How to Cook Spaghetti Squash

This how to cook a spaghetti squash guide is an easy way to learn how to properly bake spaghetti squash! It is a simple process with only a few steps and can be done in less than an hour.    

Spaghetti squash is one of the first foods I ever tried to ‘healthify’ when I was first beginning my journey to healthier eating during college.

It was starting to pick up stem as a fun alternative to spaghetti and let’s just say, I was invested. I would bring home one spaghetti squash a week, microwave it, and then eat the squash every night, quickly realizing that it was indeed not spaghetti but it was a fun alternative to the beloved pasta.

I would load it up with turkey meatballs, homemade lentil bolognese sauce, shrimp with red sauce, my vegan ricotta cheese, and really anything that was a little bit saucy and I thought would be a good fit in a spaghetti squash bowl.

I was OBSESSED. I’m pretty sure spaghetti squash was coming out of my ears at that point, but I didn’t even care and didn’t see an end in sight.

As my love for spaghetti squash progressed, I realized that baking a spaghetti squash in the oven was a much tastier way to cook spaghetti squash, making the strands a lot softer and even tastier because they begin to caramelize in the oven.

The caramelization seriously adds to the deliciousness of the squash and that’s something you definitely don’t get when it is done in a microwave.

So with all of that being said, let’s get to baking a spaghetti squash!

First things first, when picking out a spaghetti squash, you want to get one between 2-4 pounds. I typically like to get them as large as possible because they are fairly inexpensive and it obviously would produce a lot more squash.

The very first thing I like to do is wash my spaghetti squash completely, just to be sure to get everything off since you will be cutting it and then eating the inside.

Set up a baking sheet with either parchment paper or aluminum foil.

Take your clean spaghetti squash and place it in the microwave for 4 minutes. I know what you’re thinking, microwave?! I thought we were baking it! Well, we are but this first step is crucial. It will help to soften the spaghetti squash so that it is easier to cut in half.

If you try to cut the spaghetti squash without the initial microwave, it is possible but it will be a lot harder to do (and more dangerous!)

Cut the spaghetti squash in half length wise, so that you are left with two long boats.

Drizzle the boats with olive oil and using your hand, brush it over the entire cavity of the boat.

Flip them over, face side down, on the parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake in oven.

You can tell when it is ready when the skin is soft to touch and you can pierce a fork through it.

Once it is baked, take out of the oven and carefully flip them over so the steam can escape, this prevents the squash from getting too soggy.

Once cooled enough (about 30 minutes), using a spoon, scoop seeds out of center of squash and discard or save seeds for roasting.

Using a fork, pull the squash flesh away from the peel in spaghetti like strands. Use your fork to pull in the same direction of the strands in order to get the longest spaghetti like noodles.

Serve immediately! Or stuff your boats after loosening the strands.

This is the best guide for how to cook a spaghetti squash!

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