Spaghetti Squash Pasta With Mushrooms and Tomatoes
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When it comes to healthy and creative alternatives to traditional noodles, spaghetti squash pasta is a true game-changer. With its unique texture and low carbohydrate content, spaghetti squash is a must-try for anyone looking to cut down on carbs or simply add a new twist to their meals.
Whether you are vegetarian, vegan, Paleo, Whole30 or none of the above, this spaghetti squash pasta recipe is a perfect alternative to pasta.
Is Spaghetti Squash a Carb?
First, let’s address the burning question: Is spaghetti squash a carb? The answer is yes, but the carb content is significantly lower compared to traditional pasta, and of course, it has no gluten.
While regular pasta is primarily made from wheat flour and is relatively high in carbohydrates, spaghetti squash is a vegetable that contains carbohydrates in the form of natural sugars and dietary fiber.
Named for the way its cooked flesh naturally resembles delicate strands of spaghetti, this yellow squash has a slightly sweet and nutty flavor.
We eat a lot of spaghetti squash when it’s in season. Since we limit our consumption of gluten and wheat, I’m always looking for alternatives. Spaghetti squash definitely has more of a “spaghetti feel” than “zoodles” when you’re trying to watch your carbs or just eat more vegetables.
Spaghetti Squash Pasta is Versatile
If you’re looking for Whole30 spaghetti squash recipes, this fits the bill. The recipe is very forgiving, so don’t feel you need to stick to exact measurements. Once you’ve cooked the squash, the spaghetti squash sauce is just a quick stir-fry of any vegetables you desire.
Simply sauté mushrooms, onions, and garlic, add in tomatoes and spaghetti squash, then toss with toasted pine nuts and some fresh chiffonade of basil.
If you’re growing tomatoes or basil, this is a wonderful dish for your garden produce. I used a mixture of both halved cherry tomatoes, and an heirloom tomato from my garden.
If you aren’t vegan or following Whole30, this spaghetti squash recipe is fantastic with a generous sprinkle of parmesan cheese. Sometimes I’ll add grilled chicken or serve it with Pesto or No-Cook Summer Pasta Sauce.
If you want to go the traditional route, you can always serve your spaghetti squash pasta with this authentic and very quick Italian Tomato Sauce or Pesto Sauce.
How to Make Spaghetti Squash Noodles
Choose the perfect squash: Look for a spaghetti squash that feels heavy for its size and has a firm, matte skin. Avoid any with soft spots or blemishes.
Prepare your squash: Preheat your oven to 350°F. There are a couple different ways to cut spaghetti squash. Slicing it into thick rings will produce shorter, bite-sized strands. Cutting it in half lengthwise produces longer spaghetti-like strands. Using a sharp knife, carefully cut the squash as you prefer. Scoop out the seeds and stringy bits using a spoon.
Roasting: Place the squash rings/halves cut-side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Roast them in the preheated oven for about 35-45 minutes or until the flesh is tender. You can tell it’s done when a fork easily pierces the skin and flesh.
Creating the Noodles: Once the squash is cooked and slightly cooled, use a fork to gently scrape the flesh. The flesh will naturally separate into strands resembling spaghetti.
Can you microwave spaghetti squash?
If you’re short on time, you can microwave spaghetti squash.
Pierce the squash with a knife several times to release steam. Microwave the squash whole for a few minutes until it’s soft enough to cut into.
Slice it either horizontally or vertically. Scoop out the seeds and stringy bits, then continue microwaving, a few minutes at a time, by placing the halves in a shallow microwaveable dish with a little bit of water.
This should take a total of 10 minutes.
Once your squash is cooked and separated into spaghetti strands, top it with your favorite veggies or sauce.
Whether you’re following a specific diet or simply looking to experiment with flavors, spaghetti squash pasta will delight your taste buds and keep your meals exciting. I hope you enjoy this versatile spaghetti squash with mushrooms and tomatoes recipe!
Spaghetti Squash Pasta with Tomatoes and Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 1 large spaghetti squash cooked “al dente”, about 6 cups.
- 2 cups tomatoes diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 8 ounces mushrooms sliced
- 1/3 cup onions or shallots, chopped, about 1 small
- 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
- fresh basil, a handful, cut chiffonade
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
- Pinch of red pepper flakes if desired
- Optional: Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Cook spaghetti squash. (see above) When cool enough to handle, slice in half, remove seeds and stringy bits and shred with 2 forks. Set aside squash.
