Spaghetti squash is easier to cook with than it looks. Here's how to choose, use, and store it, what to substitute, and 22 recipes to get you started.

What is spaghetti squash?

Spaghetti squash is the oblong, pale yellow winter squash with a party trick: cook it and the flesh separates into long, thin strands that look and twirl like noodles.

Raw, it's solid and unremarkable. Heat breaks down the fibers, and a fork drawn across the cooked flesh peels it into a tangle of strands.

Those strands are mild and faintly sweet, with a gentle crunch that holds up better than real pasta. That texture, plus far fewer carbs than wheat noodles, is why it became the go-to low-carb pasta stand-in.

How to Cook Spaghetti Squash

The shell is hard, so the first job is splitting it. Halve it lengthwise with a heavy knife, scoop out the seeds, brush the cut sides with oil and salt, and roast cut side down at 400°F (200°C) for 35 to 45 minutes until the skin gives under a thumb.

Then drag a fork across the flesh and the strands lift right out.

In a hurry, microwave it. Halve and seed it, set the halves cut side down in a dish with a little water, and microwave for 8 to 12 minutes until soft. It's faster, though roasting drives off more moisture and keeps the strands firmer.

Once you have strands, treat them like a drier pasta. Roasted Spaghetti Squash with Toasted Pine Nuts, Sage, & Parmesan and Spaghetti Squash with Shallot Butter dress them simply, while Cheesy Spaghetti Squash Gratin with Fresh Basil and Spaghetti Squash Tetrazzini bake them into something richer.

They also stretch a stir fry or skillet, as in Spaghetti Squash & Chicken Skillet Casserole.

Pairing and What Goes Wrong

The strands are mild and a touch sweet, so they take any sauce you'd put on pasta: garlic and butter, brown butter and sage, marinara, pesto, or a cheesy cream sauce. Parmesan, pine nuts, and fresh herbs are natural partners.

The big failure is wateriness. The strands hold a lot of moisture, and a watery sauce on top leaves you a soupy plate. Roast rather than boil, and after forking out the strands, let them sit in a colander or press them gently in a towel before saucing.

Overcooking is the other mistake. Cook it to mush and the strands collapse into a soft pulp instead of separating. Pull it the moment the shell yields and the flesh shreds cleanly.

Substitutes

Nothing else makes those strands, so a true swap depends on what you want. For the low-carb noodle effect, zucchini noodles or thin-sliced cabbage give you a vegetable base, though both run wetter and softer.

If you just need a mild roasted squash, any winter squash works for flavor, but you lose the noodle texture entirely.

And when the goal is simply a pasta dish, regular spaghetti is the honest answer, with more bite and more carbs.

Choosing and Storing

Pick one that feels heavy and firm, with hard, pale yellow skin and a dry stem. A deeper golden color signals ripeness and sweeter flesh, while pale green or white means it was picked early. Avoid any with soft spots or signs of mold.

Whole, spaghetti squash keeps for a month or more in a cool, dry spot around 50 to 55°F (10 to 13°C). Like other winter squash, don't refrigerate it whole, since cold shortens its life and softens the flesh.

Once cooked, the strands keep in the fridge for about five days and reheat well in a skillet. They also freeze, though they come out softer and wetter, so save frozen strands for casseroles rather than a plate of noodles.

Quick facts

In Chinese

意大利面条壁球

British (UK) term

Spaghetti squash

en français

Courge spaghetti

en español

calabaza espagueti

Recipes using spaghetti squash

There are 22 recipes that contain this ingredient.

All 22 recipes