Aiming to eat more veggies? This Cheesy Garlic Parmesan Spinach Spaghetti Squash recipe packs an entire package of spinach swirled with an easy cheesy cream sauce.
I’m a really big fan of using an entire package of fresh spinach in a single recipe.
Whether it’s on a tasty flatbread pizza, stuffed into peppers, tossed into a healthy salad, or swirled into an easy cheesy dip, I feel an epic sense of accomplishment if I can fit the entire package into my face somehow.
Not that spinach ever really goes to waste here, but there’s much less margin for error if you use every little bit of that box-o-spinach.
No stray leaves to accidentally forget about, no 1/4 empty box taking up precious fridge space, and no baggies of spinach growing legs next to that partially chopped onion you also forgot about… haha not that I would know from experience or anything.
Ok fine, I’ve totally been there! We all have, right?
Besides, if you use the whole package you not only make Popeye proud, but I’m sure your parents can somehow sense that you’re eating a whole boatload of veggies and are super duper happy about it.
Do it for the parents! Eat all the spinach!
We can start with this easy cheesy stuffed spaghetti squash. YUM!
Cheesy Garlic Parmesan Spinach Spaghetti Squash
Mouthful of a title. Mouthful of deliciousness!
Okay that was excessively cheesy, even for me! My apologies.
Please forgive me and make this easy cheesy stuffed squash the second you step foot in the kitchen. Pretty please? With Parmesan on top!
Cheesy Garlic Parmesan Spinach Spaghetti Squash
Prep
Cook
Total
Yield 2-4 servings
This crazy delicious garlic parmesan spaghetti squash is one of the most popular recipes on P&C -- and for good reason too!
Ingredients
- 1 medium spaghetti squash
- 2.5 TBSP minced garlic
- 1 tsp olive or avocado oil
- 5 oz fresh spinach, chopped
- 1/2 cup cream
- 1 TBSP cream cheese (optional but deeeelish!)
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, plus extra for topping
- salt and pepper, to taste
- grated or sliced mozzarella for topping, to taste
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Slice your spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds.
- For easy cutting, feel free to stick your squash in the microwave to soften it up just a tad. Pierce it a few times with a knife (to help vent so it doesn't burst) and cook for for 3-5 minutes. The knife slides through way easier this way! Smaller squash will need about 3 minutes while larger ones will be good to go at 4-5 min.
- Next grab a lipped baking sheet or a rimmed baking dish.
- Rub the cut side of the squash with a teeny bit of olive oil and place on your baking dish/sheet and roast face-down for about 40 minutes, or until tender and easily pierced with a fork. Cooking time will vary a bit depending on the size of your squash, and larger squash will need to roast a bit longer to tenderize. Once ready, the once rock-hard exterior of the squash will be visibly softened with a tender interior.
- The squash can be roasted and stored in the fridge for a few days if you'd like to meal prep and plan ahead for a speedier dinner.
- While the squash roasts, start on the sauce.
- In a medium pot or skillet, bring a drizzle of olive oil to medium-high heat and sauté garlic until fragrant.
- Next add the spinach and stir until wilted. Add your cream, cream cheese (totally optional but totally tasty) and parmesan cheese and stir well.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste and remove from heat.
- Once squash is done roasting, allow to cool until easily handled or pop on an oven mit and use a fork to separate and fluff the strands of spaghetti squash.
- Pour your sauce over each squash boat, stir to mix, and top with a little mozzarella cheese and additional parm cheese, if desired.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for around 20 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
- For a golden cheesy topping, flip your oven to broil on high for just a minute or two until lightly browned. Dive in while it's HOT!
Notes
T-REX CHEFS: Feel free to add chicken if you'd like! Stir it in with the sauce and veggie noodles or serve it up on the side. Grilled, roasted, baked, poached, rotisserie... anything goes! Shrimp is also a tasty addition to the squash.
Recipe yields 4 servings (so about 1/4 a spaghetti squash per person) as a side dish or it can be split into 2 portions (half a squash per person) as more of a main course, especially if you're adding extra protein and/or veggies! Enjoy!
If you give this Cheesy Garlic Parmesan Spinach Spaghetti Squash a try, let us know! Leave a comment, share it on social media, and even take a picture and tag it #peasandcrayons on Instagram – I can’t wait to see your creations!