- In a large saute pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and mushrooms, stirring constantly, about 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and stir another minute or two, just until fragrant. Don't let garlic brown.
- Add tomatoes and continue stirring.
- Add cooked spaghetti squash and toss until squash is hot and vegetables are evenly distributed.
- Toss with fresh basil and toasted pine nuts. Season to taste with kosher salt, pepper and a pinch of red pepper flakes if desired. (If desired, toss with fresh parmesan cheese)
Love it! Glad your kids enjoy the squash – that’s really wonderful! I just made something similar but included meatballs for my husband. Love the addition of pine nuts!
Meatballs would be a nice addition for a meat-loving husband! I have to admit, mine needs meat, so this is a side-dish, not a main course for him.
Ok, I need to go buy a new basil plant ASAP! This looks fantastic!
When I did a Whole30 (years ago) I sweat I survived off “noodle” dishes just like this. This is a lovely twist for summer!
thank you Gina!
This looks delicious and so healthy!
Thank you Julie!
I have to admit, I haven’t had spaghetti squash in donkey’s years, but I’ve never had it as a substitute for pasta. This recipe sounds wonderful, might just have to give this a try!
well, you know we don’t eat much “real” pasta…so this is a great substitute!
I just bought the Whole30 book. How well do you do on it? Did you lose 30 pounds? When I start I am definitely making this recipe
Hi Kathy…no I didn’t lose 30 pounds…I only need to lose about 8-10 pounds. I mostly do it because it’s very similar to the Wheat Belly Diet, and Paleo diets. I hate the word “diet” though, because it sounds like something temporary. I try and stay away from wheat and grains as much as possible. I just feel better when I don’t eat them…more clear headed and not so bloated. Dr. Davis from The Wheat Belly, really explains the medical reasons for avoiding grains. I’m about 80% compliant! Let me know how you like the spaghetti squash!
For baking a spaghetti squash how do you cut that hard squash in half? I can never get anywhere half and half and my knives take forever to do that.
I’d use and bake more of the hard squashes if they weren’t so hard to cut in half.
I’ve done it a few ways. Sometimes I’ll ask my husband to slice it for me. What i’ve found the easiest/fastest way is to give it one good stab, then microwave it for 5-7 minutes until it’s easier to slice. Or if I have plenty of time, I just bake it until it’s soft enough to cut then finish roasting it.
Depends on how much time you’ve got. I also will tend to make 2, so I have an extra one ready for a meal later in the week. someone needs to start packaging pre-cooked/shredded spaghetti squash, right?
Buy Yourself a Spirelletti from Amazon , it takes a summer Zucchini or squash, and you put it in a rotisserie looking device , and it turns the zucchini or squash in to either thin spaghetti, or the thicker like a vermicelli, also used with cucumbers makes either ribbons, or large pinwheels , I was a twice to three times a week pasta person, I’ll never go back
I have heard about those spiralizers and have only hesitated because of the storage of another gadget…but I really need to! Thanks!
My family would love this! Such a great dinner idea for the new year!
Oh wow, this looks absolutely fantastic!
Thanks Marye! <3
I am a big big fan of spaghetti squash and this dish 😀 I’ve heard so much about Whole30 but never actually looked into it. I’m going to have to check it out soon.
I’ve done two rounds of it. It’s definitely strict, so my husband’s not a fan. But for his portion, I top it with grated parmesan and he’s happy!
This looks so delicious! Would love to have for dinner soon! Totally wouldn’t miss the pasta and this is so much more healthier!
We try to sub spaghetti squash as much as possible for pasta! It’s so flavorful, no one really misses it!
I used 2 spaghetti squashes as instructed but I felt like I ended up with too much spaghetti squash and it wasn’t as flavorful and I would’ve liked. I will try to increase the ratio of vegetables to spaghetti squash next time–also I think it would be great to have spinach leaves thrown in there too!
I think it depends on the size of your spaghetti squash. I should have weighed them (which I’ll do next time), because 2, 1 1/2 pound squashes would yield a lot less than 2, 2 pound squashes.
