Have you ever made spaghetti squash in the hopes of noodles…& ended up with mush? We have. Quite a few times actually. The faux noodles would merge with the sauce & become squash clumps. They definitely weren’t fooling anyone into thinking they were pasta! So what is the trick? It is all in the cut- keep reading to check it out!
So the trick to the perfect noodles starts with slicing the squash the right way. Normally people cut a spaghetti squash (& most squash varieties in general) length-wise…but you need to do the opposite! The way the strands wrap & form within the squash are around- not up & down! Instead you want to cut your squash in rings with a sharp knife. I usually cut a small sliver to make the squash balance easily. I usually make my husband do the cutting, he is much taller & can actually work with the top of the squash! Try for about 1 inch rings but if they come out funky you’ll be okay 🙂 Remove the seeds by running a paring knife lightly around the interior of each circle which is a lot less time-consuming than you may think. Line a roasting pan with parchment paper & lay each ring flat. Bake at 375 for about 40 minutes. If you have multiple pans rotate them.
After you’ve removed your spaghetti squash from the over let them cool- roasting temperatures is no joke! I usually let them cool for about 10 minutes before I noodle-fy them. This is both simple & actually kind of fun! Using a fork scrape at the strands to separate starting from the inside & working your way toward the skin/peel. Discard the skin after you’ve created your strands & repeat until finished!
You’re left with silky, beautiful noodles. & yes- they are pretty close to noodles! See them actually twirled on the fork? Yeah- you can make that happen! Check out that fork action…oh baby!
At our house we use spaghetti squash as a low-carb option topped with sauce & sometimes a protein. I personally eat is as pictured for lunch half the time- a bit of salt & pepper…a tap of butter? I love the natural flavor of spaghetti squash! You can also do half regular pasta & it blends beautifully. So many options here! It is also a great way to disguise veggies for kids- covered in sauce they won’t think twice!
How do you eat veggie noodles? What are some of your favorite hidden veggie recipes? I’d love to see them!
