This spaghetti squash recipe with chard, toasted walnuts, and chèvre is a healthy, low-carb meal perfect for serving with your favorite protein. Video.
This chef-tested spaghetti squash recipe with chard, walnuts, and chèvre highlights everything we love about this humble winter squash-its golden strands, delicate flavor, and incredible versatility. After years of testing methods for perfectly cooked spaghetti squash (no soggy strands here!), we’ve paired it with a combination that celebrates texture and contrast: silky chard, creamy goat cheese, and crunchy walnuts.
Teresa says: We enjoyed this recipe so much! It was flavorful and comforting. I made it as directed. The spaghetti squash cooking tip was the best! Served with grilled chicken and good conversation. Definitely an addition to the weekly rotation!
Why You’ll Love This Spaghetti Squash Recipe!
The flavor! What I love about this spaghetti squash recipe is its simplicity, yet full flavor. And the texture of the spaghetti squash is perfection.
Pungent garlic, a hint of spice from the red pepper flakes, rich toasty walnuts, and creamy goat cheese all elevate.
When you are looking for a low-carb, lighter vegetable-focused meal, spaghetti squash is a perfect choice!
Ingredients
- Spaghetti squash: Learn the BEST method for how to cook spaghetti squash!
- Swiss chard: You can substitute with kale if desired.
- Toasted walnuts: Add a warm, nutty flavor that contrasts beautifully with the earthy chard and tangy goat cheese.
- Chèvre (goat cheese): Its creamy texture and vibrant flavor complement the dish perfectly.
- Garlic cloves: For an aromatic, savory bite.
- Red pepper flakes: The subtle heat elevates all of the flavors in the dish.
Ways to Elevate
- Chickpeas: For a hearty texture and plant-based protein.
- Tofu bacon: For smoky richness and added protein. Perfect for a vegan dinner!
- Capers: Adds a lovely briny, tangy component.
- Fresh tomatoes: Perfect for transitioning from late summer to early fall when tomatoes are in season.
- Fresh lemon juice. Adds a vibrant, bright flavor that amps up the flavor!
How to Cook Spaghetti Squash
Cooking spaghetti squash is simple once you learn the secret to achieving long, beautiful strands without mush! Instead of slicing the squash lengthwise (which shortens the strands and traps moisture), use a sharp knife to cut the squash into 1-inch rings widthwise on a sturdy cutting board. This follows the natural grain for a perfect, noodle-like texture.
Avoid roasting spaghetti squash cut-side down. This steams the squash and makes it watery. Roasting flat lets the moisture escape and creates that slightly roasted, nutty perfection we love.
Brush both sides of the rings with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Arrange the rings on a parchment-lined baking sheet and roast at 400°F for 30 minutes. Flip halfway through and roast until tender and lightly caramelized. Let cool, then use a fork to fluff the strands from the peel. You’ll get perfect, golden spaghetti squash every time!
How to make Spaghetti Squash with Chard & Walnuts
1. Roast the spaghetti squash. Follow our method for making perfect spaghetti squash strands. Slicing and roasting the squash in rings creates long strands with the perfect texture.
2. Prep the chard and garlic. While the spaghetti squash roasts, dice the chard stems and cut the chard leaves into thin ribbons. Chop the garlic.
3. Sauté. In a medium skillet, warm olive oil over medium heat. Sauté garlic, chard stems, and red pepper flakes for 5 minutes.
4. Steam. Add the chard ribbons and salt to the pan. Stir for 2 minutes, then add a tablespoon of water and cover. Steam for 2 minutes.
5. Combine. Stir in the roasted spaghetti squash. Once combined, turn off the heat and spoon the goat cheese and toasted walnuts over top (to toast the walnuts, place them in a 350°F oven for 8-10 minutes). Add salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy immediately!
Chef’s Tips & Tricks
- How to pick out the best spaghetti squash: Look for a firm, heavy squash with matte yellow skin. Avoid ones with green patches, soft spots, or cracks. It should feel hard like a gourd, not glossy or waxy. Smaller squashes have a sweeter flavor and more tender strands, while larger ones are stringier. Choose the size of your squash based on your preference. Give the squash a little knock-it should sound hollow.
- Slice the spaghetti squash into rings. Cut into rings width-wise, slicing with the grain versus across it-the strands actually grow circular inside the squash. This results in longer, spaghetti-like strands. Besides, the common method of roasting the squash open side down steams the squash instead of caramelizing it. To avoid mushy, watery spaghetti squash, use this method for how to cook spaghetti squash.
- Dry the squash surface. After roasting, let the squash cool before scraping the strands. If too hot, the steam can make the strands soggy.
- Turn off the heat when adding the goat cheese. Adding the goat cheese to warm spaghetti squash will melt it slightly for a deliciously creamy sauce, but turning the heat off is the key to maintaining its texture and shape, too. You don’t want it to melt entirely!
