This baked spaghetti squash recipe is ideal for a weeknight dinner and perfect for holiday entertaining. The tahini garlic dressing brings a tangy twist to this healthy comfort food recipe while fresh dill and dried cranberries add a naturally sweet touch without sugar.
I wanted to create a simple recipe for you before Christmas that you can serve for your holiday gatherings that’s full of fresh, new flavors. All you need to do is roast a spaghetti squash and scoop out the ‘baked squash flesh’ onto a platter. Then, add a few nuts, seeds, veggies and fruits alongside the squash, drizzle it with my garlic tahini dressing and you’re all set. That’s it.
The combination of pear and dried cranberries (fruits) with cashews, Brazil nuts and sesame seeds (nuts/seeds) with red onion, baked spaghetti squash, dill, cucumbers and avocado (veggies) is delicious and I have a feeling you’ll want to make this over and over again. I included cute little pinch bowls in my SHOP the RECIPE feature below so you can place each of these ingredients in cute bowls, if desired, and have your guests make their own platters.
I recommend rubbing the entire squash (including the outside shell) with oil before baking the spaghetti squash. This is my secret to making roasted squash taste so delicious. So, just use your hands and rub the oil all over both halves of the squash as well as the outer shell.
Another suggestion is to serve this recipe on a long rectangular platter, if possible, so you can make the recipe look gorgeous spread out with the baked spaghetti squash down the middle of the dish.
This is a versatile recipe so you can easily use dried cherries in place of dried cranberries or almonds in place of cashews or fresh basil in place of fresh dill. I also included options to add in more protein below such as adding chicken because I know a lot of you have been wanting a spaghetti squash recipe with chicken and you’ve been requesting some animal protein in recipes. Instead of putting the animal protein in the actual recipe (since some of my readers are vegetarian/vegan), I will add in suggestions before each recipe of what you can add and how to do it. For instance, below, I tell you how to cook chicken on the stove top and how to add it to this recipe. Let me know how you like that suggestion.
Whatever combination you decide to use, the flavors will be delicious because every ingredient is soaring with flavor. Please let me know how you make this dish in the comments below; I’d love to hear your variations.
SHOP the RECIPE
Options to Add More Protein
Option to Add Animal Protein:
If you’d like to add animal protein to this recipe, you can cook 2-4 organic chicken breasts depending on how many people you are serving. To cook the chicken, place the chicken in a large skillet with 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, sea salt and pepper. Cover and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, then flip and cook for another 5-10 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink inside. Chop or thinly slice the chicken and add it to the below recipe alongside the spaghetti squash.
Option to Add Quinoa:
Cook 1/2 cup dry quinoa according to package directions with water or vegetable broth and cook for 15 minutes or until fluffy. Fluff with a fork and serve alongside the spaghetti squash.
This Baked Spaghetti Squash Platter is free of gluten, dairy, soy, sugar, corn and eggs. It's the perfect holiday side dish or main meal for your guests.
Ingredients
- 1 large spaghetti squash
- 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil extra virgin
- sea salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 large cucumber diced
- 1 large large ripe avocado peeled, pitted and mashed
- 1 whole pear thinly sliced
- 2 Tbsp. cashews
- 2 Tbsp. Brazil nuts
- 2 Tbsp. red onion finely chopped
- 1 Tbsp. dried cherries
- 2 tsp. fresh dill finely chopped
- 1 tsp. sesame seeds
Tahini Garlic Dressing
- 1/3 cup tahini
- 1/4 cup water plus more if needed
- 1 clove garlic pressed
- sea salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare a rimmed baking dish or baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
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Cut the squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Drizzle with the olive oil and sea salt and pepper; lay face up on the prepared baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes or until tender. Remove from the oven; set aside.
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Scoop out the 'spaghetti squash flesh' with a fork and lay on a platter. Add all of remaining ingredients around the squash except for the dill and sesame seeds.
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Combine all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and mix well until creamy. Drizzle over the squash and sprinkle with the dill and sesame seeds. Serve immediately.
Sounds delicious!