Today I am going to show you how to cook spaghetti squash in the oven, in the microwave, and even in the slow cooker.
In fact, if you have always struggled with cooking this amazing low-carb vegetable, this will show you exactly what to do.
Spaghetti squash is a wonderful keto pasta replacement or a quick and easy alternative to zoodles. It’s also the perfect side dish for low-carb vegetarian meals.
Is spaghetti squash keto?
Spaghetti squash is part of the squash family which is grown above ground, large in size, and varies in shades of yellow to orange. It is low in carbs, high in fiber, and often used as a side dish, a pasta replacement, or a meal on its own with butter and seasonings.
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How many carbs are in cooked spaghetti squash?
Per 150g (1 cup) there are 10g total carbs, 2g fibre (so 8g net carbs). Now compare this with 1 cup (140g) cooked wheat spaghetti which has 43g carbs, 3g fibre (so 40g net). Spaghetti squash also contains Vitamins A, B6, C, niacin, manganese, and thiamin.
How to cook
It is used as a low-carb alternative to spaghetti and can be baked, boiled, microwaved, or steamed. Boiling or steaming has a tendency to make the spaghetti squash strands a little on the soggy side, so I prefer to bake it as shown in the ‘how to cook spaghetti squash video’.
How to serve
Spaghetti squash can be served simply with butter and garlic (my favorite) or with a spaghetti sauce or used in any other pasta recipe. It is a quick and easy keto pasta replacement and keto vegetarians especially love it because it is so flavorsome and low in carbs.
What to serve with spaghetti squash
- Low-carb bacon stuffed meatballs
- Easy keto meatballs (3 sauces to choose from)
- Low-carb spinach and feta pie
What a wonderful way to get more vegetables into your children. No more wheat pasta, which in effect is just cooked starch. Let them pull the strands from the cooked spaghetti squash. It’s so much fun letting them help out with the meal and learning to cook at the same time.
How To Cook Spaghetti Squash (Baked,Slow-cooker, Microwave)
Equipment
- Slow cooker
- Casserole Dish
Ingredients
- 1 spaghetti squash
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Oven method
- Watch the “How to cook spaghetti squash video”.
- Cut the spaghetti squash in half and scoop out the seeds with a spoon.
- Drizzle olive oil inside the spaghetti squash and rub all over.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Oil a large baking dish and place the spaghetti squash cut side down.
- Pierce the hard skin a few times (6-8).
- Bake at 180C/350F for 30 – 50 minutes depending on the size of the spaghetti squash you used.
- It is ready when the skin can be pressed down with your fingers gently. Test by turning over the spaghetti squash and with a fork, scrape away at the sides to separate the spaghetti strands, if they pull away easily, it is cooked.
- Serve with plenty of butter and garlic or sauce of choice.
Microwave method
- Cut through the skin and pierce into the centre 8-10 times. Place the WHOLE spaghetti squash in the microwave.
- Cook on HIGH for 5 minutes, turn over, cook for another 5 minutes on HIGH.
- Remove the spaghetti squash from the microwave onto a chopping board. Now that the skin is cooked and soft, you can easily cut the squash in half.
- Remove the seeds and place one half in the microwave, cook on HIGH for 1 minute. Repeat with the other half.
Slow Cooker Method
- Follow the oven method as per recipe above, but instead of placing the two spaghetti squash halves on a baking tray in the oven, place 1 or 2 (depending on the size of your slow cooker) in the slow cooker dish.
- Place the lid on and cook on HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 6 hours. Times are approximate and will vary according to your slow cooker.
Video
Nutrition
More pasta recipes
If you are looking for more pasta alternatives, why not try out my family favorite, spaghetti bolognese. Both can be made with zoodles or spaghetti squash, so if you have been buying gluten-free pasta, nows the time to ditch them forever and start making your own nutritious past alternatives.
Remember gluten-free foods are highly processed and devoid of much nutrition at all. There are so many recipes here, all naturally gluten-free.
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I don’t do spaghetti squash any more because even at 8 net carbs it is a little too high to my way of thinking. I use carrots that I spiralize instead. Has more nutrition, twice as much potassium and some other nutrients that the squash just doesn’t have like ones for eye health above and beyond the better levels of carotenoids and AMD nutrients. Plus the net carbs are only 6 per 1 cup cooked and the carrot noodles taste sweeter in other dishes where you wouldn’t use the squash like Thai dishes or guisados (Mexican stews with less juice). But that’s just me.
but some of us are on low carb. And carrots aren’t an acceptable food choice.
I love your recipes! You make everything so easy – even for people like me who don’t cook.
Thank you so much Wanda, that’s exactly what I am trying to do, so yay! Libby x
Oh fantastic Libbie. I saw it years ago in my local green grocer but have not seen it since, even though we only shop now at farmer’s markets at Frenchs Forest in Sydney. Really hoping I find some as I would love to try it. Bit over the zoodles at the moment.
This is my first time to make and even eat Spaghetti Squash. I enjoyed the taste and texture! I have one-half leftover. Do you know if it keeps well over night in the refrigerator? Should it either be left in the cooked skin or cleaned out of the skin? Thank you in advance for your response.
I generally scoop it all out of the skin and keep it covered in the fridge for up to 3 days and then reheat in the microwave or oven when needed.
This is just amazing. I wish I could do the same.
Just bought one of these today, can’t wait to try it! My son enjoyed your video so will get him to help me cook it!
While carbs are high, tasty. Carrots are not in our refrig anymore. Way too many carbs. It was my son’s fave snack. Now, when he is looking for a snack, fat bomb or chips from fathead pizza recipe.