I remember trying spaghetti squash at least five years ago and not being impressed. As I recall, I microwaved the squash and served it very simply with a marinara sauce on top. I thought it was watery and fairly bland. Not really a substitute for pasta, but it was part of my attempt to introduce new vegetables to my diet.
A few days ago, I went grocery shopping and decided to give spaghetti squash another try.
I stabbed the small, whole squash (<800 gm) with a paring knife and then par-cooked it in the microwave for 5 minutes. Then I cut the squash in half, removed the seeds, sprinkled it with some salt, and baked it, cut side down, at 375 deg Fahreheit for 30 minutes, until a fork inserted into the squash met little resistance.
After letting the squash cool, I used a fork to scrape out the flesh.
First impression: The resulting squash strands looked fine but there wasn’t a lot of them. A scant 3 cups, I’d estimate. Of course, I had picked the smallest squash on the pile ($1.49) so you have to take that into account.
Spaghetti Squash topped with jarred spaghetti sauce (sausage and pepper) – Tasty but still a bit watery. Possible solution is to drain the spaghetti squash strands a bit and make sure the spaghetti sauce is thicker. At least now I know it’s not JUST due to the cooking method ie. microwaving.
Spaghetti Squash topped with cheese, sour cream and chili con carne with beans – After hand squeezing the remaining half of the squash, about 1/4 cup of liquid was expelled. The resulting dish was much less watery than the previous serving with meat sauce.
Baked squash seeds for snacking
The seeds were picked free of the surrounding squash flesh, rinsed and simmered for 10 minutes in salted water. I used paper towels to get most of the water off the seeds, placed them on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and drizzled them with a bit of canola oil and sprinkled them with fine sea salt and a shake of paprika. Then the seeds were baked at 350 deg Fahrenheit for 10 minutes, turning them over after 5 minutes, to ensure as even baking as possible.
Cooking is Fun ... Really!! 
They all look delicious !
Thank you.
I do like spaghetti squash but it does need to be dressed up because it is rather bland as you mentioned. Your tomato sauce version looks tasty.
I was surprised at how much liquid came out of the baked squash when I squeezed it. I had though that it was microwaving the squash cut side down in about an inch of water which contributed to the bland/watery taste of the first spaghetti squash that I had cooked. I liked the chili topped version better … the one I squeezed … to be honest. 🙂
I’ve avoided cooking spaghetti squash because people tell me how bland and watery it is. I’m glad this time it worked better for you. I’d never thought to eat the seeds but of course, I do know they’re edible xx
Like with zucchini which I grated raw and then pressed in a ricer before adding to a vegetable lasagna I found that I needed to get rid of a LOT of liquid before adding a strongly flavoured topping like a spaghetti sauce or chili.
I bet the seeds where delicious. Pumpkins, orange squashes etc. are the only vegetables I truly dislike in every form or dish, but I must say your attempt looks very nice!
Than you. I’m not a pumpkin (or many squashes) fan either but so many people love them that when I saw them on sale at my local grocery store, I decided to pick up a spaghetti squash … and a butternut squash. The butternut squash is great roasted, pureed and added to a ravioli filling.
I may have over-baked the seeds JUST a touch cause they were drier than the ones I buy but they weren’t bad.
Heyyy, thanks for the follow! I followed you back. I have seen your handle from some of the blogs I follow, not sure which ones. I look forward to your cooking! (And I actually bought a spaghetti squash today for the first time in about 3 years, how uncanny is that?)
I’m not sure if I’ve seen your handle/ but I’ll keep an eye out in future. I follow about 25-30 blogs … some I comment on more than on others. Less now that I’m more active on some FB foodie/bread/sourdough baking groups.
Spaghetti squash … don’t over bake them cause they DO get mushy. And squeeze out as much of the excess water by hand as you can. It helps reduce the bland taste of the squash.