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The spaghetti squash (Cucurbita pepo) (also called vegetable spaghetti, noodle squash, Spaghetti Marrow (in the UK) , squaghetti or Sharkfin Melon 鱼翅瓜 to Chinese) is an oblong seed-bearing variety of winter squash. The fruit can range either from ivory to yellow or orange in color or green with white streaks. Its center contains many large squash seeds. Its flesh is bright yellow or orange or white for the latter variety. When raw, the flesh is solid and similar to other raw squash; when cooked, the flesh falls away from the fruit in ribbons or strands like spaghetti or shark's fin (when cooked in a soup form). Spaghetti squash can be baked, boiled or steamed, and served with sauce as for pasta, or used as a vegetable base for macaroni and cheese. Spaghetti squash contains many nutrients including folic acid, potassium, vitamin A, and beta carotene. It is also a food low in calories, averaging 75 calories in 8 cooked ounces. It is a Chinese native vegetable.

Unprepared

Cooked

Prepared

Contents 1 Cooking spaghetti squash 1.1 Bake in Oven 1.2 Microwave 1.3 Stove (Boil) 1.4 Slow cooker (Crock pot) 2 Preparation 3 Cultivation 4 References 5 External links

Cooking spaghetti squash

Spaghetti squash is easily cooked in a oven, in a microwave, on a stove, or in a slow cooker. ¹

Bake in Oven

• Pierce the whole shell several times with a large fork or skewer and place in baking dish
• Cook squash in a preheated 375°F (190°C) oven for approximately 1 hour or until flesh is tender

Microwave

• Cut the squash in half, lengthwise
• remove the seeds
• Place squash with the open side up in a microwave dish using 1/4 cup of water
• Cover with plastic wrap and cook on high for 10 to 12 minutes, depending on size of squash

Stove (Boil)

• Heat a pot of water large enough to hold the whole squash
• When the water is boiling, drop in the squash and cook for 20 to 30 minutes, depending on its size
• When a fork goes easily into the flesh, the squash is done

Slow cooker (Crock pot)

• Place the spaghetti squash in the slow cooker and add 2 cups of water
• Pierce the whole shell several times with a large fork or skewer
• Cover
• Cook on low for 8 to 9 hours

Preparation

Stand squash covered for 5 minutes and, using a fork, comb out the strands.

Boiling in a couple inches of water on high

Sliced and ready for cleaning

The insides are then cleaned out, much like a pumpkin

After the squash has been fully cooked and scraped from the rind.

Cultivation

Spaghetti squash are relatively easy to grow, thriving in gardens or in containers. ²

The plants are monoecious, with male and female flowers on the same plant. ³ Male flowers have long, thin stems that extend upwards from the vine. Female flowers are shorter, with a small round growth underneath the petals. This round growth turns into the squash if the flower is successfully pollinated.

Male flower

Female flower

Of note, the Spaghetti squash may be accidentally cross-pollinated by Zucchini plants. This will result in the pollinated squash turning a mixture of green and orange when ripe. Flavour is also affected. As such it is not recommended growing Zucchini and Spaghetti squash together.

References

1. ^ All About Spaghetti Squash, How to Buy It, Cook It and Lots of Recipes
2. ^ Spaghetti squash: a vegetable with a surprise inside
3. ^ A Short Essay on Spaghetti Squash

External links

Wikipedia content modification information:

• This page was last modified on 7 November 2008, at 01:32.

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