It took me a long time to warm up to spaghetti squash. I think it's because I had unfair expectations. People say they eat it because it's just like eating spaghetti (!!!), but those people are liars because it's really not like eating spaghetti. It's like eating squash in the shape of spaghetti. Which is good! But it's not spaghetti! Please don't lie to me about pasta!
The other reason I was on the fence about spaghetti squash was the wateriness. Sometimes spaghetti squash releases a lot of liquid after you've cooked it and this can pretty much ruin any recipe you're using it in. I searched the web for tips on how to prevent this, but I couldn't find much about it. Through trial-and-error, I've learned that roasting the squash, instead of steaming or microwaving it, results in the least amount of water, and that when you're pairing the spaghetti squash with a sauce, you need to make it a little bit stronger than you normally would so it's still flavorful when tossed with the squash.
For this particular sauce, I made some slight adjustments to a kale pesto that Kare from Kitchen Treaty had posted as part of a White Bean & Kale Pesto Dip recipe. Basil pesto would be a solid choice too if you don't want to go the kale route, but since it's fall and basil is no longer growing right outside my kitchen (sad!), I went with kale. Although I halved other ingredients in the pesto, I kept the amount of garlic the same to compensate for any water the squash released after being tossed with the sauce. (And the great thing about making your own pesto is that you can use it for other recipes, too! I topped each plate with toasted walnuts and sun-dried tomatoes; if you have a little more time, roasted broccoli would be a great addition to this dish too.
I'm not going to tell you it's going to curb your craving for pasta, but this recipe is really good. So good that maybe you'll forget you had a pasta craving in the first place. That works too, right?
This post was originally published on October 31, 2013.
Ingredients
- 1 extra-large spaghetti squash seeded and halved
- Oil mister or cooking spray
- 1 ½ cups packed torn kale leaves
- ½ cup raw walnut pieces divided
- ¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ⅓ cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400ºF.
- Place the spaghetti squash halves cut-side-up on a baking sheet and spray the tops with oil. Bake until tender and just beginning to brown on the edges, about 40 minutes. Allow the squash to cool slightly; if liquid has collected in the centers, drain it off, then scrape out the insides with a fork and separate it into spaghetti strands.
- While the squash is baking, combine the kale, ¼ cup walnuts, cheese, olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic cloves in your food processor. Process until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Toast the remaining walnuts and set aside.
- Toss the spaghetti squash with the pesto in a large bowl. Divide onto 4 plates and top each with the toasted walnuts and sun-dried tomatoes.
Shelley @ Two Healthy Kitchens says
Oh, Kiersten! This looks seriously, seriously fantastic! I 100% adore spaghetti squash! (Although you're totally right - it DOESN'T taste "just like spaghetti"!!!!) Gretchen and I have been wrestling with the wateriness issue for an upcoming recipe, too, so I love that you addressed the problem and gave people good advice on how they can tackle it. I wish I had a spaghetti squash sitting on my counter right now - I would totally be making this recipe for dinner tonight! Can't wait to try it! 😀
Kiersten says
I can't wait to see your recipe! I just made a spaghetti squash recipe with peanut sauce for lunch today--so good!
Shelley @ Two Healthy Kitchens says
Peanut sauce on spaghetti squash?!?! Sounds awesome! Just wanted you to get back to you and let you know that our recipe for Parmesan Spaghetti Squash went up today! It's not written as a vegetarian recipe (since not all of our recipes are necessarily vegetarian), but it is really healthy and could definitely be adapted to fit a vegetarian lifestyle. I hope you'll take a peek! 😀
Kiersten says
Going to check it out now! 😀
Maria says
I can't get enough spaghetti squash! Love this recipe!
Cailee @ http://hellohealthyeating.com says
Oh yum!! This looks AMAZING!! I love spaghetti squash! It's such a healthy alternative to regular spaghetti! YUM
Anele @ Success Along the Weigh says
I KNEW IT!!! I knew the people saying eating that was just like eating pasta were lying!! Thanks for being straight up, yo.
Not to sound stupid but say it was still too watery for my taste, could you wring it out in cheesecloth and have it retain the spaghetti strands or would it just become a big ball o' squash at that point?