Just made this, currently eating it and it’s amazing! Doing Whole 30, so no parm for me. Im going to pull a classic recipe commenter move and tell you what I did differently. One, I used fire roasted canned diced tomatoes instead of fresh, because I had them. I added diced Zucchini, again because I had it, I left out the pine nuts, because I didn’t have them and I don’t really eat them so I didn’t want to buy a bunch to sit in my pantry for years to come until I eventually throw them out. Dish is great on its own but would be awesome with some chicken or meatballs. I might double the mushrooms next time, but I reeaaalllly like mushrooms. The amount of mushrooms in it is totally fine for normal eaters, mushrooms are my thing though so I will add more next time.
Oh, I also only used half of one spaghetti squash, 2 spaghetti squashes yeilds a LOT of ‘spaghetti’ I had more than enough from one half of a squash.
Hi jane, I think it depends on the size of the spaghetti squash, which is why I put a cup reference. I just made it this past weekend and my daughters (22 and 16) and I ate it in one sitting.
My youngest daughter said, “why did you only cook ONE spaghetti squash?”
You could totally use canned tomatoes, I just use fresh because I usually have a lot of them in the summer. Any kind of protein would work really well, chicken, sausage or even grilled shrimp. I’m with you, the more mushrooms the merrier!
This came out delicious! Thank you for the recipe.
Glad you liked it! You can always add cooked chicken if you need a little more protein!
This was the first time in my (over 70 years) life I’ve ever cooked spaghetti squash! Thanks for your tip on how to cook it in the microwave! There is no way I could have ever cut it into halves without starting it your way! I’ve been simplifying cooking and used Trader Joe’s Chicken Sausage with sun-dried tomatoes and basil, sliced and browned a bit in a large non-stick pan and added Bolognese Sauce (also TJ’s) and served it over the squash. Instant hit with my hubby! We’re getting this wheat-free diet for the two of us going very well thanks to you and a few other bloggers! My arthritis continues to be less painful! Who knew?
So glad Carol! My family loves spaghetti sauce with spaghetti squash or “zoodles” (zucchini noodles). Glad you’re feeling better!
Great info, but why am I bombarded with so many adds just to read a recipe, and the annoying pop ups, please a little subtle ads yes but this is pushing riduculous
So sorry JC. I’ll see if I can reduce some of them. Unfortunately, running ads on my site is how I pay for the cost of running the site, developing free recipes, editing and hosting.
Hello. What is the nutritional info? Macros?
I’m in the process of adding all nutritional info to my recipes. I’m not really a calorie counter though, I steer clear of processed foods and this fits the bill…just veggies! If you’re interested in making it more keto friendly, add some parmesan!
We love this! Thank you!
So glad! It’s so healthy and light.
So good. Second time I’ve made this and will be sharing!
What are the instructions for baking in the oven? I’m not wanting to use the microwave. Thanks.
I’m getting ready to make this! Do you have a recipe to toast pine nuts? Thanks!
Hi Mallory, You can toast them one of two ways, either quickly toast them in a dry frying pan over a medium heat, shaking the pan continuously for a couple of minute until they are golden, or you can toast them in the oven on a sheet pan at 350 until golden brown.
I was gifted a spaghetti squash and admittedly I’ve not been a huge fan in the past. This looks and sounds delightful!
My daughters actually prefer spaghetti squash to pasta! The key is to not over cook it.
Made exactly as directed and it was amazing! The husband and I are trying keto-vegan and this is one of the first recipes I have tried. Easy, quick, delicious, and healthy. I cooked the spaghetti squash in the oven 400 degrees for 30 minutes (I like it a bit al dente) and toasted the pine nuts stove top in a dry pan. If we weren’t doing keto-vegan I think a little parmasan and some grilled shrimp would be delicious on this.
Thank you! I originally created it when I was doing Whole30, but these days I add a bit of parmesan too!
Cool recipe but there are more adds than content…
Hi Bob,
Thanks for writing. Unfortunately the only way I can give away “free” recipes is by placing ads on my site. Each and every recipe takes me a minimum of 8 hours from conception, to creation, shopping, photographing, and then editing photos. After I’ve done all that, I have to pay for the website, and hosting. Every time someone visits my site (or any other blogger’s “free” recipe site, an Angel gets its wings (and I make a few cents). But, if my ads are too much, I put a convenient “jump to recipe” button right at the top of my page! Thanks for visiting. Cynthia
Family loved this and asked that I put it into our dinner rotation!