Active Time:

15 mins

Total Time:

1 hr 10 mins

Servings:

4

Nutrition Profile:

• This simple squash side dish is bursting with delicious cheesy-tomato flavor.
• Spaghetti squash is a great low-carb alternative to pasta, offering fiber, potassium and vitamin A.
• It’s easier to cut through tough-skinned squash if you heat it in a microwave for 2 to 3 minutes.

Some trends are worth following, especially if Baked Feta & Tomato Spaghetti Squash is the end result. Inspired by the baked feta trend on social media, we amplified the nutrition and used fiber-rich spaghetti squash instead of pasta. The squash becomes the perfect roasting vessel for the filling—sweet, antioxidant-rich tomatoes, salty feta cheese, aromatic garlic and fresh herbs. After roasting, everything is mixed together to form the most delicious and creamy meal—you’ll be making this over and over again. A drizzle of balsamic glaze at the end gives just enough sweetness and acidity to balance the dish’s rich and fresh flavors. Keep reading for our expert tips, including how to prepare your spaghetti squash and what to serve with it.

Tips from the EatingWell Test Kitchen

These are the key tips we learned while developing and testing this recipe in our Test Kitchen to make sure it works, tastes great and is good for you too!

• We recommend heating the spaghetti squash in the microwave for 2 to 3 minutes before cutting it with a sharp chef’s knife. This will make it much easier to slice. Additionally, using a stable cutting board is always a good idea.
• For the creamiest sauce, we suggest using block feta cheese. You won’t get the same results with feta crumbles because they’re too dry.
• You can substitute the feta with ricotta, Boursin, goat cheese or cream cheese, and replace the crushed red peppers with sliced jalapeños. Feel free to get creative with the ingredients. You can add slices of chicken, shrimp, spinach, kale, mushrooms, pesto and more.
• If the squash appears a little watery, let it sit for a few minutes after cooking; this should help reduce the moisture.

Nutrition Notes

• Spaghetti squash is a winter squash that is often used as a lower-carbohydrate substitution for traditional spaghetti pasta noodles. It keeps a little of its crunchy bite even when cooked, much like an al dente pasta. It’s a good source of fiber, contains potassium for heart health and vitamin A for good immune support.
• We used cherry tomatoes in this recipe for a couple of reasons: they are slightly sweeter, which allows their sugars to caramelize, and they contain less water than bigger tomatoes, which helps keep the flavor concentrated. Cooking tomatoes also has a health advantage. Tomatoes are rich in an antioxidant called lycopene, but our body can better absorb it when the tomatoes are cooked—so you’re getting a bigger antioxidant boost with roasting the tomatoes in this recipe.
• Feta is typically a sheep’s milk cheese and is lower in lactose than some other cheeses, like ricotta or fresh mozzarella. Feta is a good source of calcium, a micronutrient that is important for bone health and muscle contraction. Feta has a good amount of sodium per serving, so if you are on a low-sodium diet, it’s best to stick to a smaller serving size.

Photographer: Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Julia Levy, Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle

Keep Screen Awake

Ingredients

1/2x

1x

2x

Original recipe (1X) yields 4 servings

1 medium spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise and seeded (3- to 3½-lb.)

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper

¼ teaspoon ground pepper

⅛ teaspoon salt

1 (4-oz.) block feta cheese, halved

8 ounces cherry tomatoes (about 1½ cups)

3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, plus more for garnish

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1½ teaspoons chopped fresh oregano

1 tablespoon balsamic glaze

Directions

Position rack in middle of oven; preheat to 400°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. 1.

Place squash halves, cut-sides up, on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil; sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper, ¼ teaspoon pepper and ⅛ teaspoon salt. Place 1 feta piece, ¾ cup tomatoes, 1½ tablespoons basil, 1½ teaspoons garlic and ¾ teaspoon oregano in each squash half. Drizzle each with 1½ teaspoons oil. Bake until the squash flesh is tender and the tomatoes burst, 50 to 55 minutes.

Photographer: Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Julia Levy, Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle 1.

Remove from oven. Using a fork and tongs, scrape the squash contents and the long strands of squash flesh into a medium bowl. Drizzle in the remaining 1 tablespoon oil; stir to combine. Return the mixture to the squash shells; cut each in half widthwise. Transfer each to a plate; drizzle evenly with balsamic glaze and serve.

Photographer: Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Julia Levy, Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle

Frequently Asked Questions

We chose to use cherry tomatoes for this recipe because they are sweet and have a thin skin that bursts when roasted, releasing delicious flavor into the squash. Grape tomatoes would also work well, but they are not as sweet and do not release as much juice.

The easiest way to determine if spaghetti squash is fully cooked is by poking it with a fork. If the fork slides in easily and you notice the strands of squash separating around the edges (looking like spaghetti), it’s ready to eat. It’s wise to check it periodically with a fork while baking to prevent overcooking, which is the primary cause of a mushy texture.

You can eat the skin and seeds—they have nutritional value, but you might find the skin a little too tough for chewing. The seeds can be enjoyed roasted, similar to pumpkin seeds. To prepare them, wash and dry the seeds, season them and roast in a 350°F oven for about 15 to 20 minutes, turning halfway through. Enjoy the seeds as a snack or add them to a salad.

Store the filling and squash in separate containers and reassemble them when it’s time to reheat. Both the squash and filling will last for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. You can heat everything in the microwave or on the stovetop over medium-low heat.

EatingWell.com, November 2023

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

264	Calories
17g	Fat
24g	Carbs
7g	Protein

Nutrition Facts Servings Per Recipe 4 Serving Size 1 cup squash mixture Calories 264 % Daily Value * Total Carbohydrate 24g 9% Dietary Fiber 5g 17% Total Sugars 12g Added Sugars 1g 2% Protein 7g 14% Total Fat 17g 22% Saturated Fat 6g 29% Cholesterol 25mg 8% Vitamin A 107µg Vitamin C 23mg 26% Vitamin D 0µg Vitamin E 2mg 15% Folate 49µg Vitamin K 24µg Sodium 372mg 16% Calcium 218mg 17% Iron 2mg 9% Magnesium 48mg 12% Potassium 539mg 11% Zinc 2mg 14% Vitamin B12 0µg Omega 3 0g

Nutrition information is calculated by a registered dietitian using an ingredient database but should be considered an estimate.

* Daily Values (DVs) are the recommended amounts of nutrients to consume each day. Percent Daily Value (%DV) found on nutrition labels tells you how much a serving of a particular food or recipe contributes to each of those total recommended amounts. Per the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the daily value is based on a standard 2,000 calorie diet. Depending on your calorie needs or if you have a health condition, you may need more or less of particular nutrients. (For example, it’s recommended that people following a heart-healthy diet eat less sodium on a daily basis compared to those following a standard diet.)

(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a special diet for medical reasons, be sure to consult with your primary care provider or a registered dietitian to better understand your personal nutrition needs.

Additional reporting by

Linda Frahm

Linda Frahm has been a copy editor and fact checker working with food and nutrition content for the past 30-plus years for consumer print and online publications.