Meal Prep & Storage
- Cook roasted spaghetti squash in advance: Store the strands in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Fully assembled meal prep: Prepare all of the ingredients, but store each component separately (squash, chard, walnuts, chèvre). Squash and chard can be mixed and stored for up to 2 days ahead. Toasted walnuts can be stored in a sealed bag at room temp for up to 1 week. Goat cheese can be stored separately until ready to serve.
- Freezer-friendly option: After roasting the squash and preparing the chard mixture, allow it to cool completely, then place in a freezer-safe container and store for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then warm in a skillet before adding walnuts and chèvre.
- Reheating: Gently reheat the squash/chard mixture in a skillet over medium-low heat for 5 minutes. Add walnuts and goat cheese for the last 30 seconds or so.
- Leftovers: Assembled leftovers will keep for up to 4 days in the fridge in an airtight container. Stir in a splash of olive oil when reheating in a skillet.
What to Serve with this Spaghetti Squash Recipe
Serve this as is for a light meal topped with your favorite protein, or enjoy as a side dish.
- Tofu Bacon
- Tarragon Chicken (or Tofu) with Asparagus, Lemon, and Leeks
- Grilled Lemon-Herb Chicken
- Simple Baked Chicken
- Lemony Corona Beans with Olive Oil, Garlic, and Herbs
- Salmon with Braised French Lentils
- Baked Cod with Burst Tomatoes & Basil
FAQs
Yes! Leave out the goat cheese and add a squeeze of lemon. Top with this Vegan Cheesy Sprinkle if you’d like!
Yes, feel free to substitute the spaghetti squash for actual spaghetti or your favorite pasta shape for an easy weeknight meal.
The best way to cook spaghetti squash is to slice it into rings and roast it. The strands run horizontally around in the inside of the squash, so this method results in long, spaghetti-like strands.
When cut into rings, spaghetti squash needs to be roasted for 30 minutes at 400°F.
You can get creative here, but we create the flavor in the sauté with garlic and red pepper flakes, keeping the seasoning simple with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
For more winter squash recipes, check out our 15+ Butternut Squash Recipes, Roasted Butternut Squash, Roasted Delicata Squash, or Roasted Red Kuri Squash.
More Recipes You May Enjoy
Spaghetti Squash with Chard Video
After you try this spaghetti squash recipe, let us know how it turns out in the comments below. Your review will help other readers, too! Sign up here to join our community and receive our latest recipes and weekly newsletter! xoxo Tonia
Spaghetti Squash with Chard, Walnuts and Chèvre
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
- Category: Vegetarian, Side dish,Main,
- Method: roasted
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Here is a tasty simple recipe for Roasted Spaghetti Squash with Chard, Toasted Walnuts and Chèvre. Serve with your favorite protein for a low-carb healthy meal.
Ingredients
- 3 cups spaghetti squash from 1 medium squash- (check here on how to Cook Spaghetti Squash)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 large garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4–1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 bunch, swiss chard 4 cups shredded, 130 grams
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 5 ounces chevre
- 1/2 cup toasted walnuts (see notes)
Instructions
- Roast. Roast spaghetti squash following this recipe.
- Chop. Dice the stems of the chard and set aside. Cut the leaves of chard into thin ribbons.
- Sauté. Sauté garlic, chard stems, and red pepper flakes with olive oil over medium heat for 5 minutes.
- Steam. Add chard ribbons and salt stir for 2 minutes until wilted and fully coated with the oil. Add 1 tablespoon of water and cover and steam for 2 minutes.
- Assemble. Add cooked roasted spaghetti squash, stir in and heat until warm.
- Add goat cheese and toasted walnuts. Sprinkle goat cheese and toasted walnuts over the top.
- Season. Add salt and pepper, if needed and serve!
Notes
Ways to elevate, add chickpeas, tofu bacon, capers, fresh tomatoes, a squeeze of lemon.
To toast walnuts place in a preheated oven at 350 for 8-10 minutes.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 322
- Sugar: 2.7 g
- Sodium: 329 mg
- Fat: 16.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Carbohydrates: 35.1 g
- Fiber: 3.4 g
- Protein: 12.8 g
- Cholesterol: 18.7 mg
My grocer was out of swiss chard. would this work with kale instead?
Yes!
I can’t do dairy. Would this be good without?
Yes! Also could try our Vegan Cheezy Sprinkle.
Loved this dish! Did add a vegan feta.
Sounds perfect!
Sooo good! I added chickpeas and tomatoes, and the walnuts and chèvre were devine.
Sounds great!
My husband and I loved it! Used half Feta and half Boursin in place of the Chèvre and my husband asked me to make it again. We are both full and satisfied.
Great to hear Lauren!
Excellent delish combination though modified some – added shiitake mushrooms, sun- dried tomatoes, & more garlic. Subbed grated white cheddar mixed with cream cheese with garlic & chives for chevre, and dribbled some chimchurri sauce for bright contrast. Served with toasted chewy Italian bread slathered with toum (garlic sauce), a staple in almost every meal. Would definitely make again! 😋
Sounds just delicious and so beautiful!
Excellent dish, really tasty and very much enjoyed by the whole family including those who are not vegetarian.
Great to hear!
