Baked Spaghetti Squash

There are many different types of squash. I have a few soup recipes on here, Creamy Butternut Squash Soup, Creamy Kabocha Squash Soup and Creamy Sweet Pie Pumpkin Soup and they are all delicious. But squash are very versatile, they can be baked, or, added to stews. One of my favorite is spaghetti squash. And, that’s what this post is about, baked spaghetti squash.

The squash that we know are native to the Americas, however they are a member of the gourd family and can be found around the world. In Africa the outer hull is dried and used as a container. Squash were domesticated in the Americas about 8000 years ago. We know them as Pumpkin, Butternut, Acorn, Kabocha and Spaghetti squash, and they are winter squash. However, zucchini is another popular squash, that is a summer squash. Squash are a good addition to any diet, rich in B6, B12 and C vitamins.

But this post is about spaghetti squash. It gets it’s name from the cooked flesh looking like strands of spaghetti. It’s actually a hybrid squash that was developed in Asia in the early 19th century. Seems it took a while to become popular. It turns out, the part that we love, the spaghetti strands, were somewhat off-putting, their loss. The only downside is it’s neutrality, it really doesn’t have much flavor. The upside of that is that it will absorb all the flavors around it. When added to a plate, it will help to accentuate the flavors of the dish.

Cooking spaghetti squash is about as simple as it gets. Cut the squash in half, this can be done either lengthwise or sideways. I’m used to cutting mine lengthwise, just be careful, it requires some pressure to cut through the squash, make sure it’s on a solid surface and the direction of the knife is away from you. The halves don’t have to be perfect, the squash will cook. Now scoop out the seed pockets, this will be the seeds and the strands that connect them. Don’t throw them out, roast them up, they’re a great snack, or save them, and plant them for more spaghetti squash.

Place the two spaghetti squash halves on a foil lined oven tray, drizzle with olive oil. The oil will add some flavor to the squash, and also help it to brown a bit, it’s called the Maillard Reaction and it’s what adds color and flavor to the dishes we cook. Now sprinkle with coarse ground pepper and kosher salt, and place in a 375 degree preheated oven, for about an hour. Poke the flesh with a fork to check for doneness, it should be soft. The squash will have a beautiful golden brown color.

Now remove the spaghetti squash from the oven and allow to cool. You don’t want to burn yourself handling the squash. Using a spoon, gently scoop out the flesh into a bowl, you’ll see how it get’s it name, it looks like yellow spaghetti. Now serve you baked spaghetti squash, garnish with some green, and enjoy the meal, thank you for reading