Short on time? Roast it in advance! When I’m making them ahead of time I under-bake the squash by about 5-10 minutes and then finish them off with the easy cheesy filling when we’re ready to eat!
so . . . how was it?!
This easy cheesy spaghetti squash was deliciously dreamy! The creamy parmesan sauce basically turned the tender spaghetti squash strands into the most luscious Alfredo. Throw in some savory sautéed garlic and spinach and we have some serious magic going on here.
“I’m in love! I’m in love, and I don’t care who knows it!”
I’m perpetually looking for ways to get my oh-so-skeptical husband excited about having spaghetti squash for dinner and this recipe totally did the trick!
The first time I tested this Cheesy Garlic Parmesan Spinach Spaghetti Squash I made it around lunchtime and told him he could have *just one bite* of my precious lunch. Next thing I know he’s leaning over, mouth open, begging for another bite. And another. And another…
VICTORY!!!
Sandra
This is soooo good!!! Will definitely be making it again.
sherry martin
I made this and added chicken, my family loved it. I am making it again as I write this.
Stephanie
I’ve tried spaghetti squash many times and never liked it……UNTIL now. I made this recipe for dinner the other night and had it for lunch for the next two days. The longer it sits, the more creamy it becomes. I really did feel like I was eating actual spaghetti with Alfredo sauce. My daughter who is beyond picky loves it. I will absolutely be making this again soon.
Kels
I made this tonight and replaced the cream with half a cup of light coconut milk. Really eased up on the calories and was still creamy and delicious! I didn’t add extra cheese other then the half a cup of Parmesan and I found it perfect!
Jenn
Ooh love it Kels, thank you!!! Totally trying it with coconut milk this week! Did you use canned or carton coconut milk?
Anita
As usual, Jenn, your recipes never fail to impress! Only things I added were to sauté some onion & orange bell pepper with garlic because I had some that needed to be used. And topped with cherry tomatoes. Amazing!!?
Jenn
Thank you Anita!!! Love the extra peppers in there – such a great way to empty the crisper! xoxo
Kristen Lanz
This was better than I thought it would be! Absolutely delicious. Omitted the salt and it was perfect!
Christa
This was soooo good! Loved it! I wondered if anyone knew the nutritional info on this for one serving?
Momof4
This was absolutely delicious! I tweaked the recipe a bit and added onion, red pepper flaked, and doubled the garlic. Thanks for the great meal!
Kathy Steinman
I added rotisserie chicken and it made a delicious meal for four.
MomOf3
I made this recipe last night for dinner and it was a HIT! I’ve never cooked spaghetti squash before so I was hesitant but it turned out so delicious! Definitely will be making this again soon. Note: one thing I did add to it was chopped artichoke hearts 🙂
Thanks for sharing!
Megan
Yes! Yes! Yaaaaaaaas!!! So delicious!!
Amy
Wow! Just made the sauce! Delish!!! I didn’t have any cream on hand or fresh spinach so I used a mix of sour cream and half and half and frozen spinach. Everything else I followed. This knocked my socks off. Can’t wait til the alsquash is done baking so I can finish this bad boy! Thank you!!!
Kayla
2 thumbs up!! 👍👍 Amazingly delicious! I added some mushrooms and onion powder to mine. Yum! I also substituted half and half for the cream and left out the cream cheese, and still not the slightest bit disappointed. I’ll definitely be making this again, soon.
Sandra
This dish is soooooo good! I make for my husband who is doing Keto, and he loves it! I’ve made it so many times, and the cream cheese in it works really well. I used to hate spaghetti squash until I tried this recipe. Thanks!
Melanie
Made this tonight. Threw a handful of cherub tomatoes and a couple of shrimps in the sauce as well. So, soooo much deliciousness. May be my new favorite meal. Thank you!
Rachael
Would I be able to use Greek yogurt instead of cream and cream cheese? I’m trying to avoid going to be store!
Jenn
Hey Rachel! LOL you sound like me, I had to legit phone a friend to get a missing ingredient today so I didn’t have to drive out to the store! Greek yogurt tends to curdle when heated so I’d just skip the cream cheese entirely and make the recipe as is without a swap. Then before serving you can stir in a little greek yogurt if you want a bit more creaminess! Let me know how it goes! xoxo
Kara
How are the calories for this so little with the cream and cheese?
