You won’t miss the traditional pasta with this creamy spaghetti squash carbonara. This gluten free comfort food dish is absolutely delicious.
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Hello, my friends!
I’ve got a low-carb (gluten free) recipe to add to your “To Make ASAP” list. This spaghetti squash carbonara is a huge favorite because it tastes like a gourmet pasta dish without the heavy carbs.
Do you like spaghetti squash?
I do.
We grow them in the garden every year. This year we gave most of our winter squash away. We moved a few days after we picked the garden and I couldn’t quite muster the thought of moving 35 winter squash in addition to everything else. Plus we don’t have a basement in our new house to store them in.
But I kept this one in my pantry and it’s been hanging out there for about 3 months.
One of the thing I love about spaghetti squash is how long they store. Under the right conditions they can last six months or more! I’ve had winter squash last in the basement of our old house for over a year. That really makes me miss that house.
Even though I like spaghetti squash, my kids could live without it.
It’s too “veggie” for their tastes I guess.
So I have to find just the right meals to make with them. And this is one that works well. I usually get some complaints when they see what I’m making: “Fake Pasta.” Then things seem to settle down once we start eating. They would never confess to enjoying it (in fear that I’d get rid of their beloved pasta forever), but I think secretly they like it.
I’ve found the secret to serving spaghetti squash to my family is making sure its got a flavorful enough sauce to hide the fact that it’s not the pasta they are used to.
And this sauce seems to do the trick perfectly. And I won’t lie, the bacon helps too!
How to cook the spaghetti squash
First let’s talk about cooking the spaghetti squash.
I shared three methods that we like to use over on my Spaghetti Squash Lasagna post – oven, Instant Pot, and microwave.
I usually use the Instant Pot (big surprise, eh?).
First, remove the stem and slice the squash open lengthwise. You can either remove the seeds now or wait until after it’s cooked. I usually wait because it’s easier when the squash has softened.
Fit the squash pieces into the Instant Pot. You may need your Tetris skills here. If the squash is too big you can cut each piece in half widthwise to get them to fit better. It needs to be able to fit so the lid can still go on plenty easy.
Add a cup of water and cook on high pressure for 7 to 10 minutes depending on the size of squash and how “al dente” you like it. We usually go with right around 10 minutes.
Once it’s done, you can do a quick release of the pressure and it’s ready to go. Let it cool while you’re working on the sauce (I actually start working on the sauce while the squash is cooking).
The Sauce
First cook the bacon in a skillet until it is just starting to crisp.
Don’t worry if it makes the bottom of the pan all brown. Those bacon bits are what’s going to help this sauce become nice and flavorful!
Once the bacon is cooked, let it drain on a plate with paper towels and then drain off the extra bacon grease. As a side note, I like to keep the bacon grease for cooking other yummy things. Have you ever had fried eggs in bacon grease? Yum!
Add some minced garlic cloves to the hot pan and cook just for a minute until garlic is aromatic. Then deglaze the pan with milk. You’ll need 1 1/2 cups total, but add just a little at first while you scrape off those yummy bacon bits.
Don’t freak out if your pan looks brown and a little gross at this point. It will turn out wonderful, just wait.
Add the rest of the ingredients and whisk until a nice sauce forms.
Now it’s time to scrape out the flesh of the spaghetti squash. Discard the seeds and the slimy top layer first.
I like to reserve the shells because it’s fun to serve this dish in the hollowed out spaghetti squash shells.
Add the spaghetti squash and peas to the sauce and heat it until everything is warm. Taste it and add salt and pepper until it’s flavorful enough to your liking.
It’s really easy to change this dish up and use other veggies Just make sure they are cooked tender before adding them.
Now it’s ready to put back in the shells, top with bacon and extra Parmesan cheese.
Time to dig in, my friends.
Spaghetti Squash Carbonara
You won’t miss the traditional pasta with this creamy spaghetti squash carbonara. This gluten free comfort food dish is absolutely delicious.
Ingredients
For Spaghetti Squash:
- 2 to 3 pounds spaghetti squash 1 medium
- 6 slices bacon
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 ½ cups milk
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 8-ounce package cream cheese room temperature, cut into cubes
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon salt divided
- ¼ teaspoon pepper divided
- 2 cups frozen green peas see note
- salt and pepper to taste
- Parmesan cheese for serving, optional
Instructions
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Cook the spaghetti squash using one of the methods below until desired tenderness is reached.
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Pressure Cooker Method: Place the spaghetti squash and 1 cup of water in the pressure cooking pot. You can keep them whole or cut them in half lengthwise (sometimes they fit better that way). You don't need to remove the seeds before cooking but you can if you'd like (I usually don't). Make sure that the squash will not block the lid from sealing and then lock the lid in place. Cook 7-10 minutes on high pressure, depending on your desired "doneness". We like ours fairly tender. Use a quick pressure release and carefully open cooker.
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Oven Method: Cut the squash in half and place cut side down on a lightly greased baking sheet (no water needed). Bake at 375 degrees for 40-50 minutes until it is very tender.
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Microwave Method: Cut squash in half lengthwise. Place cut sides up on a microwave safe plate and cover with cling wrap. Microwave on high for 8-10 minutes or until tender. Allow to cool enough to handle before unwrapping.
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Meanwhile, in a 12-inch nonstick skillet cook the bacon until crispy. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate and drain the bacon grease.
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In the same pan over medium heat and add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until aromatic. Add about a third of the milk and deglaze the pan (scrape the bacon bits off the bottom to flavor the sauce). Add the rest of the milk and the cream and heat to a simmer.
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Add the cubed cream cheese and cook, whisking often until cheese has melt and sauce is smooth and creamy. Add the Parmesan cheese, ½ teaspoon of salt and ⅛ teaspoon black pepper.
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Scoop out the seed layer of spaghetti squash and discard. Reserve the shells, if using for serving (optional). Drain excess liquid from spaghetti squash. .
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Add squash to skillet with sauce along with ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, and frozen peas. Heat until warmed through then taste and add additional salt and pepper, if needed.
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Serve squash in hollowed out shells or in skillet. Top with chopped bacon pieces and extra Parmesan cheese, if desired.
Recipe Notes
1. As a variation, you can use other veggies in this dish as well. For most veggies, you’ll want to make sure they are cooked tender before adding them with the squash.
Recipe Source: Heather @ The Cook’s Treat
All images and text ©The Cook’s Treat
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