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Baked Spaghetti Squash for Full GAPS

Plain spaghetti squash baked cut-side down with one cup of water, cooled and scraped into tender strands. The oven preparation makes about six cups for measuring into Full GAPS meals.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Cooling Time 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 6 cups
Course: Side Dish
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 spaghetti squash 4–5 pounds each; cut crosswise and remove seeds before baking
  • 1 cup filtered water for the baking dish

Equipment

  • 1 Roomy oven-safe stoneware dish or rimmed stainless steel pan Both halves must fit cut-side down; the pan must contain one cup water.
  • Stable board, large knife, spoon and fork
  • Oven mitt and heat-safe support
  • Measuring cups or kitchen scale For portioning the finished strands.

Method
 

  1. Heat the oven to 400°F. Measure the water and choose a baking dish or rimmed pan that holds both squash halves cut-side down.
  2. Cut the squash crosswise into two halves on a stable cutting board. Scoop out the seeds and loose, stringy center with a spoon, leaving the flesh around the cavity.
  3. Place the halves cut-side down in the dish or pan. Add the water to the bottom of the dish.
  4. Bake for about 45 minutes. The squash should give slightly and the flesh should be easy to pierce with a fork, without becoming mushy. If still firm, continue baking until tender.
  5. Set the hot dish on a heat-safe surface and allow the squash to cool for about 15 minutes, or until comfortable to handle.
  6. Use a fork to loosen the cooked flesh into strands, following the curved flesh around each half. Transfer to a bowl and measure the cooked amount needed for your next dish.

Notes

Yield: About six cups from one four-to-five-pound squash. Actual yield varies, so measure the cooked strands for the next recipe.
Oven timing: About ten minutes preparation, 45 minutes baking and 15 minutes cooling, roughly 70 minutes total. Allow extra time if oven heating, tenderness or handling requires it.
Plain preparation: Bake with one cup water and keep the batch plain. Add the fats and seasonings called for by the recipe you make with the cooked strands.
Cut: Cut crosswise and remove the seeds and loose center before baking. The cooked flesh around the cavity separates into strands.
GAPS: Full GAPS. The plain preparation has no added dairy, eggs or nuts; it is not No-Plant GAPS.
Doubling: At 2x use two four-to-five-pound squashes and two cups water, divided between two suitable dishes or batches. The approximate yield becomes twelve cups. Each squash still weighs four to five pounds; do not automatically double the baking time. Separate batches can take more overall time.
Storage: Refrigerate cooled strands in covered, dated containers. Warm a portion in a pan or add it when another recipe calls for cooked squash. Follow that recipe before draining or squeezing the strands.

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