Many online recipes for how to cook spaghetti squash in the oven will tell you to poke holes in the squash and bake it at 350 F… but I think this is a huge mistake!
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With spaghetti squash, most people seem to fall into one of two categories:
There are those who LOVE spaghetti squash as a lower-calorie replacement for spaghetti. And there are those who shun it, believing that if you’re going to eat pasta, you should enjoy the real thing.
But I feel that looking at spaghetti squash as a pasta “substitute” in the first place does the vegetable an unfair disservice.
The unique taste and texture of spaghetti squash ought to be appreciated in their own right, not compared to carb-filled noodles.
No matter how many websites you find that claim their spaghetti squash recipe “tastes just like the real thing,” spaghetti squash will never be pasta.
And that’s completely okay!
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Another thing to keep in mind if you think you hate spaghetti squash is that it might just be the way you’ve been cooking it.
So many tutorials for how to cook spaghetti squash will tell you to poke holes in the vegetable, add water to the bottom of the pan, and either cook the whole thing or two halves at 350 F or 375 F.
I think this is a mistake because the extra water and lower temperature mean you end up with watery, steamed spaghetti squash instead of sweet, roasted spaghetti squash, especially if you don’t cut the squash in half to give the moisture inside the squash a place to escape.
And watery strands will, in turn, also water down whatever sauce you choose to put on your spaghetti squash after cooking. If you’ve made spaghetti squash this way and do prefer steamed strands, that’s fine…
But I much prefer it roasted, so if you’ve had spaghetti squash in the past and think you aren’t a fan, it might be worth giving the vegetable one more chance.
The following recipe is my favorite method for how to cook a spaghetti squash that yields non-watery results every time.
It calls for roasting the spaghetti squash at 460 F, which is higher than any other recipe I’ve ever seen and works beautifully to caramelize the natural sugars in the squash and zap away extra moisture, leaving you with perfectly cooked spaghetti squash that is ready to be dressed up however you wish or even eaten by itself.
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How To Bake Spaghetti Squash
Start by carefully cutting the spaghetti squash in half, lengthwise.
EDIT: Many readers say that cutting it width-wise is even better because you get much longer strands. I haven’t tried that yet, but I am intrigued! (Have any of you tried it?)
Place the squash—flat sides up—in a baking pan. If desired, scoop out the seeds and brush the squash with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. I usually opt to scoop out the seeds after baking.
Place the pan on the middle rack in a non-preheated oven, and turn the oven to 460 F.
Most spaghetti squashes will take around 40-50 minutes to fully roast, depending on the size of the squash; but if you have a small squash, it’s a good idea to check it after 20-30 minutes or so.
Scoop out the strands, and add tomato sauce, cheesy sauce, alfredo sauce, Mushroom Stroganoff, salad dressing, pesto, or any other sauce you’d add to pasta.
You could also top the spaghetti squash with a Coconut Curry, vegetable stew, or Vegetarian Chili like you’d do with rice. It is the perfect blank canvas for thousands of recipes.
Below are a few of my favorite sauces to use with spaghetti squash.
Spaghetti Squash Recipes:
Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce (Reader Favorite)
Try any of the above sauces over spaghetti squash. Or there are also recipes on my blog for spaghetti squash lo mein, spaghetti squash parmigiana, avocado alfredo, and numerous others.
Or you can keep things simple by seasoning the baked spaghetti squash with salt and olive oil or buttery spread – it makes the perfect accompaniment to sautéed kale and a toasted English muffin, as seen in the photo below.
(Above, roasted spaghetti squash with sauteed kale and a homemade English muffin, using my favorite English muffin recipe from my cookbook.)
I’ve written up the recipe for how to cook spaghetti squash in the oven and am also including instructions for how to cook spaghetti squash in the microwave for those of you who would rather not cook it in the oven.
My preference is for the oven-roasted spaghetti squash, but the microwave version will work if you are short on time and want something quick and easy.
How To Cook Spaghetti Squash
Ingredients
- 1 large spaghetti squash
- optional olive oil, salt, etc.
