Have you tried spaghetti squash instead of spagetti?

cupcakechef

cupcakechef

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Something that I like to make when I don't want the heaviness of normal pasta is spaghetti squash.

Don't get me wrong -- I'm half Italian so regular pasta is an absolute staple in our household! But spaghetti squash is great too! You just roast it, and when you scrape out the flesh of the squash, it separates into noodle-like strands. It doesn't really have a flavor, so whatever sauce you have it with really is what flavors the dish. I do like it as a healthier alternative.
 
I tried it a few years ago as a trade sample,it was ok we baked them up side down with a little water and then forked out the flesh and tried a few different sauces,again it was not unpleasant,but did not set the world on fire,I would choose a butternut squash every time or a marrow,the thing about the spaghetti squash is its a bit of style over taste
 
I have never tried this or heard of it. I bet I like the pasta better. I love squash though. I am sure that I would enjoy both meals. I love anything with tomatoes in it. I will have to try this one. It even sounds interesting. Spaghetti with squash in it. I am sure that some would not feel the same.
 
It's really delicious! Although I wouldn't really compare it much to spaghetti except in looks. It doesn't have the same texture, which doesn't bother me but bothered a friend I made it for. I still like to use it to replace spaghetti noodles every once in a while.

For cooking, I cut it in half (which is the hardest part) and scoop out the seeds. I put a dash of salt and pepper inside of each half and place them face down in a glass baking dish. I fill the baking dish so that it covers about 1/3 of the squash and place it in the oven on 400°F for about 30 minutes so the insides of the squash will soften. After I take it out, I hold the squash with an oven mitt (it will be VERY hot) and scrape out the insides with a fork onto my plate. I top it with my favorite sauce and enjoy!

One squash can produce a lot of "spaghetti" so I like to save the leftovers in the fridge and they last quite a while and are easy to reheat in the microwave.
 
This is news/new to me. Spaghetti squash..It's the first time I am hearing about it. I know I have not been getting out a lot in recent months/years but surely I would have seen or heard of this. I can't wait to ask one of our national chefs if he's familiar with this. I am at work so one of my 'customers' just told me he has a second job. He says he's a 'chef' and of course I asked about this spaghetti and he has no idea what I am talking about not surprisingly.
 
How does it look like? Are the noodles firm and long or are they soggy and break apart? I love the idea because I love squash and this is like going for the less carb diet although I heard squash is full of cholesterol
 
Bakemehappy said:
I heard squash is full of cholesterol
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I don't think, if you check, that you will find squash is full of cholesterol. Cholesterol is a fat/waxy like substance for in all the cells of the body. Any body whether it is human or animal alike. Cholesterol is only produced in animal cells. There is absolutely no cholesterol to be found in any fruit or vegetables. Fruit and vegetables are good at lowering cholesterol but certainly not for containing it.

This is a link to the nutritional content of winter squash, admittedly not spaghetti squash but you get the idea, hopefully.
https://www.fatsecret.com/calories-nutrition/usda/winter-squash?portionid=34736&portionamount=1.000

And here is the nutritional content of pumpkin seeds which whilst you will see contains fats does not contain cholesterol. https://www.fatsecret.com/calories-nutrition/david-seeds/pumpkin-seeds
 
I have never tried the spaghetti squash in place of the pasta spaghetti. I have to give it a try at some time, I am trying to reduce the amount of pasta I eat.
 
I have never tried it though I have been meaning too. I have heard lots of good things about it. I know my husband would never eat it or anybody else so I would have to prepare it just for myself. I guess that is why I have never tried it. Maybe I will someday. I know it is so much better for you and we do eat a fair amount of pasta.
 
This is the first time that I had heard of this spaghetti squash and I am thinking how does it looks like and how does it taste like. This is very interesting because I love eating squash and I know that is a healthy kind of vegetable. Thanks for sharing and I learned something new again from this site. I will surely search what is this squash spaghetti all about. :)
 
I have seen squash spaghetti in one buffet restaurant we had dined in. At first, I really couldn't comprehend what those pasta were until I saw the label that it was squash pasta. But the taste really is that of squash since it's squash and it does not fit well with the spaghetti sauce. Maybe the sauce should be a different concoction to match the flavor of the squash which is somewhat sweet (to my taste). But for the health conscious, I find that squash spaghetti is a good alternative for the real pasta.
 
cupcakechef said:
Something that I like to make when I don't want the heaviness of normal pasta is spaghetti squash.

Don't get me wrong -- I'm half Italian so regular pasta is an absolute staple in our household! But spaghetti squash is great too! You just roast it, and when you scrape out the flesh of the squash, it separates into noodle-like strands. It doesn't really have a flavor, so whatever sauce you have it with really is what flavors the dish. I do like it as a healthier alternative.
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Yes, I have made the spaghetti squash pasta. It is not bad. It definitely more work than traditional pasta, but healthier for sure. I have a recipie for spaghetti squash carbonara I want to try. I bet it is really good, and like 2/3 less calories than traditional pasta.
 
I was thinking of trying to make spaghetti using spaghetti squash but I have a feeling my kids would notice the difference. I wonder if you could mix the two together so there's half pasta half squash. I definitely want to try it with my kids. I might have to start small and add their favourite pasta sauce on top. It would be great to add another vegetable to the table. I'm always looking for creative ways to serve veggies to my kids.
 
I have heard of doing this, but have never tried it myself. It would seem that the squash would be much softer and have a mush-like feel, especially once you put sauce on it. What types of sauce taste best with spaghetti squash?
 
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