Kiersten says
I think you could try that, but sometimes when you wring squash out like that, it gets weirdly desiccated. I haven't done it with spaghetti squash, but I tried it with zucchini noodles once...
janae @ bring joy says
"but those people are liars because it’s really not like eating spaghetti. It’s like eating squash in the shape of spaghetti."
Couldn't agree more! It's like all that raw food that is supposed to be "exactly like" it's cooked counterpart--which more often than not, it's NOT. But that's okay. Just don't pretend that it is. I actually love spaghetti squash, but I agree, not the same thing as "real" spaghetti :).
Kiersten says
Ha ha! Okay, there are some raw foods that are really like the original. Have you ever had raw caramel? So much like the real thing. But raw noodles? Or pizza? Just no. It's tasty, but no.
Kelli @ The Corner Kitchen says
Haha...last week I made spaghetti squash, but wasn't so sure the bf would be on board, so I told him we were having spaghetti for dinner. I was secretly hoping he's get at least a couple bites in before he realized it. Slightly cruel...possibly. He figured it out before the first bite, and for some reason wasn't quite as amused as I was 🙂
As far as the water...I pierce the skin (a lot) before roasting, and I let the squash sit for at least 15 minutes after it comes out of the oven...a lot of the water will drain out while it's resting.
Kiersten says
HA! Yeah, that's a little bit cruel. 😉 I never thought to pierce the skin to let the water drain out that way--I'm going to do that next time!
Laura @ The Rookie Cook says
I totally agree about spaghetti squash. I was really disappointed the first time I've had it and just haven't bothered to make it again. Your recipe makes me want to try it again soon!
Kiersten says
Try it again! I'm really glad I did.
Archana @ FeedingTheFoodie says
how timely, I've been considering venturing into sphagetti squash again, I tried it many years ago and thought it was too much work.
I was thinking on pesto lines too, but the traditional one, I like the idea of kale and sundried tomatoes here!! I think I better go get myself a sphagetti squash.
Kiersten says
It's definitely more work than boiling a pot of water for pasta, but I think the hardest part is halving it and scooping out the seeds! After that, it's smooth sailing. 🙂
Suzanne @ hello, veggy! says
I recently tried spaghetti squash with pesto; unreal! Sundried tomatoes would be a great addition; thanks for the tip!
Kiersten says
I will put sun-dried tomatoes on just about anything--they are always a good addition! 😀
Alissa N (GirlMakesFood) says
I actually have never had spaghetti squash, but I am super glad you were honest about it not being pasta like. Because I am also very serious about my pasta. And if someone told me "hey this is JUST LIKE a bowl of pasta" and then it wasn't I would probably throw my shoe at them. This looks seriously awesome, and the grocery/csa kind of thing I participate in keeps wanting to give me spaghetti squash. I think now I will let them 🙂
Kiersten says
I had the same reaction to shirataki noodles too. I seriously never throw away food unless it's spoiled and shirataki noodles are like one of the five things I have ever thrown away. Don't mess with my pasta! Don't do it! But now that you know spaghetti squash doesn't taste like pasta, I bet you'll like it. 🙂
Maria Tadic says
I love spaghetti squash too! And i WISH it was more like pasta. Oh well. I've never mixed pesto with it, but that's definitely a to-do now! Love the salty/garlicky flavor addition!
Kiersten says
If it was more like pasta, I could totally go paleo. Well, except for the meat. And the not eating legumes. Or rice. Hmm, nevermind. 🙂
Julia says
The first time I ate spaghetti squash, I had a total WAH WAAAH let-down moment because all the paleo blogs I was reading were all, "dude, spaghetti squash rocks..it's just like eating pasta!" and I was all, "I'm game!" and when I realized it wasn't (as you pointed out) at all like eating pasta, I was totally miffed. Since I now know what to expect, I LOVE spaghetti squash! You're making me want to roast one off so I can toss it around with kale pesto and sun-dried tomatoes. Looks delicious!
Kiersten says
Ha! That's exactly it--once you know what to expect, it's good stuff. 🙂
Erica {Coffee & Quinoa} says
I was the same way with spaghetti squash - it was so disappointing at first. But once I got used to it, I love it, especially with pesto. I've never made kale pesto and will absolutely have to try this one out!
