Description

An easy sheet pan dinner with spaghetti squash and summer tomatoes.

Ingredients

Scale

1 large spaghetti squash
3 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
3 cups cherry tomatoes
1/2 large yellow onion, sliced into quarter-inch slices
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 cup dry white wine (we like Chardonnay)
salt and pepper to taste
Fresh basil, sliced, for garnish (optional)

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Instructions

PREPARE THE SQUASH & BEGIN ROASTING

Heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Slice the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise (see our recipe notes for tips on how to do this safely as spaghetti squash can be tough to cut!) Scrape out the seeds and discard or save for roasting.
Drizzle the cut sides of the spaghetti squash with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
Place squash cut-side down on a rimmed baking sheet. Use a sharp paring knife to pierce the skin of the squash 3-4 times on each half. Place in the oven and roast for 30 minutes. Prep the rest of your ingredients while the squash roasts! Note: If your squash is on the smaller side, you may want to reduce the cook time here to 20 minutes to prevent overcooking.

ADD THE TOMATOES & ONIONS

After 30 minutes, remove the squash from the oven. Use tongs to scoot the spaghetti squash to one side of the sheet pan to make room for everything else.
Add tomatoes, onion, and garlic to sheet pan. Drizzle with remaining olive oil and add a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Use tongs to toss the new veggies together to evenly coat everything with olive oil, then spread them out in an even layer across the sheet pan.
Use oven mitts to return sheet pan to oven. Cook an additional 20-25 minutes until squash is easily pierced with a fork and tomato skins have just begun to burst. Note: If your spaghetti squash needs more time, or if your onions are looking a little dry, give the tomato and onion mixture a toss with a pair of tongs to redistribute some liquid and prevent the onions from burning.

COOL THE SQUASH & MAKE THE PAN SAUCE

When squash is easily pierced with a fork, pull sheet pan out of the oven. Use tongs or a large spatula to carefully transfer spaghetti squash to a separate plate. Leave the cut side facing up to help the squash cool: it needs to rest for 15 minutes or so until it's cool enough to handle!
Now, let's make the pan sauce! Pour white wine directly onto your rimmed baking sheet with the tomatoes and onions. Use tongs to move the wine around and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. When the pan is mostly deglazed, return it to the oven for an additional 10-15 minutes until the sauce has reduced by about half.

ASSEMBLE & SERVE

When the sauce is ready, pull the sheet pan out of the oven.
Lightly drag a fork over the surface of the spaghetti squash to shred it into long strands. Transfer spaghetti squash "noodles" to a serving bowl. Note: If the spaghetti squash is still too hot to handle comfortably, use a tea towel or oven mitt to hold it in place or let it cool for a few more minutes.
Top spaghetti squash with roasted tomato and onion mixture and drizzle with your white wine pan sauce. Top with fresh basil (optional) and serve immediately!

Notes

How to safely cut spaghetti squash. This squash is notoriously difficult to cut - take your time and and be careful! We recommend using a very sharp knife and non-slip cutting board. For best results, use a sharp paring knife to first score the skin of your spaghetti squash before using a larger chef's knife to slice all the way through it (see a how-to video here). If your spaghetti squash is especially difficult to cut, you can follow these directions to soften it in the microwave before cutting. Safety first!

Equipment. Make sure you're using a rimmed (or "walled") sheet pan with tall sides. If you use a flat sheet pan, the wine sauce will run right off and make a mess! No walled sheet pan? No problem! Use a large baking dish (like a cake pan or lasagna dish), two separate baking dishes (a sheet pan for the squash and a separate, walled baking dish for the tomatoes and sauce), or make the tomatoes and sauce in a cast iron skillet on the stovetop. We kept everything on one sheet pan here just to cut down on dishes, but this is a forgiving recipe - use whatever equipment you have!

Additions and Substitutions. This recipe is forgiving - add more garlic, tomatoes, or onions here if you like! If you love whole roasted garlic cloves, you may want to add some extra garlic. If you don't have cherry tomatoes, you can substitute roughly chopped tomatoes (they won't blister and brown the same way cherry tomatoes do, but it will still taste good!) You can use canned tomatoes in a pinch if you drain any extra liquid off first, but fresh tomatoes are definitely our top choice here. Add extra veggies along with the tomatoes and onions (broccoli, mushrooms, butternut squash, bell pepper, and zucchini are all good) if you like. Top with your favorite protein (chicken, steak, shrimp, or sausage) to make it a little heartier. Add fresh herbs (we like thyme and sage), a few lemon wedges, or a pinch of red pepper flakes to the tomatoes as they roast for extra flavor. Use vegetable or chicken stock in place of the white wine if you like.

If your onions are cut too small, they can burn - we recommend cutting the onion into at least 1/4" slices for best results and using tongs to give them a toss if they ever start to look dry or begin to burn. You can cut larger onion pieces if you'd like to be more hands-off, but pieces larger than 1/2" won't caramelize as well.

How do I get the sauce out of the sheet pan? Use a large spoon or shallow ladle to scoop any sauce out of the sheet pan, or use oven mitts to tip one corner of the pan towards a small bowl (we recommend doing this over the sink) and let the sauce pour off.

Use a good white wine here - one that you like to drink! The flavor of the white wine comes through quite a bit here, so if you use a white wine that you don't like, you'll definitely taste it in the sauce. As with most recipes, the alcohol here won't 100% cook off: if you want a completely alcohol-free sauce, we recommend using vegetable or chicken stock in place of the wine.

Strict vegans should choose a vegan white wine here, or swap the wine for vegetable stock!