For the past few months, I’ve been on the zoodle bandwagon. It’s a delicious, healthy, and incredibly easy dish to prepare. However, to celebrate the changing of the seasons, I decided to switch it up a bit by swapping out zucchini for spaghetti squash. The only downside is that spaghetti squash takes about an hour to prepare (50 minutes in the oven and 10-15 minutes to cool) while zucchini noodles take practically no time at all. If you’re in a bind, it is possible to microwave the squash to save time, but I always prefer using the oven over the microwave when possible. 

Warning: it’s really hard to cut a spaghetti squash in half. Please watch this video before you do so to spare your fingers.

After scooping out the insides of the squash, don’t throw away the seeds! You can always roast them for a great crunchy snack.

Place the spaghetti squash face-up on a baking sheet. A few recipes I looked at called for the squash to be face-down on the sheet, but face-up seemed to work just fine for me. Sprinkle some olive oil and salt on the squash before popping it in the oven for 50 minutes at 450 degrees. It’s really important to let the squash cool before you begin attacking it with a fork, otherwise you will be eating mush squash instead of spaghetti squash.

I wanted to take advantage of the remaining vegetables that were in season this summer, so I tossed my spaghetti squash with a homemade tomato sauce loaded with basil from the garden. However, an arugula pesto would be equally as delicious!

Happy fall, everyone!