Prepare squash: Cut squash in half lengthwise. Remove and discard seeds, then rub flesh with olive oil. Place cut side down on foil-lined baking sheet. Transfer to preheated oven and roast until squash is tender, about 1 hour. Remove from oven and leave to cool for 5 minutes.
Prepare tomato mixture: While squash is roasting, place tomatoes, garlic, basil, oregano, salt, pepper and chili flakes into the canister of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Add a drizzle of olive oil and pulse a few times to combine. Do not over process.
Assemble side dish: Carefully pull strands of squash away from skin. Add a little bit into a large bowl followed by a few spoonfuls of the tomato mixture and a sprinkle of Parmesan. Repeat layers, adding little by little each time.
Serve from large bowl or transfer a smaller amount to attractive bowl. Garnish with chopped parsley, Parmesan cheese and black pepper to taste.
Roasted Spaghetti Squash
Ingredients
For the squash:
1 3-pound spaghetti squash
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
For the tomatoes:
4 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
3 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
½ cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon chili flakes
drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
To garnish:
chopped flat-leaf (Italian) parsley
grated Parmesan
freshly cracked black pepper to taste
Directions
Preheat oven to 425°F.
Prepare squash: Cut squash in half lengthwise. Remove and discard seeds, then rub flesh with olive oil. Place cut side down on foil-lined baking sheet. Transfer to preheated oven and roast until squash is tender, about 1 hour. Remove from oven and leave to cool for 5 minutes.
Prepare tomato mixture: While squash is roasting, place tomatoes, garlic, basil, oregano, salt, pepper and chili flakes into the canister of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Add a drizzle of olive oil and pulse a few times to combine. Do not over process.
Assemble side dish: Carefully pull strands of squash away from skin. Add a little bit into a large bowl followed by a few spoonfuls of the tomato mixture and a sprinkle of Parmesan. Repeat layers, adding little by little each time.
Serve from large bowl or transfer a smaller amount to attractive bowl. Garnish with chopped parsley, Parmesan cheese and black pepper to taste.
Roasted Spaghetti Squash
5 / 5. 4
Oven-roasted spaghetti squash tossed with tomato, garlic, basil and freshly grated Parmesan…
This ROASTED SPAGHETTI SQUASH PARMESAN is a memorably delicious side dish that can easily be served as a healthy main!
Our ROASTED SPAGHETTI SQUASH PARMESAN has so much going for it, we are crazy in love with this simple side dish. We imagine you’ll do as we did and start dreaming of what mains to serve it with, just as an excuse to make it again and again. Here are a few of the things that get our emphatic thumbs-up:
The finished side dish is really, really delicious.
It has a fresh-tasting flavour profile that really highlights the spaghetti squash, tomato, basil, and garlic.
The recipe is easy to make, following our recommendation to use a food processor for the chopping steps.
Although we’re pitching it as a side dish, you can serve it as a main with nothing more than a favourite salad.
Before listing our tips and details about making it, please remember to PIN the recipe on a favourite PINTEREST board and SHARE it with friends. When you make it, post pics to your favourite socials like FACEBOOK and INSTAGRAM, tagging #weekendatthecottage. We love seeing pics of all the delicious food you’re making. Thanks!
Here are a few things to consider when you go to make ROASTED SPAGHETTI SQUASH PARMESAN:
Looking at the ingredients for this side dish you just know; this is going to be delicious!
INGREDIENTS
All of the ingredients are readily available at your local grocery store or farmer’s market. When selecting fresh vegetables and herbs, try to purchase locally grown organic varieties, if possible. We find they taste better, and we also think it important to support local farmers whenever possible. They work so hard and truly deserve our support.
Working with spaghetti squash is easy. Simply remove and discard the seeds then proceed with the recipe.
SPAGHETTI SQUASH
Never had spaghetti squash? Here’s the must-make recipe that will change all that. First, let’s answer the big question; is spaghetti squash good for us? Yes, yes and yes! Spaghetti squash is a nutrient-dense vegetable that’s closely related to pumpkin, zucchini and other types of squash – think acorn, butternut squash and delicata. It’s low in calories, and if nutrition is your thing, you need to eat more of this particular variety of squash. It is an excellent source of important nutrients, such as vitamin C, niacin, fibre, manganese and vitamin B6. It’s also a low-carb vegetable option although it doesn’t have any protein; no biggie!
