
While we normally eat spaghetti squash tossed with nothing more than a a bit of olive oil and a handful of fresh-grated parmigiano reggiano, I decided to splurge this time around and used the versatile squash to create a rich and creamy gratin.
This gratin was inspired by a recipe I found at Laura Rebecca’s Kitchen. I’m sure her sour cream version is wonderful, and that’s what I had originally planned to make, but when I realized that I had some heavy cream that needed to be used, I opted for that instead. I also added some shallots along with the garlic, and decreased the amount of herbs (mainly because I was completely out of fresh herbs). The resulting dish was absolutely delicious!
We’ve actually been on a bit of a spaghetti squash kick around here lately, and have eaten it again since I made the gratin. This last time, I sauteed some garlic in olive oil, added a generous pinch of crushed red pepper, then tossed the spaghetti squash strands in the garlic oil until heated through. I then seasoned it with salt and a handful of fresh chopped parsley and served it with a bit of fresh grated parmigiano reggiano. Since this is one of my favorite ways to eat spaghetti, I thought I’d give it a try with spaghetti squash. It was wonderful!
What’s your favorite way to eat spaghetti squash?
Spaghetti Squash Gratin
1 spaghetti squash, baked until tender*
1 large (or two small) shallot(s), chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 t. dried thyme (or 1 teaspoon fresh chopped thyme leaves)
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 cup grated parmigiano reggiano, divided
salt, to taste
fresh ground black pepper, to taste
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees
2. Remove seeds and shred spaghetti squash. Place spaghetti squash strands in a large bowl, and discard shell.
2. Cook shallots in butter over medium-low heat until softened. Stir in garlic, cook for a minute longer. Scrape shallots and garlic into bowl with squash. Add thyme, heavy cream, sour cream, and half of the cheese. Toss together well until ingredients are evenly distributed. Pour into a greased casserole and top with remaining cheese.
3. Bake uncovered in a preheated 450 degree oven for 20 minutes or until lightly browned on top.
Yield: approximately 6 servings
Spaghetti Squash with Garlic and Red Pepper
1 spaghetti squash, baked until tender*
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
generous pinch of crushed red pepper
2 tablespoons fresh chopped Italian parsley
salt to taste
fresh grated parmigiano reggiano (optional)
1. Remove seeds and shred spaghetti squash. Place spaghetti squash strands in a large bowl, and discard shell.
2. In a large saute pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until just lightly browned. Add crushed red pepper, then add spaghetti squash. Toss spaghetti squash strands until well-coated in the garlic oil and heated through. Season with salt and toss with parsley. Serve with fresh grated parmigiano reggiano, if desired.
Around the Web:
- Spaghetti Squash Gratin from Laura Rebecca’s Kitchen
- Spaghetti Squash with Bacon and Turnip Greens from Cooking by the Seat of my Pants
- Spaghetti Squash and Chard Gratin from Kalyn’s Kitchen
- New Mexican Spaghetti Squash from Karina’s Kitchen
- Moroccan-Spiced Spaghetti Squash from Smitten Kitchen






Wow. So I totally was going to do something semi-healthy with my spaghetti squash, but alas, I too have heavy cream I need to use up. This means I must make this!
1:28 pm Nov 6th, 2009Love the gratin especially now that the weather is cooling. The second recipe with garlic and red pepper sounds equally appealing. Think I’ll give both a try and get back to you with my favorite.
2:12 pm Nov 6th, 2009this looks amazing. I love gratin but I have never made it before. But though the heavy cream is prob amazing I am going to go with the lighter version… I will let you know how it goes.
2:45 pm Nov 6th, 2009It sounds amazing!! I’d love to have a big serving of this and call it dinner!
5:33 pm Nov 6th, 2009Spaghetti squash is one of Ward’s favorites! We’re definitely going to have to give this gratin a try – it looks delicious. ~ Belle
6:48 pm Nov 6th, 2009I’m usually happy with just roasting the squash plain in the oven. This just takes it to the next level! It looks so good and one of those dishes you can never stop eating no matter how full you are.
