Hello spaghetti squash. I love you so much and your season is short lived. So, lets talk all about how to freeze spaghetti squash with my top tips and tricks.
This is what I am doing this Halloween and next year and last year and its great for keeping your spaghetti squash for later.
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Spaghetti Squash Season
Hello spaghetti squash season. I am so glad to meet you again and for you to be the food I get excited about most at this time of the year.
I spent many years obsessed with wanting to try spaghetti squash (we lived in Portugal and it wasn’t available there) that I moved back to the UK just to eat spaghetti squash every winter.
Well, almost true.
Us food bloggers that want international foods were forced out because of Brexit and those foods we wanted included spaghetti squash!
Well, it was September 2021, when we arrived back in the UK and I was pushing a trolley back to the car from my local greengrocers (fruit and veggie shop) that was full to bursting with spaghetti squash.
It was love at first bite and now every year I go through at least (probably more) 20 spaghetti squashes just for me and because it is just me that likes them there is a lot of freezing spaghetti squash!
Today, I wanted to share with you how to freeze spaghetti squash, that YES you can freeze spaghetti squash, and simple ways to cook spaghetti squash.
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Can You Freeze Spaghetti Squash?
Yes, you can freeze spaghetti squash. BUT if you don’t drain the excess moisture first, you will end up reheating a spaghetti squash that is very watery and lacks the original texture that spaghetti squash noodles have when you first cooked them.
Can You Freeze Cooked Spaghetti Squash?
Yes, you can freeze cooked spaghetti squash. BUT when you do you will need to keep an eye on the moisture as you don’t want spaghetti squash that is excessively mushy.
Is It Better To Freeze Spaghetti Squash Raw Or Cooked?
I much prefer to freeze cooked spaghetti squash over raw spaghetti squash. It makes it easier for you to fork it and turn it into spaghetti squash noodles and if you are careful with the excess moisture then already cooked and frozen spaghetti squash turns out perfect.
Can You Shred & Freeze Spaghetti Squash?
Yes, you can and that is what we will be showing you to do today. We first cook it using one of our kitchen gadgets, then we shred the spaghetti squash, allow it to cool, drain excess liquid and then freeze.
Can You Freeze Squash Without Cooking It?
Yes, you can freeze spaghetti squash without cooking it first and to do this half a spaghetti squash, remove the seeds and then freeze in zip loc bags.
Then defrost your spaghetti squash before following our methods for cooking the spaghetti squash.
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What Is Spaghetti Squash?
Living in the UK, spaghetti squash is very hard to get hold of and as many have not tried it, lets talk first before showing you how to freeze what is spaghetti squash and why its popular.
Spaghetti squash is a winter squash and if you like butternut squash and pumpkin you will love spaghetti squash.
Spaghetti squash is a winter squash that once cooked if you fork the flesh it will turn into vegetable strands that look like spaghetti. But of course, are the low carb version of spaghetti.
What does spaghetti squash taste like? Spaghetti squash tastes like a mix between butternut squash and pumpkin. So, if you like roasted butternut squash or the same with pumpkin such as our air fryer pumpkin cubes, then you will love the taste of spaghetti squash.
What does spaghetti squash look like? Spaghetti squash reminds me in looks of the big yellow melons that you see in the summer. It’s a yellow oval shape like melons and doesn’t look anything like pumpkin, so if its on sale you will spot it from a distance. The inside of a spaghetti squash is yellowish but on touch has the texture of butternut squash and carries similar sized seeds as what pumpkin does. You can air fry spaghetti squash seeds.
This is a whole spaghetti squash before we cooked it in the microwave. This is the usual size of them and they are perfect for fitting in your kitchen gadgets.
When is spaghetti squash in season? In the UK the spaghetti squash season is very short. I find that I can get hold of some spaghetti squash between September, October, and some of November. If you go pumpkin picking ask the farmer for some spaghetti squash as many grow those too. Or ask at your local greengrocers for some and many can source it.
