When I first began cooking with spaghetti squash, I used it merely as a noodle replacement. And while this is delicious, I was still naive to just how versatile spaghetti squash really is! That is, until I discovered these Spaghetti Squash Hash Browns..
Due to it’s mild, neutral flavor, spaghetti squash can easily be used in both savory, and sweet dishes! From noodles, pizza, and hash browns, to puddings, brownies, and curd, there are endless possibilities!
I initially got the idea for spaghetti squash hash browns after seeing a drastic improvement in symptoms upon giving up potatoes. Potatoes are by no means bad, and not something everyone needs to stay away from. However, with leaky gut, SIBO, and newly diagnosed Crohn’s Disease, they simply weren’t working for me any longer.
In an attempt to recreate all of the foods I love in a gut-friendly way, I experimented with turnips, parsnips, and rutabaga, and finally landed on spaghetti squash as the perfect replacement for this recipe!
THE BENEFITS OF SPAGHETTI SQUASH
ANTIOXIDANTS
Spaghetti squash is high in antioxidants, especially beta-carotene, and vitamin C. These have both been studied to protect against disease formation, as well as protect cells, and DNA.
FIBER
Spaghetti squash is also high in fiber, which is vital for your digestive health. According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, an adult should be getting in between 28-34g of fiber per day, depending on age, and gender.
Spaghetti squash offers around 2g of fiber per cup. While this may not sound like a lot, but with between 90 and 95% of it’s weight coming from water, you’ll likely be eating much more than only one cup.
VITAMINS AND MINERALS
Spaghetti squash offers a generous dose of vitamin B6, vitamin C, and manganese, among others, which are essential for proper brain and nervous system functions, and more.
All of these reasons combined mean spaghetti squash is a nutrient-dense, incredibly beneficial food to add into your diet!
With all these benefits, there’s no reason not to give spaghetti squash a try!
Click here for more recipes using spaghetti squash!
With only around 15 minutes of hands-on time, you can have these delicious, crisp, copycat hash browns in no time. Let’s get into the recipe!
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Spaghetti Squash Hash Browns
- Prep Time: 15 min.
- Cook Time: 1 hr + 15 min.
- Total Time: 1.5 hrs.
- Yield: 4 Hash Browns 1x
Ingredients
- 2 Large Spaghetti Squash
- Salt to taste
- Garlic Powder to taste (optional)
- Cheese Cloth (to remove water from the squash).
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400, and prepare a baking pan. Place spaghetti squash on pan (I put mine in whole), and cook until tender (this usually takes mine around 1 hour).
- Remove spaghetti squash from oven, and carefully cut open with a knife (practice caution as a large amount of hot steam may release). Set aside to cool, or place in ice water for rapid cooling.
- Scrape out, and discard seeds.
- Using a fork, scrape out the remaining contents of the spaghetti squash on a plate.
- Using cheese cloth, cup by cup, *thoroughly* squeeze all water from the squash (this is the most tedious part of the process). Once finishing this step, you should have just enough spaghetti squash left to make around 4-5 medium hash browns.
- Cover the bottom of a skillet with a thin layer of avocado oil, and heat on medium heat.
- Mold the waterless squash into medium sized circles, and place in oil on skillet. Coat the side facing up with salt, and garlic (if desired), and allow to crisp (this takes mine around 5 minutes).
- Flip and coat the remaining side with salt and garlic.
- Once crisped on both sides, remove from heat, and enjoy! (These keep well in the fridge for a few days).
Notes
*You can usually gauge when your spaghetti squash is getting close to being thoroughly cooked in the oven by paying attention to the skin. A great indicator is when the skin begins to brown, and becomes tender and/or cracks from the heat. Removing before fully tender will result in crunchy hash browns.
References:
https://health.gov/sites/default/files/2019-09/2015-2020_Dietary_Guidelines.pdf
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/spaghetti-squash#nutrition
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