Spaghetti Squash

And you can too!

Spaghetti squash sheds its reputation for being bland and watery in this baked-ziti-inspired dish, in which it’s smothered in flavorful tomato sauce and blanketed under a layer of melty cheese.

Do you know the different types of winter squash? Kobucha? Acorn? Red Kuri. Come with us if you want to live.

Stop! Don't douse that spaghetti squash with marinara sauce—try one of these recipes, instead.

Spaghetti squash is really more like a rice noodle then spaghetti, so we riffed on a cold noodle salad. This would be great with leftover sliced steak or pork, too.

OK, we admit it. This spaghetti squash recipe is just a vehicle for butter and cheese. But full of fiber!

Despite the name, spaghetti squash is still a vegetable and can get mushy when overcooked. Simply ladle the hot broth over the noodles when you are ready to eat.

We made funnel cake! Use your hands to fluff the strands of squash in the flour mixture: they’ll fry up lighter and crispier if they aren’t stuck together.

Spaghetti squash varies greatly in terms of wetness. You’ll really want to squeeze out as much liquid as possible so your fritters fry up crisp, not soggy.

This is total comfort food, but made with less saturated fat and more veggies than traditional recipes.

Spiced with cinnamon, allspice, and cocoa powder, this warming bean and turkey chili pairs perfectly with the sweet fall flavor of roasted spaghetti squash in this naturally gluten-free dinner.

This recipe is inspired by one in Mollie Katzen’s book The Vegetable Dishes I Can’t Live Without. Heads up! This recipe calls for already cooked spaghetti squash.

Spice-rubbed chicken legs get roasted alongside spaghetti squash and onion for an easy sheet-pan dinner that’s bursting with bright, comforting flavors inspired by Persian cuisine.

Meet the most creamy, comforting, flavor-packed baked pasta dinner you can make without any actual pasta.

Spaghetti squash plays the part of rice noodles in this take on a Vietnamese noodle bowl.

Rather than pasta, this vegetarian version of the classic Southern Italian dish is tossed with spaghetti squash "noodles" for a delicious dinner that cooks entirely on just one sheet pan.

SMART SUBSTITUTION Spaghetti squash makes a great, gluten-free stand-in for pasta; after roasting the halved squash until tender, scrape the flesh with a fork into long spaghetti-like strands. Roasted shrimp are brightened with the addition of lemon juice and fresh parsley.

For me, spaghetti sauce usually means a jar of whatever is on sale at the grocery store, so I wasn’t sure about how a spicy spaghetti sauce of my own creation would turn out. I have a tendency to forget that a little bit of spice goes a long way and end up sweating my way through meals. But this time I kept it under control and came up with something that isn’t particularly spicy at first but has a bit of a kick at the end. Spaghetti squash is the perfect way to keep calories in check. It has a taste and texture similar to pasta, but only about one-quarter of the calories.

The spaghetti squash gets its name from the fact that its insides, when cooked, separate into spaghetti-like strands that can be used in exactly the same way you would use spaghetti. You can either top the strands with Tomato-Mushroom Sauce (page 63) or toss it with your favorite Mexican spices. Choose a squash that will fit in the slow cooker insert. If need be, the squash can be halved to fit, but the cooking time will be shorter.

Cooking spaghetti squash in the microwave steams the squash and the strands come out nicely—unlike cooking it in a conventional oven, which can cause the strands to bake to the skin. A simple quick fresh pesto is a snappy sauce for the steamed squash.

It’s important to avoid buying spaghetti squash that isn’t fully ripe. A spaghetti squash that isn’t ready will be extremely difficult to cut in half and won’t yield a nice, soft texture when cooked. Look for a squash that is a bright, solid yellow (not pale yellow or white in parts). Once the rind is penetrated with a knife, a ripe squash is fairly easy to cut in half. Also, be sure you have all the ingredients ready to go once the squash is cooked. You’ll want to toss everything together when the squash is still hot.

Served in its shell, this makes a dramatic presentation as part of a winter meal.

Italian food with added veggie value.