An easy recipe, our Cacio Pepe Squash Spaghetti is a twist on the traditional Italian cacio e pepe recipe and is perfect for Meatless Monday or a vegetable side dish! Roasted spaghetti squash becomes your pasta!
Squash Spaghetti
Cacio e Pepe, "cheese and pepper", is typically a classic Italian pasta dish made with spaghetti, cheese and pepper along with some of the pasta water.
Our Cacio Pepe Squash Spaghetti puts a healthy low carb spin on this traditional recipe known for the simplest of ingredients.
I elevated our spaghetti squash recipe up a notch with freshly ground tricolor peppercorns that add specks of color. Just 2 tablespoons of butter replace the pasta water.
With summer produce abundant now, I love making the traditional "cheese and pepper" pasta recipe with baked spaghetti squash.
Have you ever made spaghetti squash? After roasting the squash to delicious tenderness, running a fork over the roasted flesh forms strands that resemble spaghetti pasta. So cool!
Not only does the squash make this recipe seasonal and low carb, it becomes a plant based recipe too. And living a plant based lifestyle is a healthy way to go these days!
Speaking of squash, our pasta with butternut squash recipe cooks in just one pot and is oh so delicious!
Be sure to visit the Swirls of Flavor Amazon Storefront for GG's kitchen recommendations!
Spaghetti Squash FAQ’s
Is spaghetti squash healthy?
Spaghetti squash is healthy and provides:
- beta carotene
- calcium
- folic acid
- iron
- potassium
- vitamin A
- vitamin B6
- vitamin C
Spaghetti squash is also:
- gluten free
- low in calories, about 42 calories per 1 cup serving (I'm loving that!)
- contains no fat (I'm loving that even more!)
How to select a spaghetti squash
When selecting a spaghetti squash look for one that is:
- an even yellow color
- firm with no soft spots
- has no green spots
How do you serve spaghetti squash?
The fun part about cooking a spaghetti squash is that once it is cooked and tender it will shred into spaghetti-like strands when you scrape a fork through the soft flesh! So cool!
What to serve with spaghetti squash
How to make spaghetti squash cacio e pepe
Scroll down for the full recipe instructions and ingredient amounts in the recipe card below
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- Cut squash in half lengthwise and remove seeds.
- Brush cut sides of squash with 1 Tbs. melted butter. Sprinkle with kosher salt and ground pepper, if desired.
- Roast, cut sides down, on baking sheet for 45 minutes or until squash is tender.
- Let cool 15 minutes then, using a fork, scrape the cut sides so that spaghetti-like stands form.
- Toss strands with remaining 2 Tbs. melted butter, Parmesan cheese and peppercorns.
- Garnish with Parmesan shavings, if desired.
Swirls of Flavor Recipe Tip
Don’t throw away those spaghetti squash seeds! For a delicious snack, spaghetti squash seeds can be roasted just like pumpkin seeds!
To roast spaghetti squash seeds simply:
- Preheat your oven to 300F
- Wash and dry the seeds
- Toss them in about a tablespoon of oil until evenly coated
- Sprinkle with kosher salt
- Arrange the seeds in a single layer on a baking sheet
- Roast the seeds in the oven for 15-20 minutes
Substitutions
- Feel free to use black peppercorns in place of the tricolor peppercorns
- You can use olive oil instead of the butter
Recipes With Squash
- Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
- Butternut Squash Soup
- Butternut Squash Lasagna via Grumpy’s Honeybunch
Easy Pasta Recipes
Still craving your pasta? then I've got some simple pasta recipes for you that you are going to love!
Our Instant Pot Spaghetti with Homemade Tomato Sauce recipe is so easy to make. Spaghetti cooks together with just 6 ingredients from your pantry (+ water) for a quick and easy homemade marinara sauce.
Zucchini Pasta Pomodoro is bursting with the summertime flavors of zucchini noodles, tomatoes and fresh basil. Zucchini noodles replace your high carb pasta in this recipe.
And then there’s one of my favorite go-to recipes, One Pot Penne Pomodoro, a pasta that’s flavored in a light buttery tomato broth with garlic, onion and lots of tomatoes. As the penne cooks it forms it’s own sauce, all in one pot! It doesn’t get better or easier than one pot recipes folks!
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Cacio Pepe Squash Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 1 spaghetti squash , about 2 pounds
- 3 Tbs. butter , melted and divided
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tsp. freshly ground tricolor peppercorns OR 1/2 tsp. ground pepper
- Parmesan shavings , optional garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- Cut squash in half lengthwise and remove seeds.
- Brush cut sides of squash with 1 Tbs. melted butter. Sprinkle with kosher salt and ground pepper, if desired.
- Roast, cut sides down, on baking sheet for 45 minutes or until squash is tender.
- Let cool 15 minutes then, using a fork, scrape the cut sides so that spaghetti-like stands form.
- Toss strands with remaining 2 Tbs. melted butter, Parmesan cheese and peppercorns.
- Garnish with Parmesan shavings, if desired.
Notes
- Preheat your oven to 300F
- Wash and dry the seeds
- Toss them in about a tablespoon of oil until evenly coated
- Sprinkle with kosher salt
- Arrange the seeds in a single layer on a baking sheet
- Roast the seeds in the oven for 15-20 minutes
- Feel free to use black peppercorns in place of the tricolor peppercorns
- You can use olive oil instead of the butter
Nutrition
What does cacio e pepe mean?
Cacio e pepe means “cheese and pepper”.
You are so talented and patient!! I'm sharing some of your treats tomorrow on my blog. Thanks so much for linking up to my Red, White, Blue & You Link Party! I always love everything you make!
This looks delicious! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much for your kind words Teodora. Happy cooking, GG