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Home » Recipes » Squash and Pumpkin

Grilled Spaghetti Squash

Published: Sep 22, 2022 by Lexi

28 shares
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Do you have spaghetti squash, olive oil, salt, pepper, and a grill? That's all you need to make this delicious and super easy Grilled Spaghetti Squash. It's low in carbs, full of flavor, and since it's made on the grill, that means easy clean up. This is the perfect easy side dish for late summer/early fall!

Overhead view of grilled spaghetti squash on a pink plate.
This is the easiest side dish ever and a great way to get an extra serving of veggies!
Jump to:
  • Why We Love This Recipe
  • Ingredients
  • Ingredient Notes
  • Instructions
  • Serving Suggestions
  • Tips and FAQs
  • Related Recipes
  • 📖 Recipe
  • 💬 Reviews

Why We Love This Recipe

  • Easy recipe: If you have a spaghetti squash and a grill, you probably have everything you need to make this recipe. It's also a mostly passive recipe: just place your squash on the grill, let it cook, and flip it once.
  • Versatile: Spaghetti squash is great by itself, but it's also great as a stand-in for spaghetti. We like adding pasta sauce to the shredded squash to make a gluten free low-carb pasta.
  • Great grilling side dish: This grilled spaghetti squash is an awesome vegetable side dish to throw on the grill alongside your main dishes (burgers, kebabs, etc).
  • Meal prep friendly: Grill up several spaghetti squash, shred, then store in the fridge to add to meals all week! It stores perfectly and you can add easily add flavor depending on what you're adding it to.

Ingredients

Here's what you'll need to make this grilled spaghetti squash:

Overhead view of grilled spaghetti squash ingredients, including squash, salt, and pepper.
Just 4 ingredients.

Ingredient Notes

  • Spaghetti squash: We used medium-sized spaghetti squash. The larger your squash, the longer it will take to cook.
  • Parsley: This is totally optional, but we think it adds a nice fresh flavor one the squash is grilled
  • Olive oil: You can skip this if you're trying to make the recipe oil-free, but you may experience some sticking on the grill. You can also sub with another oil of choice, like avocado, sunflower or vegetable oil.

Instructions

(1) Preheat grill to 400˚F / 205˚C. Cut squash in half lengthwise, then use a spoon scoop out the seeds.

(2) Brush each half with ½ tablespoon of olive oil.

On the left: scooping seeds out of spaghetti squash. On the right: brushing with olive oil.
Use a spoon to scrape out all of those seeds.

(3) Sprinkle each half with ¼ teaspoon of salt and some freshly ground black pepper.

(4) Grill cut side up on indirect heat for 40 minutes, then grill cut side down for 5-10 minutes.

On the left: seasoning squash. On the right: grilling squash.
Brush liberally with olive oil and season with plenty of salt and pepper.

(5) Remove from the grill, sprinkle with the fresh parsley (if using), and let cool for 5-10 minutes.

(6) Use a fork to hold the squash in place while you use another fork to shred the squash. Place in a bowl with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, and a touch of salt and pepper and stir to coat.

On the left: finished squash. On the right: squash after spaghettifying flesh.
You can leave them whole, or shred and serve pasta-style.

Serving Suggestions

  • We like serving this grilled spaghetti squash simply, with a drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkle of salt, pepper, and chopped parsley. It makes for a delicious side dish to just about any main!
  • Aglio e olio style: Add some (vegan or regular) parmesan cheese, chopped parsley, sautéed garlic, red pepper flakes (optional) and some olive oil to make a spaghetti squash aglio e olio.
  • Serve it like spaghetti: add some heated up pasta sauce (alfredo, bolognese, or just plain marinara) to your spaghetti squash. For a few more unique options, you can serve it with lentil meatballs, this herbaceous pea sauce, this hearty mushroom ragu, or even a mac and cheese style sauce.
  • Stuff it: Skip the shredding and stuff it with a delicious filling like this caprese spaghetti squash, or this pesto/mushroom spaghetti squash.

