How To Cook Spaghetti Squash in the Oven

 

1 medium spaghetti squash (2 to 3 pounds)

 

Preheat the oven to 400°

 

Slice the squash in half, using a chef's knife 

 cut the spaghetti squash lengthwise from stem to tail. 

 

Scoop out the seeds, use a soup spoon to scrape out the seeds and stringy bits of flesh from inside the squash. Be careful of actually digging into the flesh.

 

Place the squash halves in a roasting pan, cut-side down. 

 

Pour a little water in the pan, enough to cover the bottom. Your squash will roast just fine without it, but it helps the squash steam and become more tender. 

 

Cook the squash for 30 to 45 minutes. Smaller squash will cook more quickly than larger squash. Check the squash after 30 minutes to gauge cooking.

 

The squash is ready when you can easily pierce a fork through the flesh all the way to the peel. The flesh will also separate easily into spaghetti-like strands. 

 

Use a fork to gently pull the squash flesh from the peel and to separate the flesh into strands. The strands wrap around the squash horizontally — rake your fork in the same direction as the strands to make the longest "noodles."

 

Serve the squash immediately, tossed with a little butter or olive oil. Spaghetti squash will also keep refrigerated for up to a week, or frozen for up to 3 months.