Spaghetti Squash Gratin with Chard

Spaghetti Squash Gratin with Chard is a delicious cheesy recipe that’s a great low-carb side dish that uses spaghetti squash! And this tasty gratin with spaghetti squash is perfect for a meatless main dish or a tasty side dish.

PIN Low-Carb Spaghetti Squash Gratin with Chard to make it later.

Years ago when I was writing about food for BlogHer.com, I wrote a post about spaghetti squash that made me think about creative ways for cooking it. And in those days I had lots of spaghetti squash from the garden, so I was always looking for ideas to use it.

For that post I found great-sounding spaghetti squash recipes all around the web, but the one that inspired me most was this Spaghetti Squash Gratin with Chard. And now the site that first posted the recipe is no longer online, so I’m glad my recipe has survived.

I really liked the combination of spaghetti squash and chard in this cheesy gratin dish, but if you prefer another kind of greens that will also work in this recipe. And doesn’t everyone love a cheesy gratin dish when they’re trying to eat their vegetables? I hope you will try it.

What ingredients do you need for this recipe?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

• spaghetti squash
• Olive Oil (affiliate link)
• Rosemary Garlic Seasoning, or any all purpose seasoning with garlic that’s good on vegetables
• onion
• Spike Seasoning (affiliate link), or other all-purpose seasoning blend
• Dried Thyme (affiliate link)
• fresh ground black pepper to taste
• Minced Garlic (affiliate link)
• chopped chard leaves
• green onion
• sour cream
• cottage cheese curds (put the cottage cheese in a fine strainer and rinse with cold water)
• coarsely grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• egg

What is Spaghetti Squash?

Spaghetti squash is an ingredient you’ll never forget after you’ve tried it once. It’s quite magical how the squash strings apart in a way that makes it look like spaghetti when it’s cooked, and it’s a mild-flavored squash that can get along well with many other flavors. I grew it in my garden for years, and I love to eat spaghetti squash when it’s green like a summer squash, but if you don’t have a garden you’ll have to settle for the ripe spaghetti squash you find in the store.

What is Chard?

Chard is a type of leafy greens that’s also called Swiss Chard, and a variety of other names! It’s one of my favorite greens to grow in the garden. Check out my Healthy Swiss Chard Recipes if you’re also a fan!

Can you use other greens in this Spaghetti Squash Gratin?

If you’re not a fan of chard or don’t find it in your store, you can definitely make the spaghetti squash gratin with kale, spinach, mustard greens, or collard greens. Some softer greens like spinach won’t need to be pre-cooked for as much time.

How to make Spaghetti Squash Gratin with Chard:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

1. The hardest part of this recipe is cutting the spaghetti squash in half. You can cook it whole and then remove the seeds after it’s cooked, but I like to season the inside of the squash before it cooks. 
2. Use a big chef’s knife, cut off both ends, then stand the squash up and carefully press down with the knife to cut in half.
3. Then use a spoon and scrape out the seeds and the slimy material that surrounds them. Throw that away.
4. Spray the pan with non-stick spray or olive oil, then rub the cut surface of the squash with olive oil and rub on some seasoning. (I used some Rosemary Garlic Seasoning, but any seasoning that tastes good on vegetables would work.)
5. Pour a little water on the baking sheet before you put the squash in to bake.
6. Squash is done when it strings apart in strands that look like spaghetti (if you use your imagination.)
7. While the squash is cooling, chop the onion and chard. I wanted small pieces of chard so it would mix well with the spaghetti squash, so I sliced it thinly one direction, then turned the cutting board and sliced the other direction.
8. Cook onion a few minutes with Spike Seasoning (affiliate link), dried thyme, and black pepper, add garlic, then add chard. It only takes a couple of minutes for the chard to go from the previous photo to this state of being about half wilted.
9. It will cook more in the gratin, so turn off the heat as soon as it looks like this.
10. Use a large fork to gently mix the shredded spaghetti squash and finely chopped chives or green onions into the chard.
11. Combine the sour cream, drained cottage cheese curds, Parmesan, and beaten egg and gently mix it into the spaghetti squash/chard mixture.
12. Press the mixture into a gratin dish and sprinkle on a bit more grated Parmesan, then bake at 400F/200C for about 30 minutes.
13. Serve hot and enjoy! This will keep in the refrigerator for quite a few days and reheats well.

Make it a Low-Carb Meal:

I think Spaghetti Squash Gratin would taste great with Greek Meatballs, Chicken with Olives and Capers or Pork Tenderloin with Mustard Sauce for a low-carb dinner. And you could also eat this as a delicious meatless main dish.

