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You are here: Home / Blog / Spaghetti Squash Bake

Spaghetti Squash Bake

November 14, 2017 By Garden Fresh Foodie

Vegan Spaghetti Squash BakeLove pasta but want to replace it with something less processed or create a gluten free meal? Try spaghetti squash! Spaghetti squash is a winter squash, meaning it stores well, and is in-season during the fall and winter. Like all squash, it has a great supply of micronutrients.  It’s stringy texture lends itself to being cooked and eaten like a pasta. Top it with your favorite red sauce of pesto!

This squash can be cooked quickly in a microwave and is a great swap for pasta.

Instructions:

How to Prepare a Spaghetti Squash:

  1. Slice squash in half and remove seeds without taking out flesh
  2. Place each half flesh side down in a pan with a little water, cover, and place in microwave uncovered for 18 minutescooking spaghetti squash
  3. Remove from microwave (be careful jot to get burned by steam) and use a fork to scrape out flesh.  It’ll come out in strands.
  4. Top with your favorite sauce and enjoy!Cooked Spaghetti Squash

Vegan Spaghetti Squash Bake 

I made a vegan “spaghetti” squash bake that’s kid approved! Boosts the protein and calcium! Think lasagna meets squash. This is a great way to feed a bunch of people as well!Vegan Spaghetti Squash Bake

For a 3 pound squash (large sized): Serves 10 (awesome as leftovers!)

Ingredients:

  • a large spaghetti squash, about 3-4 pounds, cooked as above
  • 2 cups of tomato sauce

Tofu Ricotta Filling (for my plant-based lasagna click here):

  • 1-14 oz package of tofu, drained and pressed for 20 minutes, and then crumbled, see here for how to press tofu
  • 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 2 tbsp tahini
  • 2 tbsp minced garlic
  • 1/4 cup minced red onion
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1 cup fresh bell pepper, chopped small (color of choice)
  • 1/4 cup chopped banana peppers or other spicy pepper of choice-if you don’t have these, can add some crushed red pepper, about 1/4 tsp or omit
  • 3 cups of greens (1 good sized bunch), de-stemmed, chopped, blanched/steamed (we used kale, swiss chard would work too)
  • 2 cups of beans (your choice, we used black)
  • zest and juice of 1 lemon (use organic)

Spaghetti Squash Bake Mise En Place

Topping: *alternatively, you can place half of the tofu ricotta filling in the middle and the other half on top to omit the cashew cheese

  • 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
  • Cashew Cheese *omit if desired, to make, see here. *Note if making full recipe of this, you will only need half and the other half can be frozen for a later time.

Instructions:

  1. Mix 2 cups of sauce into cooked spaghetti squash
  2. In a separate bowl, mix tofu ricotta filling.Spaghetti Squash Bake Assembly Step One
  3. Place half of spaghetti squash in a 9×13 pan, top with ricotta filling, and then remaining squash mixture. *Alternatively, you can place half of the tofu ricotta filling in the middle and the other half on top to omit the cashew cheese.Spaghetti Squash Bake Assembly Step Two
  4. Sprinkle with 1/2 tbsp of Italian seasoningSpaghetti Squash Bake Assembly Step Three
  5. Add about a 1/2 cup of cashew cream on top of squash. If not desired, omit this (can use another non-dairy cheese if desired).Spaghetti Squash Bake Assembly Step Four
  6. Top with remaining Italian Seasoning and fresh herbs like basil/parsley
  7. Bake in oven at 375 until cheese has browned about 30 minutesSpaghetti Squash BakeVegan Spaghetti Squash Bake

Nutritional Benefits of Spaghetti Squash:

  • Very low in calories
  • Low in carbohydrates: great for diabetics, helps to maintain blood sugar levels
  • Virtually fat free: great for heart healthy diets
  • Anti-inflammatory
  • Anti-oxidants: While not as nutrient dense as other squash, spaghetti squash provides 5% of the DV for Vitamin A, 10% percent of the DV for Vitamin C and 8 % of the DV for dietary fiber.
  • Topped with tomato sauce you will gain the added benefits of tomatoes, a nutrient-packed food with many cancer fighting properties.
  • Topped with beans and greens for added protein & calcium: 1/4 cup of black beans = 10 grams protein, 7.5 g of fiber, .5 g of fat, and 30 g of carbs

Pasta Comparison

One cup of cooked enriched spaghetti yields 221 calories, 1.3 g of fat, 43 g of carbohydrate and 2.5 g of fiber. Pasta does provide more B vitamins. If you have diabetes or are watching your weight and carbohydrates, you can save 179 calories and 33 g of carbohydrate by eating a cup of spaghetti squash instead of a cup of pasta.

