Spaghetti Squash Marinara

5 from 3 votes

This vegan spaghetti squash marinara is served with a homemade marinara from canned, frozen, or fresh tomatoes. This easy meal is a perfect dinner for fall or winter!

Prep Time5

Cook Time45

Total Time50

Course: Meal Prep

Cuisine: Italian

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings: people

Calories: 274kcal

Author: Sarah Trenalone

Equipment

large heavy skillet (12-inch minimum)

Ingredients

Spaghetti Squash:

3 pounds spaghetti squash
1 tablespoon olive oil
pinch sea salt

Marinara Sauce:

2 pounds fresh Roma tomatoes or 28oz canned whole San Marzano tomatoes Or use frozen Roma tomatoes (thaw before using). See recipe notes for other tomato varieties
1 cup water
¼ cup olive oil
7 garlic cloves, diced
1 teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
¼ teaspoon red chili flakes
1 sprig fresh basil, still on stem Or sub ¼ tsp dried oregano, plus more to taste

Instructions

Cook squash according to your desired preference.
Oven Directions: Cut squash in half and remove the seeds. Drizzle with oil and a pinch of salt (if desired). Roast cut-side down on a baking sheet at 400°F for about 40 minutes, or until the squash is easily pierced with a fork.
Pressure Cooker: See Instant Pot directions.
Allow squash to cool slightly. Use a fork to scrape the spaghetti squash out of the peel.
Prepare the marinara sauce while the spaghetti squash cooks.
For Fresh Tomatoes:
Roughly dice tomatoes. Add to a large bowl with 1 cup water and set aside.
For Canned Tomatoes:
Add tomatoes to a large bowl, and crush with your hands. Add 1 cup water and set aside.
Add the oil and garlic to a large, shallow pan. (Use a 12" pan or larger, see recipe notes.)
Heat the garlic over medium-low heat, until it begins to sizzle.
When the garlic is sizzling, but before it begins to toast, add the tomatoes and water. Some small pieces of garlic will likely begin to toast before you add the tomatoes, and that's okay.
Increase the heat to medium.
Add the salt and chili flakes. Set the sprig of basil on top of the tomatoes, but do not submerge it.
If you don't have access to fresh basil, sprinkle oregano in the tomato mixture instead.
When the tomatoes begin to simmer, the basil will wilt. When it is completely wilted, gently push it down into the sauce.
Simmer the tomatoes for 15-20 minutes, or until most of the water has evaporated and the sauce has thickened.
Taste the sauce, and add more chili flakes or salt if desired. If you swapped oregano for basil, add more oregano if desired. Simmer 1-2 more minutes if you added more seasoning.
Remove the sprig of basil from the sauce.
Add the spaghetti squash to the marinara. Gently toss the squash into the sauce, stirring to coat the squash strands.
It's generally easier to add the strands from one half of the squash, toss them with the sauce, and then add the remaining squash.
Serve the squash immediately.
Leftovers can be refrigerated and used within 2-3 days. Reheat before serving.

Notes

Serves: 2 as a main dish, 4 as a side dish

Pan Size: Some readers have reported that their 12″ pans were too small for the volume of sauce. You may find a heavy Dutch oven works best for you, although I’ve always had success with my 12″ carbon steel pan.

Halving the Recipe:

If desired, you can cut this recipe in half easily, but the sauce may cook more quickly.
Another option is to cook the entire sauce recipe, and then store extra sauce in the fridge for up to 6 days or freeze it for up to a year.

Smoother Sauce with Fresh Tomatoes:
Canned tomatoes are peeled and will yield a smoother sauce with less texture. If you're using fresh tomatoes and want an extra-smooth marinara, you have two options.

1. Peel the tomatoes first. Use a knife to mark an X on each tomato, and then blanch them in boiling water until the tomato peel loosens (~15-30 seconds). Peel, and then proceed with the recipe. Crush tomatoes with your hands instead of dicing.

2. Blend the sauce. After cooking, add the sauce to a blender or use an immersion blender to blend the peels into the sauce.

Varieties of tomatoes: San Marzano (as well as other Roma or paste-style) tomatoes are less juicy, and result in a thicker sauce. If using juicy tomatoes instead of Roma, core and seed the tomatoes. You may want to omit the added water (or add less water), depending on how juicy the tomatoes are.

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