7:02 pm Nov 6th, 2009Ooh I too have been on a spaghetti squash kick. My favorite way so far is just served alongside eggplant parmesan with a bit of cheese sprinkled on top. That gratin looks just awesome, and worth the heavy cream.
10:20 pm Nov 6th, 2009And do you think thinly sliced leeks would be a suitable substitute for shallots? I’m not quite sure what those are, but they look like onions, and I don’t go for onions…
11:09 pm Nov 6th, 2009Looks so luscious! I am going to try this! I made a spaghetti squash with a Lebanese-inspired sauce a while back that was more like a salad. I like your version a lot.
7:03 am Nov 7th, 2009My favorite way to eat it is when you cook it and bring it to me
Hahah!
8:30 am Nov 7th, 2009I’ve never cooked with spaghetti squash and now, after reading this post, I’m feeling a little depressed about that. I think it might be time to remedy my sad existence.
11:41 am Nov 7th, 2009Oh my goodness. I LOVE your blog. I just came across your butternut squash and sweet potato gratin from this post. I am going to make that for the holidays.
12:55 pm Nov 7th, 2009We eat a lot of spaghetti squash the same way you usually do, but how can I not try it this way with cream, sour cream and cheese. Yum!
1:21 pm Nov 7th, 2009This is yet another new vegetable for my students to try. Looks and sounds delicious. Will let you know how it turns out. My southern students are very picky, but I think they will go for this. Thanks.
6:56 am Nov 8th, 2009I am so very happy you posted these recipes. I have been on the look out for interesting things to do with Spaghetti Squash. I’ve been suffering from Spaghetti Squash intimidation for weeks. Now I feel I can go forth and actually use one, they’ve consistently appeared in my CSA box this fall.
10:24 am Nov 9th, 2009I made your spaghetti squash gratin tonight. It was delicious! I made no changes to it. Your other versions sound yummy, also. I’ll be buying more.
6:00 pm Nov 9th, 2009This was great inspiration! I had a crab in the fridge, so added crab meat soaked in a bit of Marsala, some sauteed mushrooms and chopped wilted spinach. Superb!
1:19 pm Nov 10th, 2009I often top cooked spaghetti squash with tomatoes and Italian sausage! I love the idea of the gratin, though… I have a spaghetti squash to use, and I think I’ll give it a try.
8:33 pm Nov 10th, 2009This looks great! I’ve had a spaghetti squash on my counter for 3 weeks now, just waiting to be used…
10:41 am Nov 11th, 2009Now this is a new recipe to me, one I would absolutely love to try! (love the changes you made as well)
10:26 pm Nov 11th, 2009Woo hoo more squashy dishes especially involving cream which for some reason I have an overabundance of. I am getting bored the standard roast with spices and call it a day squash.
Awesome job!
10:47 am Nov 12th, 2009[...] Spaghetti Squash Gratin – mmmm, cheeeeeeese. [...]
6:15 pm Nov 13th, 2009I think my new favorite way to eat spaghetti squash is this recipe! I am making that tonight!
I have had a couple ss sitting around for a while, decorative AND delicious, my question is how do you know if they are still ‘fresh’ ? Guess cutting them open is the first step.
Thanks for the recipe.
11:09 am Nov 14th, 2009Nicole I LOVE Spaghetti Squash. It’s not only fun to look at but so much fun to eat. This gratin is gawgeous. I’m definitely putting this on the list. Might even make the Turkey Day lineup ; )
6:17 pm Nov 14th, 2009Made this last night and enjoyed it so much.. What a great idea with spaghetti squash.. I used parsley and grated a little fresh nutmeg on top..yummy
1:53 pm Nov 15th, 2009Debbie
sorry, I don’t know that got posted! i accidentally pasted something else I was typing! I can’t figure out how to delete it…so if you could delete it for me…
Anyways, got the stuff to make this for this week! I’ve only had spaghetti squash as if it were spaghetti with sauce.