Jenn
Hey Kara! Because of the richness of the sauce I set the serving size to four servings instead of two. This way it can be served up as a cheesy side dish (though my husband and I each happily eat our own half of the squash – so good!) — Each serving only has 1/4 TBSP of cream cheese and it’s totally optional too so you can 100% skip it to lighten the dish up further! Hope this helps!
Candice Wagener
Made this last night for meatless Monday and it was a hit! Even my 11 yo, who typically gags at the site of green vegetables, ate it up! I added a little orange bell pepper into the mix and used a little less spinach, but otherwise kept true to the recipe. So glad to have this in the rotation for future #meatlessmondays. Thanks for sharing!
Kelli
This recipe was so delicious but definitely not Keto friendly… when I calculated it I came up with 443 calories, 20 net carbs (that’s my daily allotment) 31 fat and 16 protein per serving, which was 1/2 of one of of the squash boats. Not sure how you came up with 179 calories and only 4 net carbs…
Jenn
Hi Kelli! Do you mind sharing how you calculated it? I had a few keto friends of mine tell me the recipe was ketogenic diet friendly so I went and ran it through myfitnesspal.com and came up with those numbers. Because of the richness of the dish a typical serving is actually a side-dish sized serving which would be 1/4 the total recipe, so 4 total servings versus treating each half of the squash as a serving. No two calculators are created equal which is why I don’t typically share nutrition info at all, but so many people have asked me to calculate this one so I’ve been trying my best to accommodate.
Vicky
Please keep sharing nutritional information. Since I’m one of those unmedicated type 2 diabetics, I find it helpful to have this information when planning meals. The stats give a good ball park figure to help keep your diet on track. Thank you for all that you do.
Jenn
I’m happy it helps Vicky! If there is ever a recipe on here you’d like the information for don’t hesitate to ask! In the meantime I am working on finding the most accurate nutrition calculator I can use to help get the closest read possible on a recipe – do you have a favorite one you use? Thank you xoxo
Brittany
I ran the recipe through myfitnesspal also, and got about 450 calories per quarter squash. The bulk of the kcals seem to be coming from the parmesan and mozzarella cheeses. Nevertheless, a delicious recipe!
Jenn
Thanks Brittany! So glad you loved the recipe! I ran it two more times (I had previously run it through both MyFitnessPal and MealPlannerPro) and realized it was calculating the spaghetti squash as 1lb and not a regular 3 pound squash so I fixed that and got 229 calories per serving before the mozzeralla. Since everyone adds a different amount of mozz cheese on top it’s going to vary and need individual calculating which kind of makes me want to completely remove the nutrition facts entirely here. Thoughts?
Melissa
Thanks so much for sharing this! This was awesome and super easy to make! I’m a huge fan of spaghetti squash and this recipe did not disappoint. Only thing I did differently was pour all of the shredded squash into the pot with the sauce and mix it up, then put the mixture back into the boats with cheese topping and baked…just a little easier. Cut one of the sides in half and that was plenty for me and my hubbies dinner. Xo
Sarita
Thank you so very much for this recipe! It was absolutely amazing to say the least. I altered the recipe by adding onions, shredded cabbage, and mushrooms. I sautéed them all with the garlic and of course added more cream cheese because I’m a sucker for cream cheese. My husband loved it as well. Definitely recommend and if there were more stars to give, I would have given them. Love love love!
Jenn
Why thank you Sarita! So thrilled you enjoyed the recipe and I’m loving all the extra veggies you included! xo
Amanda
HA! You are so right right you’re reasons to use up al the spinach. We are either on a spinach Eating binge or a partial bag goes bad and forgotten
Cassondra
LOVE this recipe!! I usually add about half the block of cream cheese to make it even more creamy (just tastes so good!). To bulk it up even more, I like adding cooked chicken and broccoli. You have to scoop the spaghetti out of the squash and put it all in a 9″×13″ pan if you do that though.
Makes for great leftovers!
