It's like Spaghetti, but it's a Vegetable | FoodBank (2024)

If you’re like me, you love to eat spaghetti. Not only is it quick and inexpensive to prepare, but it also tastes delicious. However, often after consuming a pasta dish, I feel uncomfortably full rather than fueled. An easy way to get the same upsides as spaghetti – great taste, quick to cook, and affordable price– is to simply switch it out with squash. You may have heard of spaghetti squash: a yellow stringy squash that can look and taste like spaghetti when cooked. A good source of potassium, vitamin C, and vitamin A, spaghetti squashes serve as a nutritious and delicious replacement for traditional spaghetti. After switching from traditional white pasta to this tasty fresh vegetable, you’ll find yourself with more energy while enjoying the same great taste.

The cost of fresh spaghetti squash is about $1.29 per pound which is actually 10 cents cheaper than the regular box of spaghetti noodles I found at Target. If you’re hesitant to buy fresh veggies that may spoil, look for frozen spaghetti squash that has no added sodium.

For the best taste, I recommend using fresh spaghetti squash and pairing it with a bright simple sauce; any of your favorite jarred or homemade pasta sauces will do. You’ll find yourself with more energy and the same great taste. See below for a fabulous spaghetti squash recipe that only requires five ingredients and very little cooking time (most of the time is allowing the squash to bake in the oven):

Here’s what a raw spaghetti squash looks like cut in half:

This is what the recipe should look like upon completion:

Quick and Spicy Spaghetti Squash

This recipe serves four:

Ingredients:

• 1 spaghetti squash, halved and seeded
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

• 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
• salt and ground black pepper to taste

Directions

The recipe takes 10 minutes to prep and 30 minutes to cook, and should be ready in under an hour.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Coat the inside of squash with about 1 tablespoon olive oil. Place squash, cut-side down, on a baking sheet.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until squash is tender, about 30 minutes. Cool squash for 10 minutes.
4. Shred the inside of squash with a fork and transfer to a bowl. Add remaining olive oil, parsley, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper to shredded squash and toss to coat.

Source: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/244808/quick-and-spicy-spaghetti-squash/

Blog post written by Rachel Digiambattista, June 2019.