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Spaghetti Squash Casserole

A casserole of roasted spaghetti squash with tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, mozzarella, parmesan, and scallions.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 14 ingredients
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Why it works: Mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,093 recipes. Both carry ethyl 2-methylbutyrate, which smells fruity, apple. The science ↓

Spaghetti Squash Casserole

Ingredients

Directions

Cook the squash

  1. Prick the squash in 3 or 4 places with the tines of a fork.

  2. Place the squash on a microwave-safe plate, cover loosely with microwave-safe plastic wrap, and cook at full power (650-700 watts) for 9 minutes.

  3. Turn the squash over and cook another 9 minutes.

  4. Let it stand, still covered, for 5 minutes.

  5. Halve the squash and scrape out the seeds.

  6. Using a fork, scoop out the pulp and transfer the spaghetti-like strands to a 2-½ quart microwave-safe casserole.

Prepare the tomatoes and garlic

  1. Using a sharp knife, cut a small X in the bottom of each tomato.

  2. Arrange the tomatoes on a microwave-safe plate and cover with a damp paper towel. Cook at full power for 4 minutes. Let the tomatoes stand for 1 minute.

  3. Peel, core, and coarsely chop the tomatoes.

  4. Pour off the excess liquid.

  5. Place 1 t of the olive oil on a small microwave-safe plate and cook at full power for 2 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until it is crisp, 3-4 minutes.

Assemble and bake

  1. Add the tomatoes, garlic, oil, salt, pepper, and remaining 2 t olive oil; toss well.

  2. Top with the mozzarella, parmesan, and scallions.

  3. Cook at full power until heated through, 4 minutes.

  4. Serve with additional parmesan on the side.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

510Calories
19 gProtein
41 gFat
19 gCarbs

Counts 9 of 10 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 9 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Vegetable1 tbsp (14g)120
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Parmesan Cheese1 oz (28g)110
Mozzarella Cheese1 oz (28g)85
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Pumpkinnot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Mozzarella cheese + parmesan cheesetop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together1,093 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).

  2. Tomato + olivetop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together15,539 recipes

    Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).

  3. Olive + garlictop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together25,665 recipes

    Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).

  4. Tomato + garlictop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together14,076 recipes

    Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

  5. Olive + mozzarella cheesetop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,773 recipes

    Shared aroma: methyl 2-methylbutyrate (apple, fatty).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Spaghetti squash
Forms the main body of the casserole, with its strands providing the pasta-like texture.
Ripe tomatoes
Add moisture and acidity that flavour the squash while it heats.
Olive oil
Carries flavour and adds richness to the squash and tomatoes.
Garlic
Adds aroma and savoury flavour once cooked until crisp.
Mozzarella cheese
Melts over the top to add creamy stretch and richness.
Parmesan cheese
Adds salty, savoury flavour and browns lightly as it melts.

The step that matters

Pour off the excess liquid. Tomatoes release a lot of water when heated. Removing it before mixing keeps the squash from becoming soggy and watery.

Swap the garlic

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (tomato, olive, pepper, mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese):

  1. Basilfits better
  2. Oreganofits about as well
  3. Garlicthe original
  4. Thymefits less well

Fit is the average pairing score against tomato, olive, pepper, mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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