Stephanie
Made this about a month ago and hubby and co-workers loved it….am making it again tonight…
Virginia Griner
This was very good, and I feel good about a healthy dish. I should have cooked my squash just a little longer, since I had a little bite to them. I was short on cream so added some coconut milk. Worked fine! I will make this again. Chicken could be added to make this an almost complete meal. Add a salad or some fruit and it would be great! Thanks for sharing.
Jenn
Thank you Virginia! One great thing about an al-dente squash is you can always pop it back in the oven with foil over it (to prevent over-browning) and cook it longer <-- I'll sometimes have to do this when I get overzealous and buy the world's biggest spaghetti squash lol! So super glad it worked with coconut milk too - YUM! 🙂
Karen
I just made this last night. Followed recipe exactly, but the measurements for the sauce are not correct, in my opinion. You DEFINITELY need to double the sauce, if you are using 2 spaghetti squash, which is 4 “boats”. After making the first batch of sauce and realizing it wasn’t enough, I then had to make one more batch of sauce, which took up more of my time 🙁 Also, in the recipe, under “ingredients”, you list only “1 medium squash”. But then you said that will yield “4 servings”. In the directions, under #3, you state “….each squash…”, so I am assuming you use more than one squash. Anyway, the finished product was VERY good. I did use the 1 Tbsp of cream cheese. Next time though, I will def saute some chopped mushrooms, which will add more flavor for sure.
Jenn
Hi Karen! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe and I’d be happy to clarify the instructions! This recipe is indeed for 4 servings but each serving is half a squash boat. I listed the serving size a bit smaller than one full half of a squash b/c the cream sauce is pretty rich — The nutrition facts are calculated off 1/2 a squash boat (so 1/4 the whole squash) to help clarify. You would for sure want to double the sauce for two whole spaghetti squash! I’m going to further clarify the instructions to help anyone else who may have read it that way as well! xo
Erin
I’ve made this twice in the past few weeks, love it! Thank you for the recipe
Juli
This was a wonderful dish and so fun to make. Thanks for the extra explanation to cook the squash in the microwave before cutting it.
Sharon Doramus
I made this tonight for my hubby and me and we loved it! So yummy, creamy, cheesy and delicious! I had some mushrooms and added them too, which made it even yummier! Thanks for the post! Definitely will be making this again❤️
Terri
I made this tonight for supper and it was delicious. I used yogurt instead of the cream, omitted the cream cheese and it turned out very good.
Karen
I really want to try this! However, I have NO idea what on earth to serve with it? I’ve never had a dish like this before. A salad seems weird (?) Please let me know what else you serve with this. Thanks.
Jenn
Hi Karen! A lot of people have been treating it like a side dish (like a saucy pasta) and pair it with sautéed or roasted veggies and a protein of their choosing. For pescatarian I’d choose shrimp or to keep things vegetarian I’d serve it with some roasted broccoli or mushrooms.
Terri
I served it with meatloaf.
Heather
I can not wait to make this again! It was sooo good.
My husband tossed chicken chunks with him for some protein and loved it that way too.
Will most definitely make again!! I think I’ll add chopped up artichokes next time too.
Anissa
Amazing dish! So yummy! A must try!
Jen C.
DELICIOUS!! An incredibly fast and flavorful dinner!! I tripled the recipe one and opted for the T-Rex option with baked chicken. Thank you for another great meal, Jenn!
Helena
You make veggies look delicious. I can’t wait to try this. Your squash look like they’re loaded with flavor. And I do love anything cheesy so I know this is going to be a winner!
Anne Foster
Was easy to make and very delicious!
Michelle
I made this last night. BIG HIT! Used the cream cheese, and I also added cut up chicken that I sautéed in olive oil with light seasoning. My husband was skeptical; he ended up going back for seconds! I took the leftovers to work today and everyone was asking for the recipe.
Next time, and there will be a next time, I am going to add shrimp!
Wendy McDonald
Soo good!
Thank you!
Lauren Waldman
This was amazing! Loved it, so glad I have leftovers for lunch.
Kate
This was way too rich for us. Also I cut garlic back to 1 tablespoon, still it was a bit overpowering.
Michal
Found this while looking for keto -friendly recipes. I made it, but neglected to pin it. My daughter and I LOVED it and we had a mad scramble to find it again to pin it!
