Baked Spaghetti Squash Recipe (2024)

Regarding the "horrifying" task of cutting a raw large squash, somewhere there was a suggestion (Deborah Madison?) to pre-bake whole at 350° for 20-30 minutes until the squash was slightly soft to the touch, then proceed. I have done this with spaghetti squash and with a large knife, it was less terrifying when slightly softened.

Poke some holes in the skin. Microwave the whole squash for 5 minutes. It will be tender enough to cut.

I went heavy on the salt and pepper and it was surprisingly flavorful. I also mixed in a big handful of halved grape tomatoes before the final 20 minute bake, I think it brightened it up nicely. Very tasty!

I can see this is going to be another go-to recipe for me by Ali Slagle in addition to her broccoli rabe and chickpeas. Easy and unfussy comforting and warming dinner to make on a cold November Friday evening. Simple and satisfying, real comfort food. Made again; a real pleasure.

I receive a box of vegetable in the mail weekly. Had to ask my BF what this round yellow object is. Went straight to NYT recipes and discovered what can be done. After completion a subtle melancholy swept over. Being raised in a Persian family I’d never been introduced to this exotic vegetable. I should have been eating this all my life!

I love Spaghetti squash but always come up against watery dishes even with perfectly cooked squash. This recipe allows the water to cook off in the last bake so that the squash stays crunchy. The topping here is versatile. After reading the comments, I added fresh oregano, chopped black oil cured olives and red pepper flakes. Didn't use mozzarella. Next time will reduce the breadcrumbs and try another combo of flavors. A keeper of a method!

I added minced garlic to the seasonings while roasting, went easy on the mozzarella (sprinkled a half a handful of grated in each) and added some diced pine nuts to the panko mixture. SO. GOOD.

Wife traumatized by bad spaghetti squash in childhood gobbled this up. It’s amazing what a crapton of cheese and panko can do!

Don't forget the seeds! After making this dish (added chicken sausage and loved that) I turned the oven off and put the cleaned squash seeds on the parchment with a healthy bit of salt to roast in the cooling oven. They were perfectly done when we had finished eating.

I did two small squash (all other ingredients measured the same) and served two adults and two kids as a light fall lunch. Next time I will add some crushed red pepper to the cheese/panko mix to liven it up a bit, and I plan to serve it with a simple salad.

I made mine without the mozzarella- next time I will be sure to add. Needs lots of salt and pepper. The recipe doesn’t say how much and because of the amount of Parmesan, I held back. Big mistake. Also another clove of minced garlic at least would be better.

Delicious. Use generous salt and pepper and coarse freshly grated mozzarella. Add a cup of halved baby tomatoes.

Delicious. Asked my Husband to split the squash, which he did beautifully.Next time, I would mix the scraped contents of the squash in a separate bowl with half the mozz/panko, then add back to the gourds, and then top with remaining mozz/panko mix.Didn't have mozz and the stores were out (ugh Corona) so we substituted a nice gouda. Didn't get the stretchy cheese effect from the recipe picture and the taste profile was completely changed, but we still liked it :)

I saw this recipe this morning and decided to try it for dinner. It was easy and the house smelled so good during all the roasting and baking. It was our main dinner dish so I heated some leftover beef ragu to serve on the side and I’m glad I did. The squash had the fantastic crunch on top but needed a little extra something to make it a meal. Given the ease and the yum I’ll be happy to make it again.

Loved it! Used vegan cheese and tofu for filling. Not sure if it needs to be baked at 450. I'm gonna try 400 next time.

I just made the squash without the cheese, extras, and second roast, (to use with a stir fry) and I found this method to be a lot more flavorful than the "poke and bake" option. Used some smoked pepper for a lil extra somethin'.

Even my vegetable averse husband finished his serving.I microwaved the squash for 5 minutes to soften prior to cutting and it got a super squishy spot on the bottom. Not huge but next time I’ll try to soften it in the oven. BelGioioso has a fresh mozzarella snacking cheese with perfectly sized little balls that comes in an 8oz package—perfect!Used pecorino romano instead of parm. The breadcrumb mix is so good, will be using it for other recipes too.

Question: do you leave the “stranded” squash in the “shell” and cook with toppings…and then eat it just like that? If so could you do two smaller squash so each person gets a half to themselves? And then how long to cook smaller version? Spaghetti squash is new to me as far as cooking goes.

I used half the Parmesan and substituted the other half for hemp seeds and it was fantastic. I also added pine nuts.

Topping is flavorful. Better ratio if you scrape out squash in a baking pan and mix mozzarella (salt generously) and top with crumb mixture.

I was skeptical. I hate watery squash, and have been disappointed in other recipes. This cooked perfectly and was delicious. Great flavor and texture.

I make this often but add wilted spinach and halved cherry tomatoes when adding cheese to the strands of squash, it makes a great vegetarian main dish!

Wonderful and versatile. I made this as a side dish. Perfect. I’ve even used gruyere instead of mozzarella and it’s amazing.

I love stuffing and this is a great way to get a taste without roasting a big bird.!These were my additions:Poultry seasoningSun flower seedsTablespoon of butterI used Fontina cheese which gave it more density yet still gave it gooey goodness.

Wonderful! I prepared it as written, and was so pleased with the texture of the squash and flavor. This was also easy, and did not require a lot of pans, which made clean up easy.

This was a wonderful dish. My husband who doesn't like squash even enjoyed it. I loved the way the skin of the squash turns into a hard shell serving bowl! Yummy!

We loved this...it had to sit in the oven for 30 0r more minutes after 20 minutes or so of cooking...heat was off but oven still warm. It was perfectly crispy and moist...we ate it right out of the shell...fun.

Cutting the whole squash is quite easy if you stab into the center and then drive your chefs knife down through the middle of the squash. Turn and finish the other side.

Made this for a skeptical husband. Went heavy on the salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Used shredded mozzarella instead of cubed and Italian seasoning instead of just thyme. Also cut up some meat from leftover fried chicken and two small dice cubes and added it to the Panko mix, mixing with the noodles then Dusting on top. Adding halved tomatoes is an absolute must, and I wish we had added more. End result? Quite delicious!

Made for a skeptical, husband, who ended up liking it very much! Strongly agree with the other reviewers, who suggested adding lots red pepper flakes, and lots of halved grape tomatoes to the panko mix, then mixing some of it to the squash mix before dusting some on top. We mixed some finely chopped leftover fried chicken meat to the panko mix as well. Delicious!