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    Home » Vegetarian » Pesto Spaghetti Squash

    Pesto Spaghetti Squash

    Nov 5, 2015 · by Valentina · 18 Comments

    This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe

    Pesto Spaghetti Squash is made with wine, sun-dried tomatoes and spinach. Packed with flavor, it's an ideal vegetarian and gluten-free dish that everyone will love.

    Pesto Spaghetti Squash in a pretty blue and white shallow bowl.

    Let's face it, a Spaghetti Squash is so bizarre!  Right!?

    It's easy to cook and it tastes delicious -- but it falls into strings when it's cooked for goodness sake! I mean, who does that?

    What's with this stringy squash, anyway?

    Honestly, I don't even try to understand how this happens. Sure I went to culinary school, I've cooked in restaurants, catered and worked as a private chef for years, taught countless cooking classes, and yet, no where on my culinary journey has this craziness ever been explained to me. Nor has it come up. 😉

    Science is not my thing. Neither is math, but that's not relevant here.

    Pesto Spaghetti Squash Recipe in a pretty blue and white-rimmed bowl, with sun-dried tomatoes on top.

    Clearly, the formation of the "spaghetti" is to do with the way the heat interacts with squash.

    That's a given and the rest will forever be a mystery to me -- because much like my computer, I don't really try to understand how it works -- I just accept it, move on, and use it to the best of my abilities.

    This bizarre squash that goes form solid to "strings," is one of those things I just accept. And let me tell you, this Pesto Spaghetti Squash recipe is fantastic. Bizarre or not.

    A fork full of spaghetti squash hanging down.

    On top of this spaghetti squash with pesto being a beautiful and delicious dish, it's also super healthy. It's low calorie, vegetarian, low-carb, and gluten free.

    Recipe Tip

    • If you'd like to make this recipe vegan, simply leave the Parmesan cheese out. It's only used to sprinkle on top -- the pesto is dairy free.

    More spaghetti squash recipes:

    • Spinach-Sausage Stuffed Spaghetti Squash
    • Spaghetti Squash Lasagna

    This recipe is delicious. That I know. Let's eat!

    Enjoy!

    Here's How to Cook a Spaghetti Squash.

    spaghetti squash with sun-dried tomatoes and parmesan in blue bowl

    Pesto Spaghetti Squash

    Valentina K. Wein
    Packed with rich flaovrs, this is an ideal gluten-free, vegetarian entrée the everyone will love.
    Print
    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time 50 minutes mins
    Total Time 1 hour hr
    Course Side Dish
    Cuisine American
    Servings 4
    Calories 249 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 (approximately 3-pound) Spaghetti Squash
    • 4 cups packed spinach leaves, washed and dried
    • 1 cup packed basil leaves, washed and dried
    • ⅓ cup plus 2 tablespoons packed marinated, sun-dried tomatoes, drained
    • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil (ideally from the marinated sun-dried tomatoes)
    • 2 medium-sized garlic cloves, roots and stems removed
    • ¼ cup dry white wine
    • salt and freshly ground black pepper
    • Parmesan cheese for sprinkling

    Instructions
     

    • Prepare the squash. Follow the Step-by-Step Guide for How to Cook Spaghetti Squash. (It's easy!) When it's done, add it to a very large mixing bowl and set aside.
    • Make the pesto. While the squash is cooking, add the spinach and basil to a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Blend until it's chopped so much that it's all towards the bottom of the processor. Now add ⅓ cup of the sun-dried tomatoes, oil and garlic. Blend until smooth.
    • Simmer the pesto with wine and season. Add the spinach mixture to a medium-sized sauté pan and mix in the wine. Bring to a boil and, reduce the heat to low, cover and let it simmer for about 10 minutes. Season generously to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. (Here's How to Season to Taste.)
    • Assemble. Let the pesto sauce cool a bit and then pour it over the Spaghetti Squash and mix. If it's not too hot, using your hand is the best way to mix this -- to be sure all of the strands are well coated.
    • Garnish and serve. Finely chop the remaining 2 tablespoons of the sun-dried tomatoes and sprinkle them on top, along with some Parmesan cheese if desired. Serve!

    NOTES

    Calorie count is only an estimate.

    NUTRITION

    Calories: 249kcal
    Keywords best gluten-free noodle recipes, vegetarian comfort foods
    Have you tried this recipe?I'd love to see it on Instagram! Tag me at @cookingontheweekends or leave a comment & rating below.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Sippitysup

      November 05, 2015 at 5:56 pm

      Gorgeous recipe! If you want really long "noodles" try slicing the squash crosswise, not lengthwise. It defies common sense, but it will blow your mind how much longer the "noodles" will be. GREG

      Reply
      • valentina

        November 06, 2015 at 7:39 am

        How cool! Next time I'm definitely doing it that way!! 🙂

        Reply
    2. Kelly @ TastingPage

      November 05, 2015 at 7:16 pm

      Love this. I always enjoy veggies on my veggies and am going to need to try this!

      Reply
      • valentina

        November 06, 2015 at 7:41 am

        Thanks, Kelly! I love it, "veggies on my veggies." (Unlike my bacon-wrapped Thanksgiving turkey which my brother makes fun of me for b/c it's "meat on meat!") 😉

        Reply
    3. Noel

      November 07, 2015 at 5:41 am

      lol @ the biology of food! One of life's great mysteries ... spaghetti squash!
      I need to pick one up at the store and try this recipe!

      Reply
      • valentina

        November 07, 2015 at 9:25 pm

        Yes it is! Hope you enjoy. 🙂

        Reply
    4. Jessica {Swanky Recipes}

      November 08, 2015 at 2:23 pm

      Love the use of squash in this recipe and the other fresh vegetables. I'm pinning this recipe and plan on making it for our family soon!

      Reply
      • valentina

        November 08, 2015 at 7:18 pm

        Thank you, Jessica! Hope your family loves it! 🙂

        Reply
    5. Sherri @ Watch Learn Eat

      November 09, 2015 at 7:50 pm

      Great recipe! Will have to give it a try! The flavors sound amazing!

      Reply
      • valentina

        November 09, 2015 at 10:33 pm

        Thanks so much, Sherri. Hope you enjoy! 🙂

        Reply
    6. Marie

      November 09, 2015 at 8:36 pm

      Healthy ingredients and a great looking recipe. Sounds good! Pinning it for later. 🙂

      Reply
      • valentina

        November 09, 2015 at 10:33 pm

        Thanks, Marie. I love when healthy is delicious. 🙂

        Reply
    7. Melissa | Cilantro and Citronella

      November 10, 2015 at 2:42 am

      This recipe's got my two favorite things: wine and garlic. It's really hard to find spaghetti squash where I live, but I could try your sauce over cubed butternut squash or pumpkin. Sounds great!

      Reply
      • valentina

        November 10, 2015 at 9:31 am

        It would be delicious over those two. Hope you enjoy it! 🙂

        Reply
    8. David

      November 10, 2015 at 5:49 am

      Love the pesto sauce! LOVE!

      Reply
      • valentina

        November 10, 2015 at 9:36 am

        Thank you, David!!! 🙂

        Reply
    9. Chef Mii

      April 23, 2022 at 7:45 pm

      Beautiful. No meat needed.

      Reply
      • valentina

        April 26, 2022 at 5:26 pm

        Agree about the meat. Thank you, Mimi! 🙂 ~Valentina

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Valentina, certified chef, owner, recipe developer and photographer at Cooking on the Weekends. I'm also a mom of two boys and a Los Angeleno. I use seasonal whole foods to create unique and comforting recipes for casual entertaining.

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