Calorie Content:Per 1 cup of cooked spaghetti squash provides 42 calories, 0.4 gram of fat, 1 g of protein, 10 g of carbohydrate (4 g as sugar) and 2.2 g of fiber

*If prepared as above, you will increase your protein amounts, increase fiber, and added calcium from tofu and greens. Your fat content will increase as well, however it will remain free of cholesterol and saturated fat.

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Spaghetti Squash Bake
 
Print
Prep time
30 mins
Cook time
30 mins
Total time
1 hour
 
Vegan Baked Spaghetti Squash, swapping out spaghetti squash for noodles, this nutrient packed dish is great for a crowd!
Author: www.gardenfreshfoodie.com
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: Italian
Serves: 10
Ingredients
Spaghetti Squash:
  • a large spaghetti squash, about 3-4 pounds, cooked as above
  • 2 cups of tomato sauce
Tofu Ricotta Filling:
  • 1-14 oz package of tofu, drained and pressed for 20 minutes, and then crumbled, see here for
  • how to press tofu
  • 2 tbsp
  • nutritional yeast
  • 2 tbsp tahini
  • 2 tbsp minced garlic
  • ¼ cup minced red onion
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • 1 cup fresh bell pepper, chopped small (color of choice)
  • ¼ cup chopped banana peppers or other spicy pepper of choice-if you don't have these, can add some crushed red pepper, about ¼ tsp or omit
  • 3 cups of greens (1 good sized bunch), de-stemmed, chopped, blanched/steamed (we used kale, swiss chard would work too)
  • 2 cups of beans (your choice, we used black)
  • zest and juice of 1 lemon (use organic)
Topping:*alternatively, you can place half of the tofu ricotta filling in the middle and the other half on top to omit the cashew cheese
  • 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
  • Cashew Cheese *omit if desired, to make, see here
  • *Note if making full recipe of this, you will only need half and the other half can be frozen for a later time.
Instructions
  1. Mix 2 cups of sauce into cooked spaghetti squash
  2. In a separate bowl, mix tofu ricotta filling.
  3. Place half of spaghetti squash in a 9x13 pan, top with ricotta filling, and then remaining squash mixture.*alternatively, you can place half of the tofu ricotta filling in the middle and the other half on top to omit the cashew cheese
  4. Sprinkle with ½ tbsp of Italian seasoning
  5. Add about a ½ cup of cashew cream on top of squash. If not desired, omit this (can use another non-dairy cheese if desired).
  6. Top with remaining Italian Seasoning and fresh herbs like basil/parsley
  7. Bake in oven at 375 until cheese has browned about 30 minutes
3.5.3228

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Filed Under: Blog, Main Dishes, Passover, Vegetarian Main Meals Tagged With: gluten free main dishes, gluten free vegetarian, spaghetti squash, spaghetti squash bake, vegetarian main dishes, winter, winter foods

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Comments

  1. Sharon Nisengard says

    February 10, 2014 at 11:10 pm

    We tried this recipie tonight – it was easy to make and soo hearty on a cold winters night. We baked some eggplant and put that in as well – delicious!

    • ToothFood says

      February 11, 2014 at 7:52 am

      Great call with the added eggplant! Yum! So glad you enjoyed!!

  2. Kelly Logue says

    April 10, 2014 at 6:34 pm

    I just finished making and eating this recipe! It was super easy apart from cutting the actual squash, that gave me a bit of trouble. Thanks for the recipe!

    • ToothFood says

      April 10, 2014 at 8:21 pm

      Awesome! So glad you liked it!

  3. Sharon Nisengard says

    October 10, 2014 at 11:58 am

    One year later and this is still my favorite dish!

    • Garden Fresh Foodie says

      October 10, 2014 at 12:21 pm

      So glad!

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Hi! I'm Jessica, the author, creator, and photographer of Garden Fresh Foodie! I'm a certified plant-based chef, hold a MEd and MPH, and have a certification in plant-based nutrition. I am a passionate educator, and have taught wellness, science, community gardening, and food education for the last 20 years. I now combine my passion for health and cooking, with my passion for teaching through employee wellness and healthy cooking classes in Buffalo, NY. Read More…

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Hi! I'm Jessica, the author, creator, and photographer of Garden Fresh Foodie! I'm a certified plant-based chef, and have a certification in plant-based nutrition. I am a passionate educator, and have taught science, community gardening, and food education for the last 17 years. I now combine my passion for cooking & gardening with my passion for teaching healthy cooking classes in Buffalo, NY. Read More…

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