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This Spaghetti Squash Pad Thai is low-carb healthier version of the classic take-out dish! It’s so flavorful, full of veggies and a nice mix of textures! It’s a dairy-free, gluten-free, paleo, keto and whole30 friendly option that is going to be a sure hit.
Spaghetti Squash Pad Thai
This Spaghetti Squash Pad Thai recipe is one everyone is going to love! It has such an amazing combination of flavors and textures. This healthier version of the classic take-out dish is lower carb thanks to the spaghetti squash swap. We included extra veggies here for some added nutrients, but you can feel free to omit or swap with what you have on hand.
This recipe is a breeze to make once you have the spaghetti squash, so if you’re planning to make this for a quick weeknight dinner you can roast the spaghetti squash ahead of time (or try it in the instant pot, instructions below) to have this healthy dinner on the table quick.
Want to make this vegetarian? We used chicken and shrimp in this recipe, but feel free to add in some extra veggies and omit the meat / seafood to make it vegetarian. If you tolerate soy, you can also add in tofu here.
How to Roast Spaghetti Squash
- Preheat oven to 375ºF and line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper.
- Cut spaghetti squash in half, lengthwise.
- Scoop out seeds.
- Brush inside with oil.
- Place facedown on baking sheet and adding water to the baking sheet.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until you can pierce with a fork.
- Simply scrape out “spaghetti” with a fork and Enjoy!
How to Cook Spaghetti Squash in the Instant Pot
- Cut 3lb. spaghetti squash lengthwise and scoop out seeds.
- Add 1 cup of water to the Instant Pot.
- Stack the spaghetti squash on top of each other (cut-side up).
- Close the lid and make sure the knob is turned to sealing.
- Set to manual high-pressure for 10 minutes (increase if your squash is larger than 3lb.)
- When the timer goes off, turn the vent on the top of the lid to venting to release the steam.
- Once the venting knob has dropped, open the lid and shred the spaghetti squash with two forks to turn squash into spaghetti-like noodles!
Want more spaghetti squash recipes? Try these hits:
- Spaghetti Squash Enchilada Casserole
- Spaghetti Squash Alfredo
- Spaghetti Squash Primavera
- Spaghetti Squash Italian Casserole Bake
If you like this healthier take-out recipe, check out these others:
- Paleo Mongolian Beef
- Paleo Chicken and Broccoli
- Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala
- Crock-Pot Asian Beef
- Mini Deep Dish Pizza
- Ultimate Fried Chicken
Spaghetti Squash Pad Thai
Ingredients
- 1 medium-sized spaghetti squash about 3-4 lbs
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 1 lb. chicken breasts about 2, diced
- 12 large shrimps cleaned and deveined
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 small red onion diced
- 2 mushrooms thinly sliced
- 1 carrot diced
- 1/2 cup bean sprouts
- 4 scallions thinly sliced
- 3 eggs scrambled
- 2 tablespoons coconut aminos
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons coconut sugar optional, omit for Whole30 or keto
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- chopped peanuts for garnish
- lime for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Roast spaghetti squash: Cut spaghetti squash in half, lengthwise. Scoop out seeds. Brush inside with oil. Place facedown on baking sheet and bake for 40-50 minutes, or until you can pierce with a fork. Simply scrape out “spaghetti” with a fork.
- When the squash is about 15 minutes away from finishing in the oven, heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Once hot add chicken, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Brown chicken on both sides, about 8 minutes total. Remove from pan.
- Add shrimp and sear until cooked through, about 1 minutes. Remove from pan.
- Add another splash of oil to the now empty pan and then add garlic, onion, carrots and mushrooms and cook until soft, about 5-7 minutes. Add in bean sprouts, 1/2 of the scallions, 3 cups of the cooked spaghetti squash and the cooked chicken and shrimp. Stir to combine and then create a well in the center of your pan and add eggs. Let cook and mix well, so that the eggs are scrambled and incorporated.
- Low the heat and add coconut aminos, rice wine vinegar, coconut sugar, red pepper and garlic and stir to combine.
- Taste and adjust spices as needed.
- Serve immediately and add the optional garnishes of lime, remaining scallions, and peanuts.
Great recipe!
So, coconut aminos, had not heard of that before, is it found in a regular grocery store or do I need to go to Whole Foods/Amazon? TYIA
Yes any store!
NO NEED TO CUT SQUASH! BAKE WHOLE LIKE A POTATOE. Keep it easy
This is one of my absolute favorite recipes of Lexi’s — it one of the recipes my husband requests most frequently. It’s so good, I’ve made it many times!
This is GENIUS! Pad Thai is one of my favs and love the spaghetti squash sub here.
I also tried subbing zucchini noodles, and I wouldn’t recommend it. I agree with the comments that say it needs more sauce, else it is quite bland. I also don’t think it needs that much meat – maybe half the chicken with that amount of shrimp but more veggies would be more balanced, but obviously that depends on what your body needs!
That would make sense as the sauce would be water-y with zucchini noddles and not absorb well. You need to use spaghetti squash and follow exactly!
Where does the egg come in?
It’s in the directions.
This was amazing! I subbed zucchini noodles to save a little time and it was perfect. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Flavor was good, needed a tad more sauce. The squash in an hour was way mushy and over cooked…but it was still tasty. Will make again and cook the squash less in the oven.
Cant wait to try this minus the shrimp since I’m allergic! Thanks for sharing.
Oh my God. Made this tonight and it was amazing!!! Better than greasy Pad Thai from the local delivery place. My roommate says its the best thing I’ve ever made. Bravo! Thank you!!
This is a great recipe! I Modified the sauce to my preferences and it was delicious. My only problem was with the spaghetti squash not holding up and turning to mush. It might be I didn’t cook the squash right this time… Who knows. But it was still good. I think I am going to try it with zuchinni noodles next time. I have better luck with those.
Soooooo good! I did 1.5 the amounts of sauce and added a tablespoon of peanut butter and 1/2 a packet of stevia.