Spaghetti Squash - a perfect low carb food that is a great replacement for pasta or noodles in a variety of dishes.

Spaghetti Squash is a variety of winter squash that gets’s its name from the flesh that resembles strands of noodles once cooked. Low in carbs and calories, it is a yummy side dish for many meals.
Luckily for those in Canada and the US, they tend to be available all year round, although are more expensive when not in season.
In the UK, they can be found usually in the autumn/winter and only from very select supermarkets or online veggie boxes.
If you are lucky enough to have a friend with an allotment, try and convince them to grow some for you, as this speed vegetable is supposedly really easy to grow.
This is what they look like, oval-shaped with a hard firm exterior. Could easily be mistaken for a canary melon. Spaghetti squash, however, has a much smoother skin and tends to be a light yellow colour.

Unfortunately, there isn't really anything similar, yes you can spiral most vegetables if you have a spiralizer like this 5 blade spiralizer and they are super useful to have for increasing speed foods on your plate in a more interesting way.
But spaghetti squash is pretty unique, in both taste, and the fact you don't need a vegetable spiralizer.
There are some really great recipes to be found if you are lucky enough to be able to get spaghetti squash.
It doesn't really have much of a taste, meaning it is great for combining with sauces etc to take on flavour. I often sneak it into pasta dishes and the kids don't even realize. Perfect for getting some vegetables into fussy kids.
I like to have one in my pantry, so as soon as I use it, I buy another, as when I feel I need to up my speed foods a little, spaghetti squash always saves the day. Plus they will keep for quite a few weeks so you haven't got to worry about it spoiling quickly like other vegetables.
When I first starting using them in recipes, I used to just cut in half, remove the seeds, spray with spray oil, season with some seasonings of choice (I just go for salt and black pepper) and place flesh down on a baking tray lined with parchment and bake at 180c/350f for about 45-50 mins until soft. But cutting this way means you end up with shorter strands, which is okay if you want shorter noodles for a dish.
If you want long strands like spaghetti, you should slice into rings. and bake using the same method. Slicing in rings also means it cooks slightly quicker too, just 30 minutes and it's done.


Once cooked, just let it cool slightly and then with a fork, you can pull the strands away from the peel and into a bowl.

I don't like to overcook my spaghetti squash, as the longer, it's cooked for, those strands can become mushy and I prefer them to have a slight bite and hold their shape. Especially if I am cooking it again for a little bit longer in one of my Spaghetti Squash Recipes.

Spaghetti Squash Recipes
Looking for some recipes to use with spaghetti squash. Check out these:
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Recipe Card

Spaghetti Squash
Easy cook spaghetti squash method. Perfectly tender and slightly sweet, it’s a healthy, versatile alternative to pasta that pairs well with a variety of sauces or toppings.
Ingredients
- 1 large spaghetti squash
- salt and black pepper
- olive oil spray
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180c/350f
- Using a sharp knife, slice spaghetti squash into rings.
- Remove seeds.
- Place spaghetti squash rings on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
- Spray with spray oil and season with some salt and pepper
- Bake for approx 30 mins, until the rings feel soft when pinched slightly.
- Allow to cool and then pull strands with a fork.
- Use in a recipe as desired.
Notes
Please see below for full nutritional info and additional details about recipe:
- Calories - scroll down to nutritional info box
- WW Points and other Slimming or Weight Loss programs - due to plans regularly changing and updating, we recommend calculating with the official tools you get as a member to those plans to ensure accuracy of values.
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Nutrition Information
Yield 4 Serving Size 1 SERVINGAmount Per Serving Calories 96Total Fat 4gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 3gCholesterol 0mgSodium 189mgCarbohydrates 16gFiber 4gSugar 6gProtein 2g
Nutritional information and values etc are an estimate and is to be used for informational purposes only. Ingredients can vary greatly from brand to brand and therefore it would be impossible to give accurate information. It is always advised that you calculate by the ingredients you use.
Alba Knight says
That looks great - unfortunately we do not get a great range of squash in the UK - pretty much limited to butternut and the very occasional acord squash 🙁
Anonymous says
they can be found in the UK, but not year round, Abel and Cole have them, and some of the larger supermarkets when they are in season, which is this time of year up to the Fall season.
Juliana Morris says
Ooh lovely! Thanks for sharing Britmum! Love Jules