Spaghetti Squash Carbonara
This spaghetti squash carbonara is a lower-carb, higher-fiber, healthier version of your favorite Italian comfort food recipe. It’s rich and creamy from a mixture of eggs, cream, and a touch of butter, and it's packed with flavor from bacon, garlic, fresh ground pepper, and parsley.
As much as I adore a good pasta recipe like my rigatoni with creamy pumpkin sauce or pappardelle primavera, sometimes I don’t want all of those carbs. Spaghetti squash is a great stand-in for pasta.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s a delicious way to eat more vegetables.
- It’s gluten-free and low in carbs.
- It’s much lower in calories than pasta carbonara, yet it has all the flavor.
Recipe Ingredients
Here are the main ingredients needed to make spaghetti squash carbonara. Substitutions and variations are in the section below.
Be sure to check out the recipe card below for the complete list of ingredients with measurements.
Spaghetti squash. Choose a firm, medium to large squash weighing about 2 ½ pounds.
Eggs. The eggs cook from the heat of the ingredients in this recipe. That said, if you have a compromised immune system, I recommend using pasteurized eggs that come in a carton. About ¼ cup of pasteurized eggs = 1 large egg.
Parmesan cheese. Finely grated cheese will blend in easier than shredded cheese. Use a good-quality Parmesan.
Frozen peas. These add a nice pop of color and another vegetable, but they’re optional.
Fresh garlic, parsley, and ground pepper. These minor ingredients provide a surprising amount of flavor to this recipe.
Substitutions and Variations
- Substitute prosciutto or pancetta for the bacon. Cook these in the microwave or hot pan to crisp them and remove some fat. Or, omit the meat for a vegetarian version.
- Add baby spinach or arugula for extra vegetables.
- Omit the peas if you want a lower-carb option.
Step-By-Step Instructions
1. Prep the spaghetti squash. Cut it in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Prick it with a knife and drizzle the inside with olive oil. Sprinkle the flesh with salt and roast it skin side down/flesh side up.
2. Saute the garlic and peas. While the squash is roasting, combine and sauté the garlic and peas. Crisp the bacon in the microwave and crumble it. Set these aside.
3. Whisk the eggs and cream. Add the Parmesan cheese and ground pepper. Set this aside.
4. Scrape the squash into strands of “spaghetti.” When the squash is golden and tender enough to pierce with a form, remove it from the oven. Let it cool for a few minutes, then carefully scrape the inside loose with a fork. The flesh will form spaghetti-like strands.
5. Combine the ingredients. Reheat the garlic and peas, and add the spaghetti squash to the pot. Make sure everything is hot. Remove the pan from the heat and add the egg-cream mixture. The heat from the vegetables will gently cook the eggs.
6. Sprinkle with bacon and parsley. Toss everything well and serve immediately.
Handy tips
Spaghetti squash is a little hard to cut. I poke a chef’s knife straight down in the center of the squash and rock it back and forth to cut through the skin. Alternatively, you can pierce the skin a few times with a knife and put the whole squash in the microwave for about four minutes to soften the skin. This will make it easier to cut.
The squash cooks a little faster if you roast it skin-side up. However, I recommend roasting it skin-side down because more liquid cooks off this way, giving the squash strands a more firm, “noodle-like” texture. The flesh also caramelizes a bit, which adds more flavor.
If you’re pressed for time, you can cook the squash in the microwave, but note that it will steam and be more moist. Cut it in half and place it in a microwave-safe baking pan, skin-side up. Add about ½ cup of water to the pan. Check it with a fork after 15 minutes to see if it’s tender.
What to Eat With Spaghetti Squash Carbonara
Serve this tasty non-pasta dish with:
- A colorful fennel and orange salad
- Honey roasted carrots
- Roasted fall vegetables
- A side of slow-roasted grape tomatoes
- Fast, healthy and easy apple crisp for dessert
Recipe FAQs
Spaghetti squash has a slightly sweet, earthy flavor with a crisp bite to the strands. It tastes less like squash than, say, butternut or delicata squash. It does not taste like pasta, but it’s a great vehicle for a flavorful sauce, much like zucchini noodles.
You can keep leftover spaghetti squash carbonara in the refrigerator and reheat it the next day, but note that once reheated, the egg sauce will toughen (kind of like scrambled eggs). Reheat it in 30-second bursts in the microwave and use a fork to fluff it as it warms.
Related Squash Recipes
Take advantage of fall and winter squash and try these tasty recipes.
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star rating on the recipe card below & a review in the comments section further down the page.
Recipe
Spaghetti Squash Carbonara
Ingredients
- 1 medium spaghetti squash 2.5 lbs
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- salt
- 3 slices nitrate-free bacon cooked until crisp and crumbled
- ½ tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 medium garlic cloves minced
- ½ cup frozen peas
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 tablespoon heavy cream
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese plus extra to serve, if desired
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper or more to taste
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375℉
- Carefully cut the squash in half lengthwise, and scoop out the seeds. Prick the flesh with a fork. Place both halves cut side up in a large baking pan, and drizzle the olive oil on each half. Sprinkle with a generous pinch of salt, and bake for about 45 minutes or until the squash is fork-tender.
- While the squash bakes, cook the bacon in the microwave for about three minutes or until crisp. Let it cool, and then crumble it. Set this aside.
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the minced garlic and peas. Cook for about 45 seconds or until the garlic is fragrant and the peas soften. Set this aside.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk the whole egg and egg yolk with the cream until smooth. Add the Parmesan cheese and ground pepper. Whisk everything well and set this aside.
- When the squash is tender, remove it from the oven and let it cool for about five minutes. Using a fork, scrape and pull the spaghetti squash into strands. It will be hot, so use a clean towel to hold the squash still while you do this.
- Reheat the garlic and pea mixture until it's sizzling. Add the strands of spaghetti squash and toss everything to ensure it's hot. Remove the pan from the heat.
- Pour the egg mixture over the warm spaghetti squash, add the crumbled bacon and parsley and toss to combine. Serve immediately with extra Parmesan to top if desired.
This is such a great idea! I bought another spaghetti squash a few days ago and wanted to do something different with it, I think this is it! I love spaghetti carbonara (way too much unfortunatelly), it would be great to have a healthier way of enjoying them.
I'm right with you about loving Spaghetti Carbonara too much! It's nice to get the flavor without all of the carbs 🙂