So you’ve probably had cheesy pasta. And you’ve had spaghetti squash pasta. But have you had Cheesy Spaghetti Squash Pasta?! If not, it’s time!
This 9-ingredient recipe starts with roasted spaghetti squash.
I typically cut my spaghetti squash in half and roast it using this method. But I wanted to try Beth’s method of slicing it in rings before baking to achieve longer noodles. I’m happy to report that both work well, so do whichever is easiest for you!
While your squash is roasting, soak cashews and then blend with nutritional yeast, lemon juice, garlic, and sea salt for a creamy vegan ricotta cheese sauce!
Once your squash is finished cooking, use a fork to separate the flesh into “noodles” and set aside. Then sauté shallot (or onion) and garlic until tender, add squash and cheese sauce, and cook until hot and cheesy! That’s it.
We hope you LOVE this pasta! It’s:
Cheesy
Flavorful
Tender
Satisfying
Easy to make
& Super delicious
This would make the perfect side dish for Italian night or entrée when topped with something like our Best Vegan Meatballs! Need something green on the side? Try out our Garlicky Kale Salad with Crispy Chickpeas or Vegan Ricotta & Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Salad.
Into pasta? Be sure to check out our Pea Pesto Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Chili Garlic Pasta with Roasted Cauliflower, Garlic and White Wine Pasta with Roasted Brussels Sprouts, and Best Vegan Gluten-Free Mac ‘n’ Cheese,
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
Cheesy Spaghetti Squash Pasta
Ingredients
CHEESE SAUCE
- 1 cup raw cashews (soaked in hot water 30 minutes, then drained // or sub slivered blanched almonds or macadamia nuts – neither need to be soaked)
- 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast (plus more to taste)
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp sea salt (plus more to taste)
- 1 Dash garlic powder
- 1/4 cup water (to thin, plus more as needed)
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley or basil (optional)
SQUASH
- 1 large spaghetti squash
- 1 Tbsp olive or avocado oil (sub water if avoiding oil)
- 1 Pinch sea salt
THE REST
- 2 Tbsp olive or avocado oil (or sub water if avoiding oil)
- 1/4 cup diced shallot (or onion)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 Pinch sea salt
FOR SERVING (optional)
- Marinara Sauce (or store-bought)
- Vegan Parmesan Cheese
- Vegan Meatballs
Instructions
- Begin by soaking cashews in very hot water for at least 30 minutes, up to 1 hour. Set aside.
- In the meantime, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (204 C). Slice spaghetti squash crosswise into 2-inch-wide rings (for longer noodles) OR slice in half lengthwise (for shorter noodles). Scoop out the seeds and strings and rub the flesh with oil (or water) and sea salt.
- Lay squash on a baking sheet – cut side down if cut in half lengthwise. Roast until tender – about 40 minutes if roasting “rings” and up to 45 minutes – 1 hour if roasting two large halves. (Time will vary depending on the size of your squash.) Let squash cool slightly and then use a fork to separate the “noodles.” Set aside.
- Once cashews are soaked, drain and add to a food processor or small blender. Add nutritional yeast, lemon juice, sea salt, garlic powder, and water and blend until smooth and creamy, scraping down sides as needed (~2 minutes). Aim for a mostly puréed mixture with only small bits of cashews intact. Add a bit more water a little at a time if the mixture is having a hard time blending until almost smooth.
- Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more salt for overall flavor, nutritional yeast for cheesiness, and lemon juice for acidity. For even more flavor, you can add some fresh basil or parsley (optional).
- Heat a large rimmed skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the oil (or water), shallot, garlic, and a pinch of salt and sauté for 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Turn down heat if garlic is browning.
- Add spaghetti squash and toss gently to combine (with tongs if you have them). Sauté for 2-3 minutes, tossing occasionally.
- Add the desired amount of cheese sauce. We recommend starting with half and working your way up. You can serve the pasta with any leftover cheese sauce on the side. Continue cooking the cheesy pasta for 2-3 minutes more to combine the pasta and sauce, tossing carefully.
- Enjoy as is or top with vegan parmesan cheese, marinara sauce, or Vegan Meatballs! You can store leftover cheesy pasta in the refrigerator up to 4 days. We suspect that it would keep in the freezer up to 1 month but haven’t tried it ourselves. (Pasta is usually best fresh.) You can store any leftover cheese sauce covered (separately) in the refrigerator up to 5-7 days.
Video
Notes
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate for 1 serving calculated with oil and all of the cheese sauce and without the optional serving ingredients.
