Stuffed Spaghetti Squash with Onion and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Served in its shell, this simple recipe for baked stuffed spaghetti squash makes a pretty presentation as part of a fall or winter meal. Lots of flavor is provided by sautéed onions, sun-dried tomatoes, and parsley. 

Spaghetti squash is a unique vegetable, delicious as well as appealing to the eye, with its spaghetti-like flesh. It’s a welcome ingredient in vegan, vegetable-rich preparations.

What to serve with stuffed spaghetti squash

This is a fantastic side dish served with many types of meals, but it’s especially good with hearty grain pilafs. Consider pairing it with any of the following. While the spaghetti squash is baking, you might also consider roasting a green vegetable like Brussels sprouts or broccoli at the same time, in a separate roasting pan.

• Colorful Quinoa and Edamame Pilaf
• Wild and Brown Rice Pilaf with Apples and Pecans
• Red Quinoa Pilaf with Kale and Corn

How to prepare Spaghetti Squash

Here are the basic directions for preparing spaghetti squash: 

1  Preheat the oven to 375º F. 

2  Cut the squash in half lengthwise; remove the stem and seeds. Place, cut side up, in a casserole dish with l/2 inch of water. Cover tightly with foil. 

3  Bake until easily pierced with a fork, about 40 to 45 minutes. When the squash is cool enough to handle, scrape it lengthwise with a fork to release the spaghetti-like strands. If you have children, let them do the scraping—they have a blast doing it!

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Yield: 4

Stuffed Spaghetti Squash with Onions and Dried Tomatoes

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Served in its shell, this simple preparation of baked stuffed spaghetti squash makes a dramatic presentation as part of fall and winter meals. 

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 medium-large spaghetti squash (about 2 pounds)
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 medium red or yellow onions, halved and sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup sun-dried tomato halves (oil cured or not; see Note)
• 1 teaspoon dried basil or oregano
• Dried hot red pepper flakes to taste
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Optional toppings (use any or all)

• Your favorite meatless marinara sauce, warmed
• Fresh basil leaves
• Vegan Parmesan (see easy how-to in Note)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375º F.
2. Cut the squash in half lengthwise. Place, cut side up, in a casserole dish with l/2 inch of water. Cover tightly with foil and bake until easily pierced with a fork, about 40 to 45 minutes. Or, if you don’t have a knife that’s sharp enough, just wrap the whole squash up in foil, place in a casserole dish, and bake until you can easily pierce through with a knife. This will take 45 minutes or more, depending on the size of the squash.
3. When the squash is cool enough to handle, scrape it lengthwise with a fork to remove the spaghetti-like strands of flesh, leaving a sturdy 1/4-inch shell all around. Cover the squash shells with the same foil to keep them warm.
4. Heat the oil in a large skillet or stir-fry pan. Add the onions and sauté over medium heat until translucent. Add the garlic and continue to sauté until the onion is golden. 
5. Add the the spaghetti squash strands to the skillet along with the sun-dried tomatoes, dried basil,
6. and red pepper flakes. Cook for 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until piping hot. 
7. Season with salt and pepper, then stuff the mixture into the squash halves. Set them on a platter to bring to the table, then cut each squash half crosswise to make 4 equal section for each serving.
8. Pass around any or all of the optional toppings.

Notes

If you’re not using the kind of sun-dried tomatoes that aren’t oil-cured, soak them in hot water for several minutes to ensure that they’re nice and moist. Drain the water before adding to the recipe.

Easiest homemade vegan Parmesan: Combine a more or less equal amount of nutritional yeast and almond flour in a small container. I usually go with 1/2 cup of each. For that amount, I add 1/4 teaspoon of salt; add your salt to taste. Mix it up well. Cover and refrigerate any unused portion, where it will  keep well almost indefinitely

If you like spaghetti squash, you may also enjoy …

Spaghetti Squash Stew with Turnips and Snow Peas

Here are tons more plant-rich salads and sides.