Spaghetti squash is a healthy vegetable with a light aroma that will split into many spaghetti-like strands after cooking. While there are many ways to cook this pumpkin, you can roast it for a delicious, caramelized flavor. Once the pumpkin is oven-baked, scrape the flesh into strips and serve with your preferred sauce or condiments.
Ingredients
- 1 piece of spaghetti squash weighing 900 grams to 1.4 kg
- 1 tbsp. (15 ml) olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Makes 2-4 servings
Step
Method 1 of 2: Baking Spaghetti Pumpkin in the Oven
Step 1. Place the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 204 °C
Set the oven rack before you turn on the oven. Let the oven heat up while you cut the pumpkin.
If you want a more caramelized roasted pumpkin, preheat the oven to 220 °C. This will make the pumpkin cook faster, so you should reduce the roasting time by 5-10 minutes
Step 2. Cut a 900 gram to 1.4 kg spaghetti squash into two lengthwise halves
Hold the pumpkin over a cutting board, then use a kitchen knife to carefully divide the pumpkin into two lengthwise halves. To make it easier to cut, don't cut off the stem. Once sliced lengthwise, pull the pumpkin by hand to separate it into two halves.
To prevent the cutting board from shifting, place a damp washcloth under it
Step 3. Take the seeds that are in each half of the pumpkin
Use a spoon to scrape up the seeds and fiber from each side of the pumpkin. Only scrape off the fiber sticking to the seeds and don't scrape off the flesh.
Remove or roast the seeds as you would regular pumpkin seeds
Step 4. Place the two halves of the pumpkin in a baking dish and sprinkle about 15 ml of olive oil on the pumpkin
Olive oil prevents the pumpkin from sticking and gives it a mild flavor when roasted. Flip the pumpkin so that the slices are on the bottom and against the baking sheet.
At this point, you can season the pumpkin with pepper and salt
Step 5. Bake the spaghetti squash for 30 minutes or until the meat is tender
Place the baking sheet in the oven and roast the pumpkin until the meat is tender. To check for doneness, pierce the pumpkin with a butter knife. If the knife slides in and out easily, the pumpkin is ripe. If the knife is difficult to remove, roast the pumpkin for another 5 minutes and check again.
You may need an additional 10-15 minutes if you roast a large pumpkin
Step 6. Remove the spaghetti squash and let it cool for 5-10 minutes
When the pumpkin is tender, remove the pan from the oven while wearing oven mitts. Don't scrape right away as the pumpkin is still too hot to handle at this point.
Step 7. Make spaghetti-like strands by moving a fork over the pumpkin
Hold the pumpkin halves in one hand while wearing oven mitts. After that, use a fork to gently scrape the pumpkin from one end to the other. This will produce lots of thin, spaghetti-like strands. Continue scraping the meat until the fork reaches the thin, hard part of the shell.
Step 8. Mix the pumpkin strands with the sauce or season with herbs before serving
Transfer the spaghetti squash strands to a bowl and add your favorite sauce or curry sauce. If you wish, you can sprinkle grated cheese and fresh herbs, and sprinkle some olive oil over the pumpkin strands.
- Try enjoying this pumpkin with homemade spaghetti sauce, creamy Alfredo sauce, or peanut sauce.
- Place the baked spaghetti squash in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to one week. Pumpkins can last longer (up to 3 months) in the freezer.
Tip:
If you want to serve the pumpkin slices with the shell, don't transfer the pumpkin flesh to the bowl. Instead, season the pumpkin strands in the shell, then place on a serving plate.
Method 2 of 2: Trying Other Variations
Step 1. Bake one whole pumpkin if you want to reduce the preparation time
If you don't want to cut a tough, raw pumpkin, roast it until it's cooked through so you can split it easily. Punch holes all over the pumpkin with a metal skewer, then place the pumpkin in the roasting pan. Bake the pumpkin for 60-70 minutes at 200 °C. After that, cut the pumpkin that has been tender into two lengthwise halves and remove the seeds.
- Halfway through cooking, flip the pumpkin over with the oven mitts on.
- This method is easier to do, but the pumpkin becomes unscented. This is because the pumpkin is steamed and doesn't caramelize.
Step 2. Roast the whole pumpkin in a slow cooker for 3-4 hours if you don't want to bother
Place the pumpkin on a cutting board and carefully make slits about 1.5 cm wide. Place the whole pumpkin in a slow cooker, and cover the pot. Next, cook the pumpkin on the "High" setting for 3-4 hours or "Low" for 6-8 hours. When it is soft and cool, cut the pumpkin in half lengthwise and remove the seeds.
Variation:
If you want to use an electric pressure cooker, place the steamer basket in the pot and add 240 ml of water. Put the pumpkin in the basket and cover the pressure cooker. Next, pressurize the pumpkin for 20 minutes on high heat. Use the quick pressure release feature, and split the pumpkin when it's cool to handle.
Step 3. Put the filling in the center of the pumpkin before you bake it
To make the spaghetti squash a complete dish, place the pumpkin halves in the roasting pan with the slices on top. Remove the pumpkin seeds so you can add the filling to them before baking. Try filling pumpkin halves with these ingredients:
- Shredded chicken and stir-fried vegetables
- Creamy spinach with cheese
- Ground beef cooked with corn and black beans
- Spaghetti sauce with ground beef and parmesan cheese
Step 4. Slice the pumpkin into rings before you roast it to get long pumpkin strands
Cut the pumpkin crosswise into rings about 3 cm wide. Remove the stuck seeds and place the pumpkin rings on top of the aluminum foil sheet. Spread a little olive oil on the rings, then roast the pumpkin at 200 °C for 35-40 minutes or until the flesh is tender.
- To pick up the pumpkin, pull the skin off the pumpkin with your fingers. After that, use a fork or fingers to pull out the long pumpkin strands.
- By slicing the pumpkin into rings, the roasting time will be faster than if you were cooking it whole.