How To Store Spaghetti Squash?
During the making of The Complete Air Fryer Cookbook we wanted to feature a spaghetti squash recipe with the Bolognese. The idea being that you can air fry spaghetti squash and make an air fryer Bolognese.
But spaghetti squash was going out of season, and we were doing the photoshoot in the February. I got the last in season spaghetti squash in the late November and then stored it in our outside fridge until the February and it just made it.
If you want to make a squash last longer (this applies to all winter squash) storing spaghetti squash in a garage or the fridge will give it a much longer shelf life.
How Long Does Spaghetti Squash Last?
Once you have cooked your spaghetti squash the spaghetti squash shelf life is usually about 3 days, and on the 4th day it will be looking ropy and you won’t want to eat it anymore.
I like reheating spaghetti squash in the microwave for a couple of minutes and then serving it with some air fryer frozen meatballs and if I don’t have Bolognese sauce, I will either warm up some salsa or use some tinned tomatoes that I have flavoured.
Spaghetti Squash Spaghetti Recipes
You are probably wondering the easiest way to cook spaghetti squash or the best way to cook spaghetti squash along with some good recipes.
Well, firstly, think low carb. Imagine every recipe that you would cook on a bed of spaghetti and then swap regular spaghetti for this just cooked spaghetti squash.
I.e. spaghetti carbonara, spaghetti and meatballs, spaghetti Bolognese and the list goes on and on.
Next let’s talk about the easiest/best way to cook spaghetti squash. The long way of course, is to add a whole squash in the oven and wait hours for it to be done.
For the easiest way to cook spaghetti squash the winner goes to instant pot spaghetti squash. Just because it’s a dump in the instant pot kind of recipe and mirrors how you do steamed spaghetti squash.
But for the best tasting spaghetti squash, the winner goes to air fryer spaghetti squash just because it has that roasted flavour with a much quicker cooking time.
You can also do microwave spaghetti squash, but this is more an advanced recipe, and I don’t think its beginner friendly.
You can also make use of the leftovers and use the shell and reheating the noodles and make our spaghetti squash casserole or do air fryer spaghetti squash seeds.
Freezing Spaghetti Squash
Now that you have cooked the spaghetti squash and learnt the best way to cook it, lets talk about freezing spaghetti squash.
The easiest way is to wait until the spaghetti squash has cooled and then loading it into freezer bags.
Just make sure you let the spaghetti squash, sit, and cool.
Then you can grab the excess liquid out and then its not freezing with more liquid.
As otherwise when you are reheating your squash it will end up all mushy.
More Winter Squash Recipes
- Air Fryer Pumpkin Pie
- Air Fryer Pumpkin Seeds
- Air Fryer Pumpkin Cubes
- Instant Pot Whole Pumpkin
- Instant Pot Beef & Pumpkin Stew
- Instant Pot Butternut Squash
- Instant Pot Butternut Squash Cubes
- Check out all our 250+ instant pot beginner recipes!
Learn how to freeze spaghetti squash below, note you can print it out with or without photos, adjust servings, or click between metric and imperial depending on where you are in the world.
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How To Freeze Spaghetti Squash
Ingredients
- 1 Instant Pot Spaghetti Squash Cooked
Kitchen Gadgets
Instructions
- Follow our instant pot spaghetti squash recipe (or our microwave or air fryer recipes it doesn’t matter which). Then using a fork turn the spaghetti squash into spaghetti strands. Place on a plate and allow to cool. Let the spaghetti squash cool and then leave in the fridge overnight to fully cool.
- Get out your Ziploc bags or another freezer bag that you like and start loading the spaghetti squash into the bags, making sure you don’t add any of the extra liquid generated from the squash.
- After loading into zip loc bags get rid of any air and seal. Then label them up ready for the freezer.
- Freeze flat so that they don’t take up much freezer room and then defrost and reheat whenever you want to eat them.
Notes
Nutrition
Can’t make it now? Then save it for later!
