Spaghetti Squash Mac And Cheese
Every once in a while, I get on a spaghetti squash kick. I’ll roast one in the oven or make one in the instant pot with the intention to use it just like pasta. Since typically spaghetti squash yields a LOT of volume, I had to come up with creative ways to use it.
Since it was the holiday season, and since I had all things cheese on my mind from working at Whole Foods behind the cheese counter, I decided to make this super easy healthy mac and cheese!
🦃Comfort food recipes made with pasta can easily be made with this unique veggie and now its one of our favorite holiday side dishes! Serve with: turkey, ham, cranberry sauce, stuffing, green beans and a glass of Thanksgiving Punch!
🍝Ingredients & Substitutions
- Cooked Spaghetti Squash: I find a decent sized spaghetti squash in the grocery store and usually get about 3-4 cups of cooked spaghetti squash out of it if not more! Choose one that is large and heavy for its size.
- Sour Cream: This decadent addition is the perfect way to “fake” a cheese sauce when it’s baked in with shredded cheese. Feel free to swap with full fat Greek yogurt for more protein.
- Shredded Cheddar: You can use whatever shredded cheese you like, but cheddar or a blend of cheeses is best when making any mac and cheese in my opinion. When I’m feeling extra indulgent, I whip up a batch of Creamy Gruyere Sauce and use that instead!
- Breadcrumbs: What absolutely turns this mac and cheese into a real comfort food is the addition of bread crumbs sprinkled on top before baking. You can use regular breadcrumbs, panko breadcrumbs, or even crispy fried onions. To keep it low carb, use crushed pork rinds or almond flour.
🧀Grab These Before You Make It
🍲Easiest Way To Cook Spaghetti Squash
- Roasting Spaghetti Squash In The Oven Lengthwise: Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Cut your spaghetti squash long ways into 2 pieces. Scrape out the seeds with a spoon and discard. Brush the squash with oil, salt and pepper and place skin side up roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until squash is tender but still firm. Once cool enough to touch, remove spaghetti strands with a fork.
- Roasting In The Oven Widthwise (Spaghetti Squash Rings): Preheat oven to 375. With a sharp knife and a stable cutting board, cut off the top and bottom of your spaghetti squash. Slice into 1-2” “rings”. Remove seeds and place on a baking sheet. Brush with oil, salt and pepper and bake for about 40 minutes or until squash is tender and spaghetti comes out easily.
- Instant Pot Spaghetti Squash: This is the fastest method to cooking your spaghetti squash. Cut the spaghetti squash in half, remove seeds, place in the Instant Pot with 1 cup of water, and cook on high pressure for 7-8 minutes.
📖How To Make Spaghetti Squash Mac and Cheese
1️⃣ Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8X8 casserole dish.
2️⃣ In a large bowl, add cooked, cooled and drained spaghetti squash along with sour cream, shredded cheese, salt, pepper and garlic powder
3️⃣ Gently mix all ingredients together until they are all fully combined.
4️⃣ Pour into the casserole dish and spread out evenly.
5️⃣Top with pork rind crumbs (or breadcrumbs) and bake for 30-35 minutes or until mac and cheese is baked through and forms a crust on top.
6️⃣ To brown the crust further, broil for a few minutes. Remove from the oven and serve hot.
👩🏻🍳Chef’s Expert Tips
- It’s important that the spaghetti squash is cooled enough to make sure the cheese doesn’t fully melt into the squash when mixing.
- Spaghetti squash is a naturally watery vegetable. When using it for baking, it’s best to make sure the liquid is drained off as much as possible. You can do this by cooling it down and adding to a colander to drain or press with paper towels. In my experience, it’s easy to press out the water by hand once squash is cooled down.
- Scoop out the seeds with an ice cream scoop for a quick and clean removal.
- Cook the squash face down on a baking sheet to retain moisture and achieve perfectly tender strands.
- Use a fork to separate the strands of the squash gently, pulling them from the sides inward to create long, spaghetti-like pieces.
- Grate your cheese fresh from the block to have a creamy, smooth sauce that melts perfectly.
- Use a large mixing bowl to combine the squash with the cheese sauce, giving you plenty of room to toss everything together evenly.
- Bake the dish uncovered if you prefer a golden-brown top layer, letting it broil for the last few minutes for a crispy finish.
🔥 Reheating Spaghetti Squash
- On the stove: place the mac and cheese into a saucepan on the stove over medium heat. Stir for 5-10 minutes, or until the dish is heated through.
- In the oven: place the mac and cheese back into a casserole dish or oven safe dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until heated through.
- In the microwave: Add portion in a microwave safe bowl. Cover and microwave for 1-2 minutes depending on size of portion
❔FAQ
You can definitely add some cooked veggies such as peas, broccoli or even spinach. To bring your mac and cheese to the next level, add some chopped cooked bacon or pancetta.
Because the “sauce” is made with sour cream, the texture will change to dry and flaky once it is defrosted. Therefore it is not recommended to freeze it. The texture of the spaghetti squash will also get mushy when frozen then thawed.
3-4 days when placed in an airtight container. Make sure it is cooled before storing.
The squash is ready when you can easily pierce the skin with a fork and the strands pull away from the sides without resistance. If it’s still firm, cook for a few more minutes until tender.
More Cheesy Recipes
Spaghetti Squash Mac And Cheese
Ingredients
- 3-4 cups Spaghetti Squash cooked and cooled
- ¾ cup Sour Cream
- 2 cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- ¼ cup Bread Crumbs (or pork rind crumbs)
- ½ tsp Sea Salt
- ½ tsp Garlic Powder
- ¼ tsp Ground Black Pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8X8 casserole dish.
- In a large bowl, add cooked, cooled and drained spaghetti squash along with sour cream, shredded cheese, salt, pepper and garlic powder
- Gently mix all ingredients together until they are all fully combined.
- Pour into the casserole dish and spread out evenly.
- Top with pork rind crumbs (or breadcrumbs) and bake for 30-35 minutes or until mac and cheese is baked through and forms a crust on top.
- To brown the crust further, broil for a few minutes.
- Remove from the oven and serve hot.
How would I go about adding a protein to this? (like chicken)
Could you use Greek yogurt in place of sour cream?
I don’t see why not!
Made for my family and they loved it! Added pancetta to the dish. Paired with chicken and a salad.
I love the pancetta addition. That sounds DELISH! Thanks for sharing! -Krista (Team Thyme & Joy)