More Tasty Recipes for Spaghetti Squash:

• Pesto Spaghetti Squash
• Spaghetti Squash with Mizithra Cheese and Browned Butter
• Spaghetti Squash Lasagna

Weekend Food Prep:

This recipe for Spaghetti Squash Gratin with Chard has been added to a category called Weekend Food Prep  to help you find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!

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Yield: 6 servings

Spaghetti Squash Gratin with Chard

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 20 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Spaghetti Squash Gratin with Chard is a delicious cheesy recipe and this is a fun way to use spaghetti squash! Use any type of greens you prefer for this gratin with spaghetti squash and greens.

Ingredients

• 1 spaghetti squash (see notes)
• 2 T olive oil, divided
• 2 tsp. Rosemary Garlic Seasoning or any all purpose seasoning that’s good on vegetables
• 1 small onion, diced small
• 1/2 tsp. Spike seasoning (optional but good, see notes)
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves
• fresh ground black pepper to taste
• 1 T minced garlic (or less)
• 16 oz. chopped chard leaves (see notes)
• 2 T sliced green onion
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 3/4 cup cottage cheese curds (put the cottage cheese in a fine strainer and rinse with cold water to get the cheese curds)
• 3/4 cup coarsely grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• 1 egg, beaten

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400F/200C.
2. Wash the outside of the spaghetti squash if needed, then cut off the stem and blossom end, stand squash upright, and using a large chef’s knife, carefully cut in half lengthwise. Use a sharp spoon to scrape out seeds and the slimy material that surrounds them, and discard.
3. Rub cut sides of squash with about 1/2 T olive oil for each half, then sprinkle each with 1 tsp. Rosemary Garlic Seasoning or other seasoning of your choice.
4. Spray the roasting pan with non-stick spray, Put squash on baking sheet and pour 1/4 cup water around bottom of squash.
5. Roast squash about 45-50 minutes, or until it separates easy into strands when pulled with a fork. Let squash cool for a few minutes, then shred into spaghetti-like strands.
6. While squash cooks, wash chard leaves if needed and spin dry or dry with paper towel. In two batches, stack up chard leaves on top of each other and slice into thin ribbons, then turn the cutting the board the other way and slice again into small pieces. Chop onion.
7. Heat 1 T olive oil in heavy frying pan, add chopped onions, season with Spike Seasoning (affiliate link), dried thyme, and black pepper, and saute until onion is softened, about 2-3 minutes.
8. Add minced garlic and cook about 1 minute more, then add chopped chard all at once. Cook chard about 1-2 minutes, turning a few times. until it’s wilted to about half the size it was. (The chard shouldn’t be completely cooked, since it will cook more in the gratin.) Turn off heat.
9. Put 3/4 cup cottage cheese in a fine strainer and rinse with cold water until only the cheese curds remain, then let drain. Spray a glass or crockery gratin dish with non-stick spray or olive oil.
10. Using a large fork, gently mix the chopped chives or green onion and shredded spaghetti squash into the onion/chard mixture.
11. Combine the sour cream, drained cottage cheese curds, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, and beaten egg and mix into the chard/spaghetti squash mixture.
12. Then put the combined ingredients into the gratin dish, and press down so it’s evenly distributed in the dish. Sprinkle top with 1/4 cup more Parmesan cheese.
13. Bake about 30 minutes, or until the mixture is bubbling and cheese is browned on top. Serve hot.

Notes

I used a spaghetti squash that was about 2.5 pounds.

If you don't have Spike Seasoning (affiliate link), use any all-purpose seasoning that's good on vegetables.

You could use other greens like spinach, collards, or kale instead of Chard. The cooking times might be longer for some greens.

This recipe was created by Kalyn with inspiration from Spaghetti Squash Gratin at Daily Unadventures in Cooking, a site that's no longer online.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 259Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 5.7gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 60mgSodium: 650mgCarbohydrates: 12.8gFiber: 4gSugar: 7.7gProtein: 11g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

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Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Spaghetti squash is a high-fiber vegetable and the Spaghetti Squash Gratin with Chard is perfect for low-carb diets, although it might be a bit high in carbs for strict Keto. If you use reduced-fat dairy products you could eat this for any phase of the original South Beach Diet. 

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Side Dishes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Danica's Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This recipe for Spaghetti Squash Gratin was posted in 2009. It was last updated with more information in 2023.

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