This Spaghetti Squash Yakisoba Style Recipe is so delicious, you won’t miss the noodles at all! This is a healthy and yummy substitute for carbs!
Carbs, carbs, carbs – love’em, hate’em, make me bloated, make me energized… And if I eat too much of them I will go up a size.
I love carbs, what can I say. Especially noodles! Sadly, I have to control the urge to shove everything in my mouth whenever I am presented with a big and delicious bowl of chewy noodles. If it were up to me, I would have them for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert and as a late night snack. But I have to exercise some restrain if I want to keep a slim figure (insert sad music here). Sigh.
However, staying away from noodles doesn’t always have to be a painful thing. You just need to substitute them with ingredients that are just as filling and satisfying. And there is one veggie that does the trick!
Say hello to your new best friend the spaghetti squash!
Spaghetti squash are very high in fiber and low in calories and fat. Their flesh is also very similar to noodles in the sense that they are stringy and a little chewy. Therefore they are the perfect noodle replacement for those days when you want to cut down on carbs.
I took my own vegetable chow mein recipe and simplified it for this spaghetti squash yakisoba style recipe. Yakisoba is a derivative of chow mein so I thought bringing the two together and substituting the noodles for spaghetti squash might create something interesting and yummy.
The truth is that it wasn’t yummy – it was more than yummy. It was really really AMAZING! This spaghetti squash yakisoba recipe serves four to five people but Ben and I ate the entire thing in one sitting. Pigs!
The spaghetti squash absorbed the flavor of the yakisoba sauce so well and the shiitake mushrooms made the dish meaty and earthy. Another plus (besides being healthy, low calorie AND yummy) is that this yakisoba-style dish takes less than 20 minutes to prepare (once the squash is cooked).
This spaghetti squash yakisoba style is truly a wonderful, easy and healthy main dish to serve along with a simple soup (like this spicy egg drop soup) and a side like nasu dengaku, soy and sesame edamame or a dry-fried green beans. It also keeps in the fridge for two to three days and makes an awesome lunch to take to work!
So next time you find yourself craving a big bowl of yakisoba or chow mein minus the noodles, give this spaghetti squash yakisoba style a try. I promise you will feel just as happy as if you had tasted the real thing.
Did you like this spaghetti squash yakisoba recipe? Are there changes you made that you would like to share? Share your tips and recommendations in the comment section below!
Spaghetti Squash Yakisoba Style
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 26 minutes
- Total Time: 36 minutes
- Yield: 2 to 4 1x
- Category: Main
- Cuisine: Japanese
Description
This spaghetti squash yakisoba style recipe is so delicious, you won’t miss the noodles at all! This is a healthy and yummy alternative to using carbs as the main vehicle for texture and flavor.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pound spaghetti squash
- 1 small onion (finely chopped)
- 10 shiitake mushrooms (or button mushrooms)
- 2 stalks scallions (finely chopped)
- 1 cup coleslaw mix of carrots and cabbage
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or other neutral oil
- 1 teaspoon dried red chile (chopped (optional)
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
For the sauce:
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce or regular soy sauce
- 1/2 tablespoon granulated sugar
- salt and white pepper to taste
Instructions
- Slice the spaghetti squash in half, lengthwise. Scoop out the seed with a spoon and discard.
- Place spaghetti squash on a microwave safe plate or other microwave safe container. Place the cut side down (skin facing up). Microwave on high for 10 minutes.
- Take the spaghetti squash out of the microwave and shred with a fork. If the squash is still hard, microwave for another 2-3 minutes, or until tender.
- Use a fork and scrape the flesh into strings.
- In a large pan over high heat, add vegetable oil and onions. Cook for 3 minutes or until onions are soft. Add coleslaw mix and red chile and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add shiitake mushrooms and cook for another 2 minutes.
- Add spaghetti squash, scallions and sauce, and mix well until the sauce has evenly coated all the vegetables. Cook for 2 minutes and turn the heat off.
- Transfer to a bowl, top with sesame seeds and serve.
Notes
This Spaghetti Squash Yakisoba will keep in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 154
- Sugar: 4.8 g
- Sodium: 694.7 mg
- Fat: 5.9 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 24.4 g
- Fiber: 3.2 g
- Protein: 4.1 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
I love spaghetti squash and am always looking for new and effortless ways to prepare it. This recipe is making me drool. So excited to try it.
Question: I’m not a microwave but an oven. How long should I cook the squash before it’s ready?
Thx
Hi Haim! For the oven, slice it in half and remove all the seeds. Then place the halves on a cooking tray covered with foil or parchment paper. Bake in the oven at 425ºF for about 40 to 45 minutes, until the squash if very soft. 🙂
Hello Caroline, sounds delicious! I would love making this recipe but have got no microwave. How would you suggest preparing the spaghetti squash in the oven without becoming mushy? Thanks in advance!
Hi Lea, here is a tutorial on how to cook spaghetti squash: https://pickledplum.com/spaghetti-squash-healthy-recipe/ In here you will find a couple of options on how you can cook it without a microwave 🙂
It was a pleasure reading your tutorial about the spaghetti squash. I love the thoroughness and precision of your recipes and instructions! Thanks!!
I made this tonight. I was a little worried about this being too salty with both the dark soy sauce and the low sodium soy sauce, but it was absolutely delicious; not salty at all.
The only change I will make for next time is adding a little more coleslaw as cooked coleslaw is a favorite of ours.
Under the sauce ingreduents there are two different soy sauce items with same amounts. Thank you.
I don’t know why but I never thought to pair spaghetti squash with asian flavors, and I’m chinese! Either way, after reading this post, I immediately went and did just this. For the sauce, I keep some homemade teriyaki sauce in the fridge at all times, and truthfully, just used that sauce for the stir fry out of laziness and time constraints. Also added some pre-made TVP too, just to add a little more protein.
The dish was fantastic and all the kids approved. Yay! Will be adding this to the rotation, for sure. Thank you so much!
That’s great Dorothy! I’m going to try making my next batch with TVP, that sounds so good!
Caroline thanks for the quick reply about the soy sauce! So in my haste I realized I asked the wrong question. What I meant to ask was if I’m using the dark soy sauce what should I use for the “ 2 tablespoons soy sauce”. Thanks so much for your help!
Yolanda
Hi Yolanda, I’m so sorry for the delay! If you have Chinese dark soy sauce, go ahead and use the same amount. If you have Thai or Vietnamese dark soy sauce, it