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Make some room on your holiday tables for this Creamed Spaghetti Squash with Browned Butter Walnuts. It’s the perfect, make-ahead side dish. Seasonal spaghetti squash is oven-roasted, then tossed with an extra creamy goat cheese-based cream sauce that’s swirled with pesto and hinted with garlic. Toss the roasted spaghetti squash with the cream sauce and finish this simple side with buttery walnuts and crisped sage. This is an easy and delicious seasonal squash recipe that can double as a hearty side dish or vegetarian main course.
Crazy as this is, I don’t believe I’ve ever shared my history with spaghetti squash. Over the years, I’ve only shared a handful of spaghetti squash recipes. But did you guys know that spaghetti squash was one of the first real dishes I learned to cook?
Way, way back in the day (think little thirteen-year-old Tieghan), my mom turned me onto roasted spaghetti squash. She would roast it in the oven, scrape the strands, and simply toss with butter and salt. She’d serve it to me straight out of the spaghetti squash shell and I remember it tasting SO GOOD. Buttery, salty, and the noodles had just the slightest bit of sweetness to them. To this day, it’s still a favorite. I make roasted spaghetti squash every single year for Thanksgiving. I’ve done so since my family’s very first Thanksgiving in Colorado. It’s always one of the first side dishes to disappear.
Also? Thinking about it now, I have no idea how my mom discovered spaghetti squash. She’s not the most adventurous eater and crazy looking vegetables like spaghetti squash wouldn’t be something she’d typically reach for.
Who knows, she does love buttered noodles…so. Thankfully she turned me onto spaghetti squash, and it’s been one of my favorite fall vegetables to roast ever since.
Roasting spaghetti squash is easy….
If you’ve let spaghetti squash intimate you, don’t. Simply microwave the squash to soften the shell, then slice in half, scrape the seeds out, and roast. It does take a while to fully roast, about 30 minutes. But the time in the oven is worth it.
Roasting the squash brings out its sweetness and turns its strands into buttery deliciousness. Sounds too good to be true, but promise, it’s not.
Now for that cream sauce…
While the squash is roasting away in the oven, make the sauce.
This cream sauce it extra special. It’s made with browned butter and a little milk (you can use any variety you’d like). But the real the secret?
Goat cheese. Using goat cheese keeps the sauce creamy. It gives it an almost Brie like flavor, and it’s all-around delicious.
In addition to the cheese, I also use a little pesto to flavor sauce, and a good amount of garlic too. Once the spaghetti squash is roasted, just scrape it into “spaghetti” and toss the strands with the sauce.
That final touch…
The last thing you must do is toast the walnuts in butter with a little bit of fresh sage. This step takes five minutes to do this, but it makes ALL the difference and creates a recipe that’s truly mouth-watering.
The butter turns nutty, the walnuts golden, and the sage gets perfectly crisp.
Simply spoon the nuts over the creamed squash, kind of like a bread crumb finish, SO GOOD.
Without a doubt, this is one of my current favorite recipes. I made it on a whim the other week and it’s already been remade multiple times.
It’s simple, but warming, and so delicious.
And yes, this is the perfect addition to your Thanksgiving menu. It makes for a great, updated, but still traditional side dish or a vegetarian main course.
If you make this creamed spaghetti squash with browned butter walnuts, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Creamed Spaghetti Squash with Browned Butter Walnuts
Servings: 8
Calories Per Serving: 337 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 medium spaghetti squash, halved and seeds removed
- 1 stick (8 tablespoons) salted butter
- 1 cup raw walnuts, roughly chopped
- 1-2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
- 3 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 1 cup whole milk, nut milk, or canned coconut milk
- 3 ounces creamy goat cheese, crumbled
- 1/3 cup grated manchego cheese
- 3 tablespoons basil pesto, homemade or store-bought
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- kosher salt and black pepper
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.2. Place the squash on a plate and microwave 3 minutes. Let cool slightly, then cut in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds and discard. Place the squash in a baking dish and season the cut sides with salt and pepper. Transfer to the oven and bake 30-35 minutes or until the squash is tender. 3. Meanwhile, heat 6 tablespoons butter, the walnuts, sage, and a pinch of salt in a large skillet. Cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the butter is browned and the walnuts are toasted. Remove the nuts from the skillet to a plate. 4. In the same skillet, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter with the garlic. Cook until the garlic is fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the crushed red pepper flakes, milk, goat cheese, manchego, and pesto. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly until smooth and creamy. Remove from the heat. 4. When the squash is ready, use a fork to scrape the squash into strands, then toss the squash with the pesto cream sauce. Serve the squash warm, topped with buttery walnuts.