Tips and FAQs

  • You will know your squash is done when you can easily create those trademark spaghetti shreds with a fork. It should also be easy to pierce the thick outer skin with a fork.
  • Keep your grill lid closed: By closing the grill lid, you turn your grill into an oven. If you don't close the lid, the squash will take a lot longer to cook.
  • The size of your spaghetti squash will affect the cooking time. The larger the squash, the longer the cooking time, which could be anywhere from 40-50 minutes for the indirect grilling portion.
  • Be very careful when cutting your squash in half. They tend to have a flattish bottom, so place that down on your cutting board, and start cutting from the top down. You'll need a super sharp knife, as the outer skin can be very thick. If you're having trouble, here's what to do:
    • Poke several holes in your squash with a fork, wrap the entire squash in damp paper towel, and microwave on high for 1-2 minutes. Let cool to the touch, then try to slice in half again. This should soften it enough to make it much easier to cut.
  • No oil: You can make this recipe without oil - just be aware that when you flip the squash and grill it cut side down, you may experience some sticking.
  • Spaghetti squash rings or slices: You can also cut the spaghetti squash into rings, and follow the same cooking process, making sure to flip once during the direct cooking portion. Rings or smaller slices will not take as long to cook as the whole spaghetti squash half, so start checking for doneness earlier.
  • Make a big batch for meal prep: This grilled spaghetti squash is the perfect thing to make on a Sunday so you have it for an easy vegetable side dish all week. It's delicious on its own to add in an extra serving of vegetables, but you can also use it as a base for several other main dishes.
  • Storage: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
Overhead view of finished spaghetti squash on a pink platter.
Once you can shred your spaghetti squash easily with a fork, it's ready.

Related Recipes

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    Caprese Spaghetti Squash
  • Overhead view of spaghetti squash soup in a bowl.
    Spaghetti Squash Soup
  • overhead view of roasted acorn squash salad with pumpkin seed brittle and tahini dressing.
    Roasted Acorn Squash Salad
  • Vegan Spaghetti Squash Casserole with Mushrooms

Tried this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. You can also stay in touch with us through social media by following us on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook or by subscribing to our newsletter.

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Overhead view of grilled spaghetti squash garnished with herbs.

Grilled Spaghetti Squash


5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 1 review

  • Author: Lexi
  • Total Time: 55 minutes
  • Yield: 4 squash halves 1x
  • Diet: Vegan
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Description

Do you have spaghetti squash, olive oil, salt, pepper, and a grill? That's all you need to make this delicious and super easy Grilled Spaghetti Squash. It's low in carbs, full of flavor, and since it's made on the grill, that means easy clean up. This is the perfect easy side dish for late summer/early fall!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 medium-sized spaghetti squash
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
  • Black pepper to taste
  • 1 ½ tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Instructions

  1. Preheat grill to 400˚F / 205˚C. Cut squash in half lengthwise, then use a spoon to scoop out the seeds.
  2. Brush each half with ½ tablespoon of olive oil.
  3. Sprinkle each half with ¼ teaspoon of salt and some freshly ground black pepper.
  4. Grill cut side up on indirect heat for 40 minutes, then grill cut side down for 5-10 minutes.
  5. Remove from the grill, sprinkle with the fresh parsley (if using), and let cool for 5-10 minutes.

  6. Use a fork to hold the squash in place while you use another fork to shred the squash. Place in a bowl with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, and a touch of salt and pepper and toss well to coat.

Notes

The size of your spaghetti squash will affect the cooking time. The larger the squash, the longer the cooking time, which could be anywhere from 40-50 minutes for the indirect grilling portion.

You'll know it's done when you can easily shred the spaghetti squash with a fork. You should also be able to easily pierce the tough outer skin with a fork.

No oil: You can make this recipe without oil - just be aware that when you flip the squash and grill it cut side down, you may experience some sticking.

Make a big batch for meal prep: This grilled spaghetti squash is the perfect thing to make on a Sunday so you have it for an easy vegetable side dish all week. It's delicious on its own to add in an extra serving of vegetables, but you can also use it as a base for several other main dishes. 

Storage: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. 

  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 50 minutes
  • Category: Squash and Pumpkin
  • Method: Grilling
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: ½ of a squash
  • Calories: 169
  • Sugar: 4.2 g
  • Sodium: 491.7 mg
  • Fat: 14.9 g
  • Carbohydrates: 10.9 g
  • Fiber: 2.5 g
  • Protein: 1.1 g

Did you make this recipe?

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Comments

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    Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

  1. Margaret says

    September 24, 2022 at 1:11 pm

    Never thought to cook spaghetti squash on the grill but it was so good!

    Reply
    • Lexi says

      September 24, 2022 at 1:14 pm

      Yay, glad you enjoyed!

      Reply
Lexi and Beth toasting with wine.

Hi, we're Lexi and Beth, a mother-daughter team from Michigan. The recipes you'll find here are a reflection of how we bring our family together around the dinner table despite various dietary differences.

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