How to Cut and Bake Spaghetti Squash Recipe Card
Learn How to Cut and Bake Spaghetti Squash and prepare it as a replacement for pasta dishes to help you maintain your low-carb goals. Low-carb, Keto8g net carbs / per 1 cup
Equipment
- Large sharp knife
- Small sharp knife
- Chopping board
- Tea towel
Ingredients
- Spaghetti Squash medium size
- Avocado Oil or Spray
- Dried Thyme or your desired spices
- Salt & Pepper to taste
Instructions
Cut the Spaghetti Squash
- Lay down a folded tea towel over a chopping board, then place the spaghetti squash on top. The tea towel will keep the squash in place while you cut it.
- Place your non-dominant hand on the squash towards the stem to keep it steady. Take a small sharp knife in the other hand, starting from the top and middle, and make minor dash-like cuts along the spaghetti squash lengthwise, away from the stem and towards the end.
- Turn the squash around and make similar cuts towards the opposite end from the middle. You should have a dashed line running from stem to end.
- Flip the squash over and repeat with the opposite side. You should have two dash lines running along the length of the squash that lead to both ends of the squash.
- Hold the squash closer to the stem with one hand and use a large sharp knife to cut into the squash from the middle. It should be easier to cut from the center down to the end in one go.
- Turn the squash around, starting from the middle again, and cut down away from your hand towards the stem. Don’t try to cut through the stem.
- Repeat with the opposite side of the squash along the dashed line.
Bake the Spaghetti Squash
- Spray avocado oil onto the flesh and season the spaghetti squash with salt, pepper and dried thyme.
- Place the squash halves, flesh side down, onto a parchment-lined baking tray.
- Bake in the oven for 25-40 minutes, depending on the size of the squash at 400F:Small Spaghetti squash: Bake for 25 minutesMedium Spaghetti squash: Bake for 30 minutesLarge Spaghetti squash: Bake for 40 minutes
- Once it's baked, take it out of the oven and rest it for 5 minutes before shredding.
Shred the Spaghetti
- Take a fork and shred the flesh into long stringy spaghetti-like noodles. It should be easy once it's cooked. Pick at the strands and lightly scrape from the edges to the middle to form spaghetti. Keep half an inch of the edge intact if you want to serve your spaghetti in its shells.
Notes
Notes and Tips
- Use a small sharp knife to score your spaghetti squash before cutting it in half with a large sharp knife.
- Cook the spaghetti squash al dente until it has a slight bite, like pasta.
- To avoid mushy spaghetti squash, bake it al dente, with a bite like pasta.
- Pick a melting cheese that will quickly melt into the sauce.
- For meal prep, store the spaghetti squash and your desired sauce separately.