Spaghetti Squash - Pasta or Vegetable? With Recipes

Spaghetti squash certainly seems a bit of an oddity. On the outside it looks like your average vegetable squash, but open it after cooking it and out spills thin strands resembling spaghetti. And as for the taste, well, really, you can quite easily substitute it for spaghetti pasta if you only have spaghetti squash instead! It is also known as the noodle squash or spaghetti marrow.

This is a vegetable that will definitely intrigue the kids, and even the most finicky of eaters will try this vegetable just because of the novelty of it all.

Growing Spaghetti Squash

When growing spaghetti squash on your homesteads, farms and in your backyards it is grown in the same way as you would grow any curburbits - 3 seeds to a mound of soil, and treat the plants as you would for zucchini. You need a fair amount to grow these vegetables as they do spread out, and the weight of each squash is about 2 kg, with several fruit coming off one plant.

Within 12-14 weeks of sowing you should have your first spaghetti squash ripening on the vines for harvest. You will see the upper side of the fruit turning from a creamy white to a yellow when it is time to harvest. Once picked, the squash also keep well like their pumpkin cousins, and will often keep well for 3 months or more.

How to Cook Spaghetti Squash

How to Cook Squash by Baking: There are several ways of cooking this unusual vegetable. You can prick the skin all over and bake it in a moderate oven for about 45 minutes. Turning it over during the cooking time.

Cut squash lengthways, keeping skin on, but seeds scooped out. Place on buttered baking tray in moderate oven cut-side down. Bake for about 30 minutes until tender.

How to Cook Spaghetti Squash by Boiling

You can also cut it lengthways, and boil it a little salted water in a large pot (about 2 inches) for about 20 - 30 minutes until tender. Place the squash face down in the pot, after you have removed the seeds but still retaining the skin. This just makes it easier to handle.

However, you can also cook it a lot quicker by cutting it up into 2 inch slices. Do not peel the skin and do not remove the seeds as this keeps the flesh intact during the cooking process. You can either boil or steam the slices for about 12 minutes and then scoop out the seeds. Either scrape the flesh out with a fork, or tease it out with your hands. Cooking it this way may be a quicker option, but you end up with really short strands of the spaghetti-like flesh, which spoils half the fun.

How to Cook Spaghetti Squash in the Microwave

You can also microwave your spaghetti squash. Cut lengthways, and then place the pieces face up in a glass dish with 1/4 cup of water. Cover with clingfilm. Cook on high for 7-8 minutes.

Spaghetti Squash Recipes

You can use it as a substitute for pasta with a meat bolognaise sauce.

You can use it as a pie topping by mixing 1 cup of cold spaghetti squash with 1 cup grated cheese, 1/2 cup of dry breadcrumbs and 1 teaspoon curry powder. Mix and then place on the top of a beef or chicken pie that has been pre-cooked. Bake in a moderate oven until golden brown.

A perfect dish for Christmas leftovers. Take your cooked squash mix it with cubes of your leftover Christmas ham. Cover with a cheese sauce. Top with grated cheese and bake in a moderate oven until bubbly and golden.

Lay cooked squash in an ovenproof dish. Cover with cheese sauce, grated cheese, dry breadcrumbs and a little parsley or chopped chives. Back under a grill until bubbly and golden.

Mix 1 cup of cooked, cold spaghetti squash into a bowl with chopped capsicum, zucchini, and celery. Add 1 tablespoon chopped parsley and 1 tablespoon of pine nuts or walnuts. Mix in a little creamy salad dressing of your choice. Refrigerate before serving.
Cut up herbs of your choice. A tablespoon of each will do; parsley, marjoram, and thyme, mix in a pot with about 4 tablespoons of butter. Melt and stir. Toss through the noodle squash.
Serve plain with a little butter and grated parmesan cheese.

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