Jenn
So glad you loved the recipe and were able to track it down again! 😉
Jordan
This was awesome! My wife made it for us last week, and I usually complain if there are vegetables on the side, let alone as the main course. I ended up having thirds. Going to convince her to make it again this week.
Rhonda Platt
I added some roasted cherry tomatoes, onions and italian seasoning to the recipe. Love, love, love it!!! Will definitely make again!
Starr
Loved the spinach stuffed squash. I used the milk and cornstarch substitute for the cream, and it gave it the creamy ness without the extra calories!! Very yummy
Debbie
Just tried this last eve. It was delicious!! Had cream cheese on hand and thought “if a tablespoon is good, than 2 will be awesome!” Not necessary and actually made it a little too rich…but Ohhh so good! Will definitely try again!
Wendy McDonald
Delicious! One of the best recipes for Spaghetti Squash I have tried!
Thank you!
Plus I substitute what was on hand.. frozen chopped spinach,then had 2% milk and real butter for cream
Ashley
This was INCREDIBLE! I added some pieces of my kids chicken nuggets on the top. Thank you Thank you!
Sarah
Best spaghetti squash recipe I’ve tried! Next time I’m adding canned chopped artichoke hearts. Yum!
Deena J
I am making this dish today. I can’t wait to taste it
Jenn
I’m so exited for you to try it Deena!
Lisa
When u say 1/2 cup of cream do you mean heavy whipping cream?
Jenn
Yes ma’am!
Joanna C
This dish was so good and easy to prepare! I brought it to our Christmas Day gathering and everyone loved it!! Some family members had never had spaghetti squash and now they want to make this recipe. Can’t wait to make it again!
Jenn
Hope you had a marvelous Christmas Joanna, thank you! I’m so thrilled this sassy stuffed squash was a hit with your family 🙂
Mindy
This is perfect! Thank you so much
Jenn
Thank you Mindy!
Kathy
Delicious, thank you!
Shellie D Presby
Best dish! Doubled it and took to Thanksgiving and it was a hit. It was requested for Xmas too!
Kelsey
Oh boy was this a WINNER! I did not have cream in the fridge so I opted for a can of coconut milk (did not change flavor in our opinions), added bacon, cooked shrimp in the bacon grease and voila! All of my friends want this recipe and the beau told me to keep this one on the “frequent” dinner list!
Jenn
Kelsey I’m squealing over here! So glad it worked with coconut milk (totally trying it next time we make it – Yum!) and I’m thrilled y’all enjoyed it! 🙂
Lisa Huff
Oh wow, this looks so good!
Jenn
Thank you Lisa! 🙂
Linda Throckmorton
This was great!!! Making it for the fourth time tonight!!
Jenn
Cue happy dance!!! So thrilled it’s on repeat rotation – Thanks Linda! 🙂
Donna
Wow! I have made this recipe twice, and I love it. I have followed this recipe exactly and wouldn’t change a thing. Even my husband loved it…I did add chicken to his portion, but he said he likes it both ways…with and w/o chicken. I have a 4 pound squash and can’t wait to make this recipe again
Jenn
Donna I’m so over the moon that y’all are enjoying the recipe! Thank you thank you! 🙂
Sunny
This was wonderful, thanks for sharing the recipe! I added a couple of things….thyme, oregano, fennel & turmeric. Also cut up and used a few slices of precooked bacon, and spoonful of bruscetta I had on hand for a touch of tomato flavor. It was wonderful, thanks again for sharing!!
PHILIPPA
Delicious! First time I made it I didn’t add the tab of cream cheese . This time I did follow it to adding the creme cheese. I must say, I preferred it better the first time since I added a little bit of grayed gruyere cheese. I love the spinach and cream. I also added a little nutmeg to the sauce. Since I’m French, nutmeg is a standard with cream sauces… It’s definitely a beautiful dish to bring out… especially after putting it under the broiler until golden BROWN….DELICIOUS!!! Thank you
KaTie
Wow This was an awesome rec for spa squash!! Thank you! Instead of putting the spinach mix in the halved squash, i mixed it together with the Squash and put in in a dish and baked it That way. Amazing!!