I’m excited! Never made gratin…
4:51 pm Nov 15th, 2009i made the gratin for my housewarming party this weekend and it was a hit! thanks for the recipe!
7:24 am Nov 16th, 2009Nicole, I made this tonight in hopes of getting my 19 month old to eat some veggies and it totally did the trick. She ate a ton of it and, surprisingly, so did my husband. He’s an avid squash bigot. He told me I could def make it again. YAY! Thank you!
8:06 pm Nov 16th, 2009Oh gosh, that looks amazing! I love spaghetti squash!
7:11 pm Nov 17th, 2009Silly me; I would never have thought to make a gratin with spaghetti squash. But I love it so much, AND I love cheese (of course), so this is going in my queue of recipes to make. Thanks for sharing such a great idea.
6:57 am Nov 18th, 2009Mmm, that looks nice. I decided to take mine and cut it in half, microwave for 2 mins, then poured tomato sauce and put meatballs in and then cover with grated cheese and baked. Spaghetti and meatballs!
4:36 pm Nov 18th, 2009I have had such bad luck with spaghetti squash (just not getting tender enough no matter how long I cook it) that I swore off any spaghetti squash dishes. This though, might make me change my mind. Sounds really good.
4:19 pm Nov 19th, 2009i learned a new vegetable today!
12:46 am Nov 20th, 2009[...] but when it comes to Thanksgiving it’s go big or go home. This recipe came from another blog, Pinch My Salt, and I think before that it came from elsewhere in the food blogging world. I made a couple of [...]
9:41 pm Nov 23rd, 2009This recipe looks very nice.
Ian
5:28 am Nov 26th, 2009EasyCaribbeanShop.com
OMG I never would have thought of making my spaghetti squash into a gratin — it’s genius! Plus, I think my husband will eat that.
8:55 am Dec 3rd, 2009I’ve bought spaghetti squash in the past but never knew what to do with it. Thanks for the recipe, it sure sounds wonderful!
11:26 pm Dec 6th, 2009Wow, I made this last night….a test run for my Christmas dinner. It was delish! If I wasn’t a vegetarian I would add diced ham to this gratin.
8:20 am Dec 8th, 2009I love this idea and will deffently try it. I made acorn squash last night so this will have to be the star in next weeks dinner line up! A side note on this webpages layout, Your photo and text is aligned to the right rather than the center like the rest of your site. I love watching and following your site and been doing so for the last three or four years! Keep it up!
10:51 am Dec 9th, 2009Looks delicious!
12:47 pm Dec 10th, 2009Hi Nicole, I can’t wait to try this, I grew some killer spaghetti squash this year! :0)
8:13 pm Dec 31st, 2009[...] with the squash that I picked up at Trader Joe’s. I remembered seeing this recipe from Pinch my Salt, and knew I had to make [...]
4:34 pm Jan 6th, 2010[...] Spaghetti Squash Gratin: While we normally eat spaghetti squash tossed with nothing more than a a bit of olive oil and a handful of fresh-grated parmigiano reggiano, I decided to splurge this time around and used the versatile squash to create a rich and creamy gratin. Found at Pinch My Salt. [...]
12:08 pm Jul 29th, 2010Made this last night, SOOO yummy, thank you!
8:15 am Oct 18th, 2010Oh my days. Squash heaven. Great veggie meal.
9:00 am Aug 17th, 2011This sounds delish! I’ve always eaten it like spaghetti with sauce and sometimes just with butter but this sounds a lot better than that. I’m bookmarking it to try out!
12:33 pm Nov 29th, 2012Made this today – delicious! I added some buttered bread crumbs to the cheese topping too. Had to make some substitutions with the parm reg, but it still turned out great! Great recipe!
12:39 pm Dec 2nd, 2012