This baked Spaghetti Squash with pesto was the first dish that I ever made with this exotic vegetable. And today, even after 5 years I still go back to it whenever I am looking to make something simple and healthy.

Spaghetti squash was one of the very few alien vegetables for me when I came to the United States. I had never heard about anything called spaghetti squash, as it is neither grown nor sold in India.

Being a horticulture graduate, I have studied pretty much every vegetable, whether found in India or not. Spaghetti squash is not just a native American in its origin but, also has a negligible global presence. Maybe that is the reason why I was oblivious to this amazing vegetable.

Little Background

When I made it the first time, I was marveled by the angel pasta like stands that fall loose of the squash as we cook it.

A perfect replacement for the high carbohydrate-rich conventional pasta!!

What are your views on that?

I am personally not sure about that...

It’s a vegetable, has its peculiar subtle flavor, which is totally unlike any spaghetti. Even the texture is totally unstable, become mushy very effortlessly, if your sauce is over mixed or has some moisture. It just gives a mirage of spaghetti. That’s it!! For me, it is a wholesome vegetable in itself, not any pasta lookalike.

My little one calls it noo….(that’s how far she has come with her pronunciation of noodles!!) I feel happy when she mistakes it with noodles, as she literally wolfs noodles. But, one spoon in and she will not take the second ;).

But that’s a life lesson right in front of us. The things we love are not always good for us. Making unhealthy decisions in life is our natural tendency. And for making healthy decisions we have to train ourselves.

Getting back to the business, this recipe is my first spaghetti squash recipe. This is pretty much Italian inspired, a very basic recipe.

Baked spaghetti squash with pesto...

The star of the recipe is my Indian inspired pesto. The pesto is a perfect balance between two extremely unalike cuisines, Indian and Italian. My version of pesto is somewhere between pesto and chutney. I have omitted basil and instead used key green ingredients from green chutney which are cilantro and mint.

Cooking the spaghetti squash

As far as cooking the spaghetti squash is concerned, I like to cut them into halves, season, and bake with the cut side down.
It can be steamed or made in the microwave.
One can also use a pan with water to bake it (just to create steam underneath).

But my favored method is baking with the cut side down. And I love the singe that develops on the squash edges. And the stands are much stable than the microwaved or steamed ones.

Also, there are queries on the internet about the ideal way to cut the spaghetti squash. So, in my opinion, cutting them into rings is best in terms of achieving the longest spaghetti strands with the perfect texture.

Unfortunately, this is not the way I like to do it. And, if you have made or cut spaghetti squash before, then you know the answer. It is too hard to cut. Especially, the larger ones, which are more mature and thick-skinned. Cutting raw spaghetti squash into two equal halves is enough of a daunting task, let alone cutting them into multiple rings.

So, I cut my Spaghetti squash into halves, lengthwise as more surface area of the Spaghetti squash comes in contact with the baking tray (so more char,) and even cooking.

Also, I find the strand length ideal that way, as the longer strands, hinder in uniform sauce mixing.

If you want longer strands, just cut them into halves horizontally.

Now, lets get making this simple Spaghetti squash with pesto.