- sauce or seasonings as desired
Instructions
- *Note that larger spaghetti squashes tend to yield sweeter strands. However, small ones will also work if they are all you can find. To Make: Carefully cut the spaghetti squash in half, lengthwise. (Some readers say that cutting it width-wise gives you longer strands. I haven ‘t tried this yet, but I am intrigued!) Place the squash—flat sides up—in a baking pan. If desired, scoop the seeds out and brush the squash strands with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. You can opt to scoop the seeds out and season after baking if you prefer. Place the pan on the middle rack in a non-preheated oven, then set the oven to 460 F. Large squashes will take around 40-50 minutes to roast fully, but very small ones may take less time, so it’s a good idea to check the squash after 20-30 minutes. Remove from the oven, and scoop out the strands. If you’d like, you can mix the strands with other ingredients and then stuff them back into the hollowed-out spaghetti squash shells. I've found that storing the strands in a glass pyrex and covering only with a paper towel is best, because it allows water to escape instead of getting trapped inside the container and weighing down the roasted squash. If you make this recipe, don't forget to leave a review!View Nutrition FactsMicrowave Method:If you’re short on time and don’t mind more of a steamed-spaghetti-squash result, you can cook your spaghetti squash in the microwave. I do highly recommend trying the oven version at some point, though! To microwave: Poke holes in the spaghetti squash, cut in half lengthwise, and scoop out the seeds if desired. Fill a glass baking dish about 1/4 up with water, then place the squash—flat sides down—in the pan and microwave 10-15 minutes or until tender. Remove from the microwave, and scoop out the strands.Instant Pot Spaghetti Squash:Cut the squash in half, put the steamer insert into the instant pot, add 1 cup water and the squash, and cook on manual for about 8 minutes (more or less, depending on squash size). Thanks to reader Lauren for creating this version and letting us know it works in an instant pot!
Notes
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What are some good tips for knowing when it is finished cooking? You say to check a smaller squash at 30 minutes, but what should I be looking for?
Soft, with strands that are not crunchy at all!
My best friend suggested I try spaghetti squash with butter, cinnamon and nutmeg. I am thinking maybe even adding apple slices and raisins.
For anyone who has trouble cutting spaghetti squash (or any other squash, probably) or just doesn’t want to use the big knife (or if your kids are helping you cook), here is the SUPER-DUPER EASY way to cut spaghetti squash. You know those little kits they sell to carve pumpkins at Halloween? That little bitty knife with teeth cuts through spaghetti squash like buttah. It’s SO easy. Next Halloween grab a kit at the dollar store and keep it on hand for cutting squash.
I just bought my first spaghetti squash in a while because while I like the idea I don’t entirely like the taste. I’ve gotten into roasting veggies since then, though, and I wondered if it also might taste better roasted. So thanks for the tips! I look forward to trying it out. If this works, who knows, I might even try roasting some brussels sprouts!
You are a genius. Best spaghetti squash I’ve ever had and followed your instructions to a T. I prefer the smaller squashes but that’s just so I won’t have a ton leftover. To me, the leftovers were a little watery. Bless you for posting this!
Oh, boy, I just made this. Used only olive oil and sea salt. I just had a bite of it and you are right, no soggy bland taste. Tonight due to time I’m only going to flavor it with butter and S&P. We’ve never liked it with tomato sauce so I’ve shied away from it. It’s a stinker to cut in half as we got it at an outdoor market.
I have the grocery store cut the acorn squashes in half for us as I’m afraid my husband or I will get cut.
Katie: You have GOT to try spaghetti squash sliced width wise and baked. After baking (same as your recipe), let cool and then remove the peel and gently pry apart the meat into “spaghetti”. This is a game-changer for eating spaghetti squash! I just added a good (homemade) pasta sauce and no cheese of any kind (but I did add nutritional yeast to the pasta sauce). It was truly the BEST spaghetti squash I’ve ever eaten. Do try baking it sliced into rings! But you will have to redo the article and call it the “best, best” way :-).
Blessings, Meg
This website has the best way to cook spaghetti squash so that it becomes an actual noodle substitute!
How to Cook Spaghetti Squash | Pass the Plants
https://passtheplants.com/how-to-cook-spaghetti-squash/
Yes! Great a tighter temp!,, loved the way it pulls away from skin. Fuller flavor. Had to cut short half. Great strings. Cdf
I bought a spaghetti squash for the first time with no idea how to cook it. Got it home and found this recipe and was so pleasantly surprised at the taste. I mixed it with olive oil, sun dried tomatoes and quartered artichoke hearts, seasoned wit sweet basil and pepper. I think next time i’ll Try pesto.
Super in love with this cooking method for Spaghetti Squash! It turns out absolutely perfect! Thanks for the pointer on larger squash being sweeter, I will definitely keep in mind for the next one I buy. 🙂