Kiersten says
I think it's good with pesto because pesto has so much flavor. That seems to be the trick with spaghetti squash!
dishing up the dirt says
Great minds think alike! I have a very similar recipe and it is one of my favorites! It took me a while to warm up to spaghetti squash too, but now I am hooked!
Kiersten says
We are totally on the same wavelength about food! It's eerie. 🙂
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
Kiersten this looks amazing! I've never had spaghetti squash, I don't think you can get them in the UK 🙁 but I'll definitely be trying this with normal spaghetti! That pesto sounds amazing, anything described as 'garlicky' is good in my book!
Kiersten says
I'm surprised you don't have spaghetti squash over there! But yes, the pesto would be delicious on real spaghetti too. 😉
Kelly @ A Girl Worth Saving says
I love spaghetti squash and to me, it does take like spaghetti 🙂 My husband hates it, even though I roast mine and it's never been watery.
Kiersten says
You are crazy! 😀 But it's been a long time since you had real spaghetti, right? Maybe that's why!
Joy //For the Love of Leaves says
I had the same reaction the first time I had spaghetti squash! Also, I've been craving pesto lately so this looks FABULOUS!
Kiersten says
I'm glad I'm not the only one! 🙂
Genevieve says
Yeah, I've never thought of spaghetti squash as tasting like real pasta...I actually think zucchini noodles taste more like the real thing! I've never thought of eating spaghetti squash with pesto though - sounds like a good idea!
Kiersten says
I don't think zucchini noodles taste like pasta either--I wish I did, because it would make giving up pasta very easy. 😉
Natalie @ Once Upon a Cutting Board says
I haven't had spaghetti squash yet this year but I need to soon and love finding new ways to try it - I haven't had it with pesto before but this looks so good and I love that you used kale in the pesto!
Kiersten says
It was your spaghetti squash recipe (the one with the tahini sauce!) that made me rethink how I felt about spaghetti squash! 😀 I think that recipe was how I found your blog too...
Mallory @ Because I Like Chocolate says
Spaghetti squash with pesto, what a great idea!
[email protected]'s Recipes says
Finally someone tells the truth! Spaghetti squash is okay, but not my favourite winter squash. The kale pesto sounds fantastic to me.
Kiersten says
Ha! I do like it a lot more than I used to. But at first, I didn't understand the hype at all.
Liz @ A Nut in a Nutshell says
I think the sundried tomatoes are a great choice too as they have an intense flavor. This sounds super yummy!
Liz says
I've never heard (ie: READ) anyone saying SS tastes JUST like pasta, and if I did, I'd just roll my eyes or shake my head in pity knowing full well that those poor people were Ca-razy. I know people use it as a pasta SUB, which I do, but it isn't even REMOTELY pasta like. And, yes, WATERY. I've come to use the same methods/techniques that you do for making SS work in a dish and not have the flavor watered down. I've also found that "stringing" the squash, then placing it in a colander to cool completely also helps to remove even more water from it because even when baked, it's still releases a fair amount of water.
And thanks for not doing a traditional pesto. It annoys me a little when bloggers include fresh basil in recipes after Fall rolls around. I'm always like "Where the HECK are they getting FRESH basil from?" I pretty much eat seasonally, but even if I wanted to pick some up, I don't recall even seeing fresh basil in the supermarkets once October hits.
Kiersten says
I think some people try to convince themselves it's just like pasta. Mostly I see it with people who don't eat carbs at all. Maybe they don't remember what pasta tastes like? 🙂 I actually made spaghetti squash for lunch today and I tried popping it in a colander for a few minutes. Since I was adding hot veggies anyway, those helped heat the squash back up once I mixed them in. 🙂
If I didn't have cats that feel compelled to destroy all plants, I would try growing basil in my kitchen...
Fiona says
Wow this sounds amazing, especially the walnut & kale pesto. I'm so going to try it tonight! Thanks for the recipe.
Kiersten says
I hope you like it!
Grace @ FoodFitnessFreshAir says
I agree about the pasta vs. spaghetti squash. I do love spaghetti squash, but it's not exactly pasta. This pasta-like sauce with it sound fantastic though. Pinning this!
Kiersten says
Thanks for the pin! 🙂