How To Cook Spaghetti Squash
If you’re currently on a lower carb, fat loss diet plan, you might be missing your pasta right about now. For many people, this is one of the hardest foods to cut out of their plan, but if you want to be successful, chances are you won’t be eating it very often any more – apart from possibly a planned cheat meal.
But don’t despair. With the substitute of spaghetti squash, you can still prepare many of the usual pasta dishes you used to and while it won’t be exactly the same, it’ll satisfy those cravings in a hurry.
And what’s even better is the spaghetti squash will be far more nutrient dense than pasta is as it’s a good source of fiber, low on the GI index, and a great source of vitamin C, vitamin B6, manganese, niacin, pantothenic acid, as well as potassium.
Wondering how to cook this food? Let’s show you how so that you can put an end to those pasta cravings for good.
How To Cook It
You’ll want to begin by preheating your oven to 350 degrees F. Next, spray a pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
Now you’ll need to cut the spaghetti squash in half, lengthwise and remove the seeds from the center.
Place the squash with the cut side down flat on the pan and then place in the oven. Bake for about 30 minutes or until you can insert a knife or fork into the center of the squash with minimal resistance.
Once finished baking, remove the squash from the oven and set on top to cool for 5-10 minutes.
From there, you’ll need to hold half the squash in one hand and using a fork, pull out the ‘rinds’ of squash with the other. They should come out looking like spaghetti strands, hence the name of the squash.
Once you’ve removed the rinds, simply transfer them to a bowl, toss with a little olive oil and some garlic if desired, and then serve them with your favorite pasta sauce or recipe.
If you don’t use all the squash in one recipe, simply place in a sealed container in the fridge and eat within one or two days.
Other Ways To Cook Spaghetti Squash
If you don’t want to take the time to bake the squash or turn on your oven, you can also cook this vegetable in a few other ways. You can microwave it for 10-12 minutes, placing it face down on a plate that has about an inch or so of water.
Or, you can also boil it for about half an hour or until the desired tenderness is reached. Some people will also slow cook spaghetti squash if you have a longer time period to spare as it’ll take 8-10 hours to fully cook.
Next time you’re craving pasta, now you know how you can satisfy that craving and stick to your diet plan.
