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Table Of Contents
- How to Cook Spaghetti Squash
- How to Cook Spaghetti Squash in an Instant Pot
- Seeds Too!
- Where to Find High Quality Meat
- GLUTEN-FREE CAN BE CONFUSING BUT IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE HARD!
Our family discovered spaghetti squash, MUCH to my 7-year-old boy’s chagrin, when we first went grain-free two years ago. When cooked properly (i.e., not too mushy), it makes a pretty decent substitute for spaghetti.It’s great for those on a keto diet as well.
My husband, who doesn’t eat squash or any mushy orange vegetable of any kind, actually likes it – again, as long as it’s done up right.
Your family members who won’t touch a squash with butter, salt, and pepper really might give it a chance with spaghetti sauce and cheese. It’s a totally different beast.
RELATED: Gluten-free and Dairy-free Lasagna Recipe
If you have spaghetti squash in season in your region, grab a couple. A squash will stay fresh at room temperature for months; spaghetti squash is a little more tender and delicate, so I’d just give it weeks instead.
But – they’re almost prohibitively expensive at 99c/lb. regular price throughout the year in our grocery stores. An average sized squash for 1-2 meals would come out to over $5, definitely more than the pasta it’s replacing! I like to get them at $1 each, and I’m hoping to buy an entire half bushel today.
Pale yellow, oblong in shape, and totally nondescript, especially compared to other squash shapes this time of year. The flesh is pale yellow as well, and the photo below shows how the spaghetti squash comes out of the shell – it’s so cool! You just pull it out with a fork, and it creates strings that look just like pasta. I’m telling you, it’s wild.
How to Cook Spaghetti Squash
Try a simple spaghetti squash meal by baking the squash:
Put whole in the oven while it warms up, about 10 minutes, to soften the hard outer shell (may not be necessary). Cut in half, scrape out seeds, and place facedown in a centimeter of water in a baking dish. Bake 30-45 minutes at 350-400F until a fork can easily pierce the skin. Try not to overbake or you’ll start to lose some of the “noodle” definition and get “mush.”
Then simply top with hot spaghetti sauce with meat, just as you would pasta.
You can also serve it as a simple side dish with butter, salt and pepper, or add some Italian herbs and a can of diced tomatoes.
It’s possible to freeze the cooked spaghetti squash, too – I’ll be doing that more this fall than last. Shoot for “al dente” since you’ll be cooking it again to reheat for sure.
If you’re wondering whether yours is done enough, if it’s pliable, it’s done. I like it best a teeny tiny bit al dente, and it’s really not a nice experience if it’s mushy. Trust me.
How to Cook Spaghetti Squash in an Instant Pot
- Cut squash in half and remove seeds.
- Place trivet or steamer basket and 1 cup of water into the IP. Arrange cut squash on top.
- Cook for 7 minutes on high pressure. When the timer goes off release the pressure.
- Drain any water that has collected on the squash and using a fork separate the cooked spaghetti-like strands of squash.
RELATED: How to Cook Your Squash in the Instant Pot
Seeds Too!
I love this additional element that gives you basically a free snack that’s totally healthy. The seeds in a spaghetti squash act just like pumpkin seeds when roasted, so save them and bake them up for munching! Here are my instructions on how to make crispy pumpkin seeds (soaked, Nourishing Traditions style).
If you really want a squash-hater to love your spaghetti squash, try this delicious, nutritious, low-carb lasagna recipe.
Spaghetti Squash Lasagna {Grain-free}
5 Stars4 Stars3 Stars2 Stars1 Star5 from 2 reviews
- Author: Katie Kimball
- Yield: 4-6 1x
Ingredients
UnitsScale
- 1/2 lb. ground beef
- 2 medium onions, diced
- 1 green pepper or 1 red pepper or both, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1–3 c. jar spaghetti sauce
- 4–6 c. cooked spaghetti squash (1 large)
- 1/2 tsp. salt (Use the code kitchenstewardship for 15% off of your first purchase)
- 1/4 tsp. pepper
- 1 1/2 c. ricotta cheese
- 1 1/2 c. shredded mozzarella, divided
- 1/4–1/2 c. Parmesan
Instructions
- Bake spaghetti squash by cutting in half, scooping out the seeds, and laying face down in a baking dish with about 1 centimeter of water in it. Bake at 350-400F for 30-45 minutes, until a fork can easily pierce the skin. You can make it easier to cut by putting the whole thing in the oven during the preheat, about 10 minutes. Or if you have an Instant Pot check out the directions below.
