’d like to see for November and I had a few requests for a video on spaghetti squash. It was perfect timing, actually, because just a few days before that my aunt had texted me asking if I had ever made spaghetti squash before. I hadn’t, and she was about to make it for my grandpa who can be a little picky but is supposed to follow a healthy diet.

She texted me a few hours later after she had served up the squash and to my surprise, my grandpa apparently went back for seconds. That’s when I knew I needed to get with the times and try the stuff already. I mean, it’s floating all around Pinterest about how to use spaghetti squash as a low-carb, gluten-free, possibly vegetarian, healthy alternative to pasta. I don’t know about you but I was SUPER skeptical. Pasta is pasta is pasta and nothing can replace it. And yes, while I stand by the fact that nothing can replace pasta, spaghetti squash does do a pretty fantastic job of satisfying pasta carb cravings.

 

5 from 1 vote

How to make
Spaghetti Squash Spaghetti

Yield: 4 servings
Learn how to make healthy, gluten-free, and low-carb spaghetti using spaghetti squash. It’s easier and tastier than you might think!

Ingredients

For the squash:

  • 1 whole spaghetti squash
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the sauce:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 cups marinara or other pasta sauce, jarred or homemade
  • 3/4 pound hot Italian turkey sausage, casings removed
  • Grated parmesan cheese, for serving, if desired

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. With a large sharp knife, cut the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds and membrane. Sprinkle the squash with the olive oil, dried herbs and salt and pepper to taste. Line a rimmed baking sheet or 9x13-inch dish with foil. Place the squash cut-side down in the baking dish. Cook for 30 to 40 minutes, or until fork tender.
  2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large sauté pan. Add the turkey sausage and cook, breaking up into small pieces, until no more pink is showing. Add the sauce and stir until combined. Bring to a simmer then reduce to low heat and cook for at least 5 minutes, or up to 30 minutes.
  3. Let the squash cool slightly then use the tines of the fork to scrape out the spaghetti strands of squash. Make ahead: The spaghetti squash strands can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.Divide the squash among four plate and top with sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

You can also use chicken sausage, regular ground turkey or sausage, or ground beef for the sauce. Or, skip the meat and use mushrooms instead to make this vegetarian.
Course : Main Course
Cuisine : Italian
Tessa Arias
Author: Tessa Arias

I share trusted baking recipes your friends will LOVE alongside insights into the science of sweets. I'm a professionally trained chef, cookbook author, and cookie queen. I love to write about all things sweet, carb-y, and homemade. I live in Phoenix, Arizona (hence the blog name!)

Tessa Arias

About Tessa...

I share trusted baking recipes your friends will LOVE alongside insights into the science of sweets. I'm a professionally trained chef, cookbook author, and cookie queen. I love to write about all things sweet, carb-y, and homemade. I live in Phoenix, Arizona (hence the blog name!)

Find Tessa on  

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Recipe Rating




  1. #
    joan — February 23, 2022 at 3:27 pm

    how would you reheat the precooked squash

    • #
      Emily — February 24, 2022 at 9:52 am

      Hi Joan! Feel free to reheat in the microwave, or you can reheat in the oven at 300°F until warm- that can actually help improve its texture if your squash ended up mushy. I hope that helps!

  2. #
    Jennifer Hall — September 15, 2021 at 8:28 pm

    I had made a sauce that was so chunky and aromatic from the garlic and fresh basil. I used loads of veggies including onions, peppers, tomatoes and zucchini. Because my husband loves aeat sauce I used a pound of both ground sirloin and ground pork. After cooking the sauce I dig thru my pantry and was disappointed to find I was out of pasta. I had never used spaghetti squash as a substitute for pasta in spaghetti. But I had one because I make it as a side with steak or pork. I found your site and was delighted to see a recipe for exactly what I was attempting to make. I felt sure it would be good, but was blown away by how GREAT it was. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. I will continue to check back for more recipes as my husband and I like to be adventurace with our dinners.

    • #
      Emily — September 16, 2021 at 3:13 pm

      So thrilled to hear that, I’ll be sure to share your rave review with Tessa 🙂 You had me drooling at the description of your sauce, yum!!

  3. #
    Lois Pariseau — April 30, 2021 at 8:38 am

    How do I print the recipe. I bought spaghetti squash already cut in strips not cooked. How do I cook it [email protected]. Thanks

    • #
      Tessa — April 30, 2021 at 9:26 am

      Hi Lois, click the red printer button directly below the title where the recipe is located to print out the recipe 🙂 Please read the directions for instruction on how to cook it. Enjoy!

  4. #
    Thomas N Savidge — November 25, 2019 at 5:53 pm

    Now if you could make spaghetti squash as cost effective as past, perhaps more people might be inclined to eat healthier. Until then, this budget will continue with pasta.

    • #
      Lana — February 7, 2023 at 3:57 pm

      The trade-off is that healthier foods require fewer trips to the doctor, less money spent on medicines to try to cure what ails us, not having to diet and exercise so strenuously in life. An ounce of prevention, in this case, healthy food, is better than a pound of cure, in this case, the risk of heart disease, diabetes, overweight, etc. My mom taught me early in life, beginning in the 60’s, before healthy foods were so popular, that eating well can prevent a host of troubles later in life. She was right.

  5. #
    Daphne — August 5, 2019 at 6:40 pm

    What kind of turkey sausage did you use? Is it the breakfast type of sausage? What I found and used ended up being more of a hot dog texture.

  6. #
    Allison — June 6, 2016 at 10:59 am

    What is the calorie count? Fat? And protein?

  7. #
    Rendi — January 2, 2016 at 6:06 pm

    How many calories per serving

  8. #
    Diane @ Vintage Zest — November 27, 2013 at 8:53 am

    Yours looks so much better than the spaghetti squash I’ve made in the past! Mine was really, really mushy… I’m definitely pinning your method for later. 🙂

  9. #
    Jocelyn (Grandbaby Cakes) — November 27, 2013 at 8:39 am

    I love spaghetti squash! This looks so delish!

  10. #
    knitbunnie — November 27, 2013 at 7:58 am

    Being a less-mess is best-mess kind of gal, my super-easy way to make the squash is to poke a few holes in it (I use a pointy meat thermometer as a skewer) and microwave the whole squash for 10-12 minutes, let stand for 5 minutes so it steams and finishes cooking, and then cut open, scoop out the seeds, and fork out the squash strands. I use one of those knit oven gloves to hold the hot squash while I work with it. If you’re cooking for two, you can simply cut the squash in half, scoop out the seeds, fill the cavity with spaghetti sauce, and serve. It looks pretty cute.

  11. #
    Tieghan — November 27, 2013 at 6:27 am

    I love spaghetti squash! Great how-to video, Tessa!

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