Anna says
I made this today to go with bbq mushroom steaks I was serving for dinner. It was really yummy and easy to throw together. I didn’t have any onions so in the pan I only had water, salt, onion powder and the minced garlic. Sounds crazy but I cooked the garlic down and then added the rest as stated in the recipe and it still came out yummy. The cheesy flavor was awesome! I’m really glad a made it, in spite of being a little short on ingredients!
Yay! So glad this was a success for you, Anna. Thanks for the review!
Loryn says
Oh wow, this was so good! The only problem I ran into is that my squash had much thinner walls, so I only ended up with about 1.5 servings. I think I’ll have to pay closer attention to the weight of the squash.
We’re so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing, Loryn!
Rachael Petersen says
When there are no leftovers you know you hit a jackpot recipe! Next time I’ll make the meatballs a day ahead so it’s not so labor intensive. The cheesy sauce gets in between all the spaghetti squash fibers and transforms the texture and flavor! I was skeptical about the quinoa black bean meatballs and they surpassed my expectations! Definitely use the fennel!
Whoop! We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Rachael. Thanks so much for the lovely review!
Nicol says
I’m a big fan of Spaghetti squash in place of pasta, and this recipe hit the spot!
Erika says
You never disappoint! So delicious! My toddlers were asking for more! Mine didn’t look as pretty but it was soooooo good!
Whoop! Thanks so much for the lovely review, Erika!
Tashi says
Loved it I did not have time to make the meat balls so I used vegan sausage sliced Crisped up out of the broiler. My kids ate it with out complaining ? even my picky 2 year old
Yay! So glad your family enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing!
Noelle says
My husband and I made this for dinner along with the vegan meatballs. He kept saying it was one of the best meals that we’ve ever made, and this is coming from a boy raised on Italian dishes! This will definitely become a dinner staple!
Whoop! We’re so glad you both enjoyed it, Noelle! Thanks for sharing!
Amanda says
Oh. My. Gosh. This was the most INCREDIBLE spaghetti I’ve ever had. And I don’t really care for spaghetti squash. I followed the recipe exactly with the exception of using vegetable broth instead of water. I found this recipe to involve more work than I’m used to but SOOO worth the time. Thank you for posting this!
Whoop! Thanks, Amanda!
GL says
This dish turned out absolutely amazing. It was filling, hearty, and outrageously tasteful. Beginning to think that I like it more than just regular pasta and sauce. My bf also loved it!
Thanks for sharing!
Nancy says
Made this tonight and it was absolutely delicious….wouldn’t change a thing!
Thanks, Nancy!
Gaby Ader says
I actually have not made the entire recipe. I stumbled upon this recipe last night while looking how to cook spagetti squash and was delighted to find the cheese sauce recipe as well. This comment is about the cheese sauce because I have not made the spaghetti squash yet. I made the sauce following the directions exactly. I added parsley. I used the sauce in a tempeh ruben and it was super delicious. It’s a keeeper! Thank you!!!!!
Thanks so much for the lovely review, Gaby. We are so glad you enjoyed the sauce! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! xo
Karen says
This is amazing. We make this a couple times a month – doubling the cheese sauce so that we can use it on other things throughout the week (that is if my husband doesn’t eat it all first with a spoon). I add spinach and/or broccoli to the mix.
Kate says
This is a tasty and wonderful recipe! I’ve made it 3 times now and it’s my ‘go to’ when it comes to comfort food. Any extra cheese sauce is great over a baked potato or with steamed broccoli. I’m finding many ways to use it. As an addition I tried adding roasted red pepper and that was great too.
Thank you!
Thanks so much for the lovely review, Kate. We are so glad you enjoy this recipe! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! xo
Laura says
This was very tasty! Mine didn’t LOOK very appetizing, it was all pretty mushy, but it tasted great. I’m not sure what I did, maybe cooked the squash a little too long perhaps? Or I cooked it in two big halves instead of rings…? Anyways, I added some mushrooms and served with marinara and there were no leftovers!
It might be cute to simply “stuff” the halves with the sauteed veggies, cheesy sauce and marinara, and then let everyone scoop and mix their own squash bowls.
Sydney says
This is really good :^)!!
Jennifer says
This was amazing. We did it with pasta sauce over it. It can be eaten with or without pasta sauce. It’s good either way. It took an hour and 45 minutes start to finish but I was able to multi task and be efficient in how I made it. My family loved it, including my daughter who detests vegetables.
Bree says
This recipe was so so good. It was a very nice and comforting dish and was very easy to make. Will definitely be making this again.
Natasha says
So yummy!! Scary to slice the squash without a sharp knife, but figured it out :) These meatballs are a great snack even by themselves, so many yummy flavors!
Gina says
Is there a substitute for nutritional yeast? I really don’t like to use it.
Thank you,
Gina
I’d just leave it out!
Liz says
My husband and I love this recipe and wish we could make it more often. I know it says it isn’t freezer friendly as a whole, but have you had luck freezing the cheese sauce alone? I’d love to make a big batch of the cheese sauce to save time for future nights!
Tasha says
This is a favorite in our house!
I was wondering how long you think the cashew sauce alone would last in the fridge? We make extra to put in other dishes so I’m curious if you think it would last longer.
Probably about 1 week!
Tasha says
Great! Thanks so much for the quick response!
Sal says
Amazing! WAAAAYYY better than having regular pasta and meatballs! I’ve made this several times already! Keeper!
Theresa says
Loaves the recipe!! Made it exactly as you said and just added some tofu for extra protein!! My nonvegan mom even went back for seconds, definitely gonna have to make this again!
Alex says
Just made this recipe tonight, and it’s so, sososo tasty. I added lots of black pepper and red pepper flakes for a little spice, but otherwise it tastes like gooey mac and cheese and really worked for me.
I added fresh basil as per the suggestions, and I used about half of the cashew sauce. I’m trying to think how to use the leftover sauce, but I might just throw it in the freezer for next time!
Thank you for such a great recipe!
Great! Thanks for sharing, Alex! :)
Chelsea Hoffman says
Can you use cashew drink as a substitute for soaking and blending in whole cashews? Or will that make the texture/taste weird?
I’m not sure you’ll get the same results, Chelsea!
Michelle says
OMG, this dish is amazing. I meant to make it with the meatballs, but it was too hot and humid here in Maine to roast the squash in my oven until now. With Fall here, I can’t wait to put both together. I’ve been sharing your page with my vegan support group on Facebook and with colleagues at work. Thank you!!!!
Izzy says
Last nights dinner & today’s lunch. This recipe is one of my new favorites. So, so delicious, simple & was a hit with the fam! And this was my 1st time having cashew cheese, holy crap where has this been all my life?? Thanks so much
Thanks, Izzy!
Angie says
I made this last night along with your sun-dried tomato chickpea balls, and WOW, it was amaaaaazing!! I will definitely be making it again.
Leonie Cramer says
This recipe was delicious. I served it with the vegan meatballs from Minimalist Baker and a store bought marinara sauce. I will definitely make this again.
tilly says
I will be making this, or a version of this tonight!
Lots of love
a watery mouthed
Tilly Hamilton
x
Cassie Autumn Tran says
Oh, how yummy! I also use Beth’s method of roasting the spaghetti squash and I love the longer strands. But I will try yours to see which one is easier and which one yields softer and fluffier noodles! This cheesy spaghetti squash pasta looks absolutely incredible and I love the sauce you created with it! I might actually try this recipe using white kidney beans or cannellini beans since I prefer a more viscous sauce. Will let you know how it turns out!
akashocd says
Wow these spaghetti are looking so delicious, thank you for sharing your blog
Hannah Ramirez says
1. It was my first time cutting spaghetti squash this way. Loved it!
2. Loved that sauce mixed into the squash like that. My husband said it reminded him of lasagna so that’s a win.
Thank you for the yummy dinner recipe.
Thanks for sharing, Hannah!
Tae B. says
Oh. My. God! It was soooo good. I used Aldi Italian vegan meatballs in marinara and having both that and the cheesiness was freaking perfect. Total comfort food satisfaction! ‘Ive already shared the recipe in my regional vegan group as a MUST TRY!
Yay! Thanks, Tae!
Jess says
I just made this and it was sooooo good!! I topped it with the MB meatballs and marinara sauce. My husband and son loved it too. I had never had spaghetti squash before (it’s hard to come by in Australia) but so glad I found one to try this.
Thanks, Jess!
Tamar Mavlian says
Hi Dana. I just love your recipes (especially the sweets). I was wondering if you had any suggestions for a nutritional yeast replacement in your savoury recipes? I have Crohn’s disease and I can’t find a clear yes or no as to whether it’s ok to eat nutritional yeast if you have Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Thanks :-)
I’d recommend just omitting nutritional yeast if you are not sure whether you can have it!
Camille says
Made this as pictured with the new “best meatballs” recipe but used the serious eats vegan Alfredo which is super smooth and creamy (and less cashew-heavy). Such a great idea to do creamy spaghetti squash AND a nice marinara with meatballs. Best of both worlds! Thanks for always inspiring us to have fun with our food!
We are glad to hear you enjoyed it, Camille!
Casey says
I made this tonight for dinner and couldn’t be happier! It didn’t even make it to a plate… I just kept eating it right out of the pan! I prepped the squash last night which helped speed up the process. I also mixed in some sautéed onions, zucchini, mushrooms, and peppers. It is delicious with and without pasta sauce. Thanks so much! I look forward to eating the leftovers tomorrow!
Hah! We are so glad you enjoyed this dish, Casey!
Hayley says
Do you think the same amount of almonds could be substituted for the cashews? I’m allergic to cashews.
I see someone above used almonds with some success, but I will say it likely won’t be as creamy. Hope that helps!
Natalia C. Arias says
Used almonds and the cheese sauce didn’t come out as good. :(
Will have to try cashews next time! Squash was great though and I plan to make the meatballs tomorrow to go along with some fresh pasta sauce.
Yeah, almonds don’t tend to blend as well and get creamy. Glad you still enjoyed it!
Demi Rowe says
I made this tonight with your Simple Vegan Meatballs and it was so yummy!!! I added a head of chopped kale to the spaghetti squash mixture and it was a great edition to get some greens in. Will definitely make this again! Even my 3 year old loved it!
Great addition, Demi! We are so glad you and your 3 year old enjoyed it!
Laurie Low says
We loved this! I made it for dinner tonight and served it with a fresh summer salad and sourdough bread. Thanks for the tip to slice the squash – genius! I cooked the squash in my air fryer – 20 minutes at 380 and it was perfect – “al dente”. I’ll be making this again for sure. Thanks Dana!
Smart! Thanks for sharing!
Yahu says
what can I use to substitute this on the Cheese sauce? my son is highly allergic to nuts (peanuts, tree nuts, coconut etc)
2 cup raw cashews (soaked in hot water 30 minutes, then drained // or sub slivered blanched almonds or macadamia nuts – neither need to be soaked)
any other thing to use instead of the nuts?
Sugarshock says
Maybe try sunflower seeds if he can eat those?
Sunflower or hemp would make good subs!
Naiby says
Yeah! Finally, I got to see how to make spaghetti squash. It has always been an enigma (ashamed). But now I see how easy it is. Will definitely try to that and let you know.
Hope you love it, Naiby! Lovely name btw :D
Brittany Audra @ Audra's Appetite says
I just picked like 12 huge spaghetti squash from my garden yesterday! Perfect timing to discover this recipe today…looks absolutely delicious!
Lovely! Hope you enjoy it.
kendall says
I just made this recipe, along with the vegan meatballs, for my husband and teenage stepson. It was an all around five star dish. Rave reviews.
For the spaghetti squash, everything was so easy and fast once the cashews soaked and squash cooked. I liked the slicing into rings method; I hadn’t tried that before. For the meatballs, I accidentally forgot to saute the shallots and garlic (*face palm*) before putting them in the food processor but they were still spectacular.
This recipe is full of flavor and I love that its much less processed than store bought pasta and marinara with gardien meatballs. I’ll be making this one again.
Wow! You’re fast! Thanks for sharing your experience Kendall! Glad everyone enjoyed it :D
Kayla says
This looks delicious and I will save this recipe for fall when I can actually turn my oven on again without fear of my house being the same temperature as the oven.
Tori Cooper says
This looks amazing, omg. I’ve never even considered cutting my spaghetti squash like that but I definitely have to because I eat it almost every week! Thank you so much for the inspo!
Blair Vaughn-Gruler says
Dana! I love your blog and refer to it often. thank you! This recipe looks amazing – can’t wait to try it. May I submit this idea? Roast squashes whole. Just be sure to stick a knife in about 10 minutes into roasting (400 degress for around an hour), so it doesn’t blow up when you pierce it later. The point of roasting whole is to allow it to bake in it’s own juices and self caramelize. I think squash tastes so much richer this way, and easier by far. Nature’s perfect little baking containers, ready to go!
Thanks again for your wonderful blog!
Smart tip! Will try that next time!
Marie Kennedy says
I’ve cooked it the way you suggest, Blair, but I thought this way more of the squash cooks on the sheet, so there would actually be more carmelization. This is exactly how I’m cooking the one I just picked up.
Dana, I read your blog completely, every issue. And I’ve pinned a lot of your recipes. Amazing shares!
Thank you!!!
Holly says
Wow, this looks absolutely delicious and I have never thought of using squash in this way before – feeling very inspired! Plus it is gluten free & being wheat intolerant I think that makes this the perfect dish. I can’t wait to try this out, thanks so much for sharing!
Holly
Hope you love it, Holly!