Katie
I’m making this for the second time tonight. The first time I followed the recipe, adding chicken, and it WAS delicious! This time, I’m playing a bit and have ADDED bell pepper before the garlic, sub’d habeñero shredded cheese for the mozzarella, a sprinkle of my homemade Cajun seasoning and a little crumble of bacon. it’ll be done in just a little bit and smells amazing!
Kat
This recipe is such a gem. It comes together in a snap when you roast the squash ahead of time and it tastes so much better than I thought possible! A new weeknight favorite, for sure!
Haley
I really liked it!! I didn’t saute my spinach, I just mixed it with the sauce and dumped it in the squash boats and it turned out great! Thanks for the recipe.
Jen
This is out of this world delicious. I first tried this a couple weeks ago and my friend that hates spaghetti squash tried it and said I have changed her mind. Tonight I made it for my husband and 12 yr old son. They both went nuts over it. Thanks so much for sharing. 5 stars girlfriend
JennD
Would this work with delicata squash as well?
Jenn
Hi Jenn! Absolutely! All my stuffed squash recipes will work great with delicata, butternut, kabocha, etc.. 🙂 Happy cooking!
Jill
This was delicious but I added Italian sausage and there were no leftovers!
Jenn
Yay!!! Thank you Jill 🙂 Love the addition of Italian sausage!
Debbie
Second time I’ve made this. I added 4 strips of bacon cut up, added sweet onion, chopped Portobello mushrooms, garlic and spinach. I also added some basil pesto into the squash before I added the spinach mixture. Topped with fresh Mozzarella! So delicious.
Jenn
I just swooned into my computer screen reading this. DELISH Debbie, thank you! I’m totally giving these tasty extras a try when we make it next. YUM! 🙂
Peggy
I have been wanting to try spaghetti squash for a long time and finely made this. OMG!! So, delicious!! I am trying all your recipes now. Thank you for this wonderful recipe. xo
Jenn
Yay!!!! Thrilled to hear it Peggy! Can’t wait to hear about what you try next 🙂 xoxo
Emilia
Could sour cream and cream cheesse be used instead? I do not have heavy cream.
Jenn
Hey Emilia! You can use a combination of both if you’d like to give it a try, though the biggest most important factor here is to bring them to room temperature before adding to your sauce. Sour cream is super duper likely to curdle and separate so just make sure that you bring your dairy to room temperature. Instead of adding them after the spinach, in this case, I’d add it before the spinach + after the garlic is sautéed. Reduce heat first, and whisk in slowly, heating gently until sauce is creamy – then add your spinach and continue on with the recipe as written. I’m not 100% on this just because I haven’t had a chance to test that variation myself, but this is how I’d test it! 🙂 Let me know if you end up trying it out! xo
Melissa
Can’t wait to try this tonight!
Jenn
So excited for you to try it Melissa! xo
Peggy
Just made this with all the produce from my garden! I grew the spaghetti squash from seeds I saved from a store bought squash last year. Used a combination of Swiss chard, lacinato kale and arugula, added a small onion with the garlic. Added some tiny tomatoes before the mozzarella. Soooo good!
Jenn
Peggy you’re totally my hero! My goal is to grow some awesome spaghetti squash from seeds next year! Any tips? Love the combo of chard, kale, and tomatoes in the mix – such a healthy + delicious addition! 🙂
Christine
Are nutritional info correct? Spaghetti squash usually only has 4 net carbs per cup and this is stating 31g of carbs for the half??
Jenn
Hey Christine! That’s a great point! Let me go ahead and run it through myfitnesspal.com again – I typically don’t include the nutrition info on recipes because they can be so inaccurate when programs do the calculating vs people. Be right back! xoxo
Jenn
Girl I’m so glad you pointed that out! It should be 4 grams of carbohydrates if you’re dividing the recipe into 4 servings and 8 grams if you’re making it 2 portions. I updated the recipe card too. Thanks so much for your help! 🙂
Wrenn
I tried this recipe today and I have to say it was a major disappointment. I was going to make this for a group but I decided to experiment with it before hand just incase… so glad I did. I love spaghetti squash but unfortunately the flavor of the sauce was awful and did not pair well with the squash. The smell of it actually gave me a headache. I took a few bites and threw the rest away.
If you do end up making this, definitely add chicken, prosciutto, pancetta or anything to aid the flavor.