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Cooking and Serving Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti squash owes its name to its flesh, which is reminiscent of spaghetti once cooked and shredded with a fork. There are different ways of cooking this fall vegetable. Here are four of them, as well as four recipes to enjoy it—and no blended soup or purée!

In the Oven

Cooking the squash on a sheet pan is the RICARDO team’s favourite method.

  1.  Place the rack in the middle of the oven and preheat it to 375°F (190°C).
  2.  Cut the squash in half lengthwise and make sure to remove the seeds and filaments before adding salt and pepper.
  3.  Cover the sheet pan with parchment paper and place the squash halves on the paper, cut side down.
  4.  Cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour, checking with the tip of a knife that the flesh is nice and tender.
  5.  Once the squash has cooled down, shred the flesh with a fork.

In the Microwave Oven

Regardless of the chosen cooking method, we never recommend cooking a squash whole, even if you make incisions in the skin and flesh. There is a real risk of the veggie exploding and causing burns. If you choose to cook your squash in the microwave, which saves time, cut it in half and remove the seeds. Place both halves side by side, cut side up, in a microwave-safe dish that’s big enough to hold both. You can cook the squash with or without added water.

With water: Pour some water in the bottom of the dish and cook for about 12 minutes. The time may vary according to the power of the appliance and the size of the squash. Check for doneness by pricking the flesh with the tip of a knife.

Without water: We recommend covering the dish with plastic film, leaving a small opening in a corner to let steam out. Then set your appliance to maximum power and cook for 7 to 10 minutes.

In both cases, be super careful with the hot steam emanating from the cooked squash. Ideally, let it cool down a bit before touching and shredding it.

In the Slow Cooker

Though the cooking time for a whole squash is longer in a slow cooker, it’s a simple, worry-free method.

  1.  Cut the vegetable in half lengthwise and remove the seeds before putting both halves in the slow cooker, cut side up.
  2.  Spread some oil all over the flesh, add salt and pepper, then set the temperature of the appliance on low and cook for 6 hours.
  3.  Once the squash has cooled down, simply shred and prepare it.

In the Pressure Cooker

Cooking the squash in a pressure cooker allows you to gain speed and efficiency.

  1.  Cut the squash into segments* (against the fibres) and remove the seeds with a spoon.
  2.  Pour a cup of water into the pressure cooker container and put the silicone grill for steam cooking at the bottom. Then place the squash segments on top, cut side down.
  3.  Put the lid on and select the “Root Vegetable” function (or high pressure). Set the cooking time to 12 minutes.
  4.  Depressurize the appliance manually, then remove the lid and let the contents cool down.

*Cutting the squash into segments instead of lengthwise will allow for more uniform cooking.

Putting Spaghetti Squash on the Menu

Added to a soup, served spaghetti-style, swapped for a pasta dish or simply used as a side vegetable, spaghetti squash will fill your plate with fall flavours.