- This step can be done anytime before the meal; use the squash chilled if cooked the day before (save energy and bake it with dinner), or bake it right in the lasagna pan to save a dish.
- To assemble the lasagna, put a few spoonfuls of spaghetti sauce in the bottom of a 9×13” pan.
- In a large pot, brown beef; add onions and peppers, cook until limp. Browning the onions adds an incredible layer of flavor to the entire dish. Add garlic for last 2 minutes.
- Mix in spaghetti sauce.
- Meanwhile in a bowl, mix the squash with the salt, pepper, ricotta cheese and 1 c. of the mozzarella.
- Layer in pan with half the squash mixture, half the beef mixture, the remaining squash and the remaining beef. Top with ½ cup mozzarella (at least) and all the Parmesan.
- Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes until bubbly around the edges.
Notes
How to Cook Spaghetti Squash in an Instant Pot
- Cut squash in half and remove seeds.
- Place trivet or steamer basket and 1 cup of water into the IP. Arrange cut squash on top.
- Cook for 7 minutes on high pressure. When the timer goes off release the pressure.
- Drain any water that has collected on the squash and using a fork separate the cooked spaghetti-like strands of squash.
If you have a meat loving family, use a whole pound of ground beef.
Ground sausage would be great, too!
Could also probably fill in a cup or two of the spaghetti squash with shredded zucchini.
Got too many tomatoes? Sliced toms under the top layer of cheese is a magnificent addition.
Cottage cheese is a good sub for half the ricotta; makes it a little lighter feeling in my opinion.
Could yogurt cheese be used for part or all of the ricotta? I haven’t tried it, and it wouldn’t really be melty, but that’s what the mozzarella is for anyway, right?
You could always add other vegetables, like greens, to this dish, and fresh herbs would be wonderful.
The bigger version: use 6-8 c. squash, a whole pound of beef, 2+ c. each of the cheeses and 2 jars sauce. It still fits in a 9×13, but just barely!
Where to Find High Quality Meat
Having trouble finding good quality meat locally? Would you like to fill your freezer with local and pastured options?
If you’re in the US Midwest, Chicago to Milwaukee to Detroit to New York, and select cities across the country, check out TruLocalUsa.
If you’re west of the Mississippi, check out Wild Pastures.
If you live in any of the 48 contiguous states, I recommend US Wellness Meats and Butcher Box!
I’m grateful that there’s an online source of incredibly high quality meat that I can always count on. A subscription from Butcher Box includes grass fed, organic, pastured, and free range = all the labels important to your family’s health! And I’ve got a special deal for you!
They almost always have great deals for new customers. Claim your free gifts, and see what bonus they have going on right now. Don’t miss out!
(free shipping too!)
Enjoy the recipe!
Other fall squash recipes:
- Roasted winter vegetables
- Savory Greek Sausage Stuffed Squash
- Monday Mission: Try Some Squash
- Grain-free Pumpkin Pancakes (or squash)
- Sheet Pan Chicken Piccata with Spaghetti Squash
GLUTEN-FREE CAN BE CONFUSING BUT IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE HARD!
I’m thrilled to share a FREE gluten-free cheat sheet mini eBook to help get you started!This is perfect if you’ve just been told you need a GF diet, if you have a friend or family member eating GF and you’d like to cook for them, or if you’re just curious what it’s all about!
See my full disclosure statement here.
Unless otherwise credited, photos are owned by the author or used with a license from Canva or Deposit Photos.
Category: Real Food Recipes
Tags: beef, cheese, fall, gluten free, grain free, keto, main course, Real Food Recipes, spaghetti squash, squash, tomatoes