If roasting a smaller squash, check the doneness at 45 minutes.
OVEN ROAST
Oven-roasting spaghetti squash is the only way to go to achieve the flavours in the recipe, and cooking the squash this way is easy. Simply cut the squash down the middle lengthwise, scrape away and discard the seeds, then roast the two halves in a hot oven for an hour. It really is that easy.
Looks just like spaghetti!
IT’S LIKE SPAGHETTI
Spaghetti squash is famous for the texture of its flesh. Make sure to check out the VIDEO attached to this post where you can watch me tug at the cooked flesh with a fork to reveal how it pulls away in long strands that resemble spaghetti – hence the name. Some people ask whether spaghetti squash really tastes like pasta, and although we feel that’s a bit of a stretch, it’s delicious in its own way. It has a mild, almost neutral flavouring with hints of nuttiness and a slight sweetness. Even when roasted, it has a bit of a crunchy texture.
Get ready for some serious favour.
TOMATO, GARLIC AND BASIL
We’ve long been fans of the classic combination of tomato, basil and garlic. We’ve enjoyed this trio in our MARINARA SAUCE, this CHICKEN PARMIGIANA recipe, plus our fabulous SHEET PAN TOMATOES AND PEPPERS. It’s especially pleasing in this recipe because it marries nicely with the roasted squash and fragrant Parmesan cheese.
Check out the links to purchase a handy food chopper down below.
CHOPPED TOPPING
As mentioned at the top, we wanted to keep the process of making this squash dish easy. Using a food processor to chop up the tomatoes, fresh basil and garlic is the way to go. Don’t have a food processor? We’ve listed links to purchase below. I’ve even included a link for a simple, inexpensive handy chopper which is both compact and a dream to use. PRO TIP: don’t overdo the chop. Just a few pulses to roughly chop the mix does the trick.
Layer the squash with the chopped tomato mixture then garnish with Parmesan and flat-leaf parsley.
LAYERS OF FLAVOUR
Let me explain why I want you to layer the oven-roasted squash with the chopped vegetables, Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley. The alternate method would be to simply put it all into a bowl and stir it together.
Yes, you can serve straight from the big mixing bowl!
The layering effect keeps the strands of the spaghetti squash light and fluffy, yet allows for the other flavours to be present without everything getting smushed together.
Such a fantastic treat and, healthy too!
SERVE
Serving this side dish can happen directly from the bowl in which it’s assembled, or transfer a bit into a smaller presentation bowl. Make sure to garnish with some chopped parsley, basil and maybe more Parmesan cheese. Beautiful.
Cook Mode Use cook mode to keep your screen on while cooking.
Ingredients
For the squash:
1 3-pound spaghetti squash
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
For the tomatoes:
4 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
3 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
½ cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon chili flakes
drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
To garnish:
chopped flat-leaf (Italian) parsley
grated Parmesan
freshly cracked black pepper to taste
Directions
Preheat oven to 425°F.
Prepare squash: Cut squash in half lengthwise. Remove and discard seeds, then rub flesh with olive oil. Place cut side down on foil-lined baking sheet. Transfer to preheated oven and roast until squash is tender, about 1 hour. Remove from oven and leave to cool for 5 minutes.
Prepare tomato mixture: While squash is roasting, place tomatoes, garlic, basil, oregano, salt, pepper and chili flakes into the canister of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Add a drizzle of olive oil and pulse a few times to combine. Do not over process.
Assemble side dish: Carefully pull strands of squash away from skin. Add a little bit into a large bowl followed by a few spoonfuls of the tomato mixture and a sprinkle of Parmesan. Repeat layers, adding little by little each time.
Serve from large bowl or transfer a smaller amount to attractive bowl. Garnish with chopped parsley, Parmesan cheese and black pepper to taste.