Notes
To Make Ahead: prepare the squash through step 4, but leave the walnuts off the squash. Cool and keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. When ready to serve, gently warm the squash over low heat on the stove, stirring until warmed. Top with walnuts.
To Keep Warm in the Slow Cooker: prepare the squash through step 4, but leave the walnuts off the squash. Transfer the squash to the slow cooker and keep on the WARM setting for up to 4 hours. Keep the walnuts to the side of the squash until ready to use for topping.
This sounds delicious! Gonna make with Pinole nuts though?
Amazing! I hope you love this Yvonne! xTieghan
love this recipe and will be making but can you please share where you got the serving bowl that you show above? Thank you
Hi Lisa! The bowl is a vintage store find. So sorry I don’t have a link! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!! xTieghan
Would I be able to use gruyere for this?
Hey Meghan! I am sure gruyere will be so delicious. Great idea! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Cant wait to make so many of these. Was looking this morning for just a new fresh idea and my gosh I have found it. I have seen nothing I wouldn’t just love!!
Thank you so much Kari! I am so glad you like this and I hope it turns out amazing for you! xTieghan
Loved this recipe! First time making spaghetti squash and we really liked this dish. Not very common vegetable where I live. Made some with A mix of pine nuts and pistachios as husband i allergic to walnuts. I love how the flavours complement each other.
Thank you so much Annemarie! I am so glad you loved this recipe! xTieghan
We didn’t like this meal at all. I couldn’t finish mine. My husband eats everything, so he finished, but didn’t like it. We usually love these recipes! We can’t quite decide what was the problem. Neither of us liked the walnuts. Both the texture and the taste wasn’t right for us. And way too much butter. But even without the walnuts, we weren’t fans. There were maybe too many different flavors that both didn’t go together and weren’t strong enough somehow. I’m puzzled. We’ll continue trying (and loving) other recipes from this site, but I’m going to have to make some scrambled eggs tonight as a backup to fill my tummy.
Hi Gina! I am really sorry to hear that. I hope you do love other recipes of mine. Please let me know if you have any questions as well! xTieghan
Okay I made this yesterday and omggggggg it was sooo delicious. I dumped a bunch more of the red pepper flakes but wow.
YES! So happy to hear that Natalia! Thank you! xTieghan
What would you sub goat cheese for? Can’t eat but this looks yummy!
Hi!! I would use an equal amount of cream cheese. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
I love that serving bowl, would you mind sharing where you found it? Gorgeous photos, so warm and inviting.
Hi Julie! The bowl was a vintage store find. I am sorry I do not have the link. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
This looks so warm and inviting! True comfort food and I love that it’s low-carb too. I’m running out to get a spaghetti squash asap! Thanks!
Thank you Heather! I am so glad you loved this! xTieghan
This was so delicious! Due to allergies I skipped the walnuts and made spinach basil pesto (nut free). Flavor was perfect and enjoyed by all! HBH is always a hit in my house!
Awh that is so sweet to hear! Thank you so much! xTieghan
Oh no! How am I going to choose between this and the hasselback butternut squash!? Dilemma! (Delicious dilemma 🙂 ) Thank you for another great recipe!
HAah! I say make both! 🙂 I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
I absolutely adore spaghetti squash, and love this version of it! Sounds so cozy for right now, the temps dropped majorly where I am! Also love the combo of walnuts and goat cheese- quite possibly one of my favorite pairings! Cannot wait to make this!
I hope this turns out so well for you Britt!! Thank you so much! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan!
This looks so so great… but I haaaaaate spaghetti squash haha. Is there another pasta substitute you would suggest? I like zoodles and butternut squash noodles, go figure. How would the directions other than no longer roasting the squash differ? Thanks!
Hi Laura! I think butternut squash noodles or just regular pasta would be delicious! Just simply toss the noodles with the cream sauce once they are cooked. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Hello. I really like your recipes. I have one question, actually two. I don’t have a microwave so how can I change that part of the recipe? And second, if I can’t find machengo cheese, what can I use?
Hi Chris! Just skip the microwave and bake the squash 15 additional minutes to help it soften. You can use Asiago or parmesan cheese. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan