Can you freeze spaghetti squash? One of the most popular winter squashes found useful for replacing spaghetti is spaghetti squash. We often freeze spaghetti, but what about spaghetti squash?
Spaghetti squash has its name because when you bake it the texture of it changes and separates into spaghetti-like strands when you go to scoop it out. The strands are similar in size to spaghetti strands but do have a mushier texture that pasta.
The spaghetti squash is excellent at absorbing the flavor of any pasta sauce and seasonings you pair it with. That helps give it the similar flavor of a bowl of homemade pasta topped with sauce. It’s a healthier option than pasta to eat too.
Because of that, people ask if they can stock up on the squash and freeze it. No matter if it’s on sale at the grocery store, or harvested from the garden, the answer to that question is yes.
A couple of things to consider before freezing spaghetti squash. Always use firm and fresh spaghetti squash from the grocery store or from the garden. Make sure it’s washed well and cooked properly before freezing it so it holds its true flavor, texture, and color.
Never freeze cooked spaghetti squash leftovers that have been in the refrigerator for a few days. It increases your chances of receiving food poisoning when you go to defrost it and eat it. Below is our guide on how can you freeze spaghetti squash:
How to Freeze Spaghetti Squash?
Preparing the Spaghetti Squash
Before you can freeze spaghetti squash, you must first cook the squashes you have on hand. Make sure the squash is fresh, firm and ripe before cooking it and trying to freeze it. After, you must rinse the squash down with cool water to wash any debris, dirt, and bacteria away.
Next, slice the squash into halves and place them in a deep casserole dish with a bit of olive oil drizzled over them. After, you need to bake the squash in a 400-degree oven for about an hour or until fork tender.
Packing the Spaghetti Squash for Freezing
Then, you will remove the cooked squash from the oven and allow it to cool for about an hour. Once it is cool, you can fork it out of its skin into a bowl until you have an entire bowl full of spaghetti squash strands.
Then, you can take the spaghetti squash and scoop it into freezer containers. place the lids on tightly and freeze the squash for up to a year this way. Don’t leave spaghetti squash frozen longer than a year because the color, flavor, and texture of it will change drastically.
How to Defrost Spaghetti Squash?
The best way to defrost spaghetti squash is to take a container of it from the freezer and allow it to defrost in the refrigerator for about 12 hours. After, you can toss the spaghetti squash into a medium saucepan with your favorite pasta sauce and heat it up for about 5 minutes on medium heat.
Cooking it for longer will turn to mush and lose its spaghetti-like structure and texture. Serve it up as a delicious healthy meal that will provide your body with fiber, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and enzymes.
Summary
Always use freshly cooked spaghetti squash for freezing purposes. Now that you know how can you freeze spaghetti squash, try this method to so you can always have it on hand!