Very tasty! I added hot sauce instead of the pepper flakes and used 3 oz of cheese instead of 5. Definitely making this again!
Awesome to hear Brenda!
Wow!!! I made this exactly as written topped with the Chèvre and the toasted walnuts. Amazing. How can a plant dish be so savory and filling?!?!?
Your recipes never disappoint but this one was a step up!!
So glad you enjoyed this one Andrea!
This was delicious. Roasting the squash in rounds made it so simple. Next time I think I will use two squash so I have leftovers. Your recipes never disappoint!
Thanks Ana! Glad you enjoyed.
Very tasty recipe.
The spaghetti squash turned out quite soggy, even after adding it back to the oven to bake for 20 more minutes.
But the flavour combination is very nice, so I still had a good meal.
Thanks Peter- just curious if you roasted the spaghetti squash is slices?
love this recepy . Great
Happy to hear this Claudia!
Delicious! I left out the cheese and added some thinly sliced red onions in the 3rd step. Served with salmon. My husband and I both loved it! A wonderfully unique way to prepare spaghetti squash.
Sounds great Liz!
This was so yummy!!!
I ended up just cooking all the chard at the same time and came out fine.
Delicious!
Oh great! Thanks Loren.
Sorry, but this recipe just didn’t do it for me. We love the goat cheese & walnut combination, but the whole dish just didn’t seem to be a good blend of flavors. This is my absolute favorite recipe website and I have to say that after trying dozens of recipes, this is the first one that wasn’t fantastic. So I remain a loyal fan 🙂
Thanks for the feedback Anne. I guess it’s not for everyone.
I was looking to expand my recipes with some meatless options, and came upon this one. My partner and I both loved it. I can see how versatile this squash could be; I had never had it before. I subbed jalapeños for the red pepper flakes. I struggled a little bit getting the spaghetti off the rind, need some more practice. Definitely will make again.
Thanks Pedro, glad you enjoyed! Sounds like the squash may have needed more time in the oven. It should be pulling away from the skin when you pull it out.
I was looking for a way to dress up spaghetti squash for an autumnal equinox dinner over just using normal pasta sauce and came across this recipe. I love goat cheese too so that also caught my eye while searching. I don’t cook a lot so it felt like a lot of prep work with toasting the almonds and finding Swiss chard at a local store but holy moly did it ever turn out fantastic. I cooked my squash in the air fryer and it actually made everything really easy to put together. So yummy! Will definitely be making this one again.
So glad you liked this Heather!
Would chicken sausage be a good protein addition to this for a meat eater?
Sounds delicious Hannah!
What an interesting comination. I happened to have a spaghetti squash and rainbow swiss chard so got to work. I didn’t have any Chevre so used some reduced fat feta, did add chickpeas walnuts capers and a squeeze of lemon too. Very good side or vegetarian main. I didn’t add the walnuts cheese or chick peas all at once-just to each plate so could portion control for me. Enoyed it very much. Thank you
Glad you enjoyed this Frances!
This was unbelievably delicious. With so few ingredients. The best!
Great to hear Michelle!
Another vegetable surprise for my carnivorous Sweetie – Delicious last night when I made it to accompany Lebanese lamb sausages. I enjoyed the leftovers even more for breakfast this morning when the tastes had a chance to meld.
So happy you enjoyed this Martie!
Weird question, but we have a goat cheese encrusted with dried berries in the fridge. Do you think that might work here?
I think it sounds interesting and I bet it will be tasty!
I have lost count of the number of times I’ve made one of your recipes and my husband has requested it become a regular dish. I made this tonight and he said it’s one of his favourite things I’ve ever cooked! I made the tofu bacon to go with it and found a vegan goat cheese to substitute for the chevre since we’re vegan. Thanks for yet another winner!
awww…this is so awesome Katie! Love it.
Man! Two for two with your recipes! Haven’t done spaghetti squash in over twenty years and this with the chard was great. Gonna be doing this again.
Great to hear John!
Thank you, thank you, thank you. This recipe came across my Facebook feed. I made it tonight exactly as written and it was absolutely PHENOMENAL!! My wife, who doesn’t cook, loved it. Among the many superlatives she offered was, “can we have this tomorrow. I could eat this every day of my life.” We are having it tomorrow. Thank you, again.
Amazing Michael! So glad you both enjoyed.
I had a neglected spaghetti squash and your post inspired me to use it. Thanks for that! I hadn’t planned to comment because I didn’t have chard and used curly red kale instead. But since it’s a new recipe, I’m chiming in. The kale worked perfectly as a substitute. To make a main course, I put whole wheat spaghetti with olive oil and melted butter on the bottom of a cast iron skillet, and topped it with the Spaghetti Squash with Chard, Walnuts and Chèvre (plus capers, as you suggested). A couple of minutes under the broiler before serving made the cheese extra hot and melty. I served it with a simple side salad. Delicious!! Even my husband who dislikes spaghetti squash had seconds. This recipe is definitely a keeper. Thanks again from a long-time fan of you and your blog.
Perfect Tara, I love where you took this! Really appreciate your kind words. 😊