Spaghetti Squash with Butter and Parmesan
on Aug 14, 2019, Updated Jun 28, 2024
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A classic, simple, and delicious pasta dish is reinvented with this spaghetti squash with butter and Parmesan recipe!
Spaghetti squash is one of those under-appreciated veggies if you ask me, and one that my kids really really like. (Never tried it before? I recommend this basic post on how to best roast a spaghetti squash if you are new to it.) This simple recipe is how we like it best. Nothing is better than butter, a little cheese, and salt on a perfectly cooked spaghetti squash.
Did you grow up eating noodles slathered with butter and parmesan? It was a total staple in my house, and now I know why: Everyone loves it, it’s beyond easy to whip up, and you only need a tiny handful of ingredients. That’s a total win in any household — especially when you have young kiddos! This remix healthifies the classic pasta dish just a bit by replacing noodles with one of my favorite versatile ingredients — spaghetti squash.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Simplicity: This recipe uses just a few simple ingredients—spaghetti squash, butter, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. Sometimes those simple, classic combinations are the best ones.
- Comfort Food Appeal: The combination of butter and Parmesan cheese creates a rich and comforting flavor that’s like those classic pasta dishes, but with a healthier twist.
- Naturally Gluten-Free and Keto Friendly: This recipe is naturally gluten-free, making it a great option for those who can’t or choose not to eat gluten and is perfect for people who are trying to reduce their carbs.
Ingredients
- Spaghetti Squash: you need 3 pounds so 1 or 2 squash to get to that amount
- Butter
- Shredded Parmesan Cheese
- Salt and Pepper
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities
How to Make Spaghetti Squash with Butter and Parmesan
Step #1. Preheat the oven and line a baking sheet with parchment. Rinse the squash then cut off both ends. Cut the remaining squash into 2 inch rings and remove any seeds.
Step #3. Remove from the oven and shred the squash with a fork. Place the shreds in a medium bowl and discard the skin.
Step #2. Sprinkle squash with salt and let rest for 15 minutes. Cover with foil and bake for 10 minutes, then remove the foil and continue baking until it’s tender.
Step #4. Toss the squash with butter, parmesan, salt, and pepper. Serve immediately.
Recipe FAQs
Spaghetti squash is a super mild flavor — it’s not like its acorn or butternut cousins, who have a sweeter and nuttier taste. The reason it’s called spaghetti squash is because, when it’s roasted and shredded, it looks like and has a similar texture to spaghetti noodles. And because of its simple flavor, it’s easy to dress up with all your favorite pasta toppings!
Spaghetti squash can be over-cooked, but this recipe gets it to a nice, tender, al dente consistency. If you cook it too long, it’ll just get a little musher and less spaghetti-like, but it still tastes great with butter and parm, nonetheless.
Spaghetti squash is so mild that you can pair it with all kinds of delicious things. If you want more veggies, put some roasted asparagus on the side or fresh tomatoes on top. For a kick of protein, add shredded chicken or cooked ground beef to the top. Whatever you’d pair with pasta, you can pair with spaghetti squash.
You probably can… but the texture is a little odd and I probably wouldn’t. It’s tough and not easy to digest, so just shred the meat of the squash and then discard the skin, or feed it to your chickens, or put it in your compost pile.
Expert Tips
- A grapefruit spoon is fantastic for scraping the seeds out of the center because of the serrated edges. Even if you aren’t a grapefruit eater, they are handy to have on hand for squash and melons.
- This recipe is a great base to try adding a little something extra: sun dried tomatoes, red pepper flakes, or even a touch of some herbs like parsley or basil.
- You could also jazz it up a little bit by browning the butter while the squash is in the oven or cooking some minced garlic in the butter before adding it to the squash.
- Because the parmesan is the star of this dish, use a kind of parmesan that is higher quality than the grated stuff in the green shaker can. You’ll be glad you did.
What to Serve Spaghetti Squash with Butter and Parmesan with
I serve squash with a favorite protein, a cold veggie (normally a salad of some kind) and a simple fruit. Here are a few of my favorite easy main dishes to serve alongside your cooked spaghetti squash:
- Crispy Baked Chicken Drumsticks with a Pretzel Coating
- The BEST Baked Chicken Breast
- 5 Ingredient Slow Cooker Chicken Legs
- The Best Baked Chicken Legs
- Garlic and Herb Whole Chicken in the Crock Pot
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Spaghetti Squash with Butter and Parmesan (our favorite way to eat it!)
Ingredients
- 3 pounds of spaghetti squash, 1 large or 2 small
- 2 to 3 tablespoons of butter
- 1/4 to 1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- Salt and pepper to taste, be generous
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper for easy clean up.
- Give the squash a quick rinse.
- Cut the blossom end and stem end off of the squash.
- Cut the squash into rings that are 2 inches wide.
- Use a spoon to scrape out any seeds from the middle of the rings.
- Place the rings on the baking sheet, and sprinkle lightly with salt.
- If you have time, let the rings rest for 15 minutes (so that the salt will bring some of the water out of the squash — this helps but isn’t crucial.)
- Cover the pan tightly with foil, and bake for 10 minutes (the foil helps to steam the squash).
- Uncover and bake for an additional 20 to 30 minutes, until the squash is very tender and pulls apart with a fork.
- Remove from the oven and shred. Add the shredded squash to a medium bowl, and discard the skin.
- Toss the shredded spaghetti squash with the butter, parmesan, and plenty of salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve right away.
Notes
- Sometimes I’ll leave the spaghetti squash inside the little rounds that it baked in and add a little butter, parm, and salt and pepper to each one. It’s like making single serve portions, and my kids think that it’s fun to eat it out of the skin.
- You can find my pretty speckled enamelware dishes from Rove and Swig. I’m OBSESSED.
- Be sure to use a big, sturdy, SHARP knife to cut through the squash. Sometimes the shell of winter squash, like spaghetti squash, can be a little tricky to get through.
- When picking out your spaghetti squash at the store, make sure it’s skin is clear and free of cracks, blemishes, and soft spots. A good one will feel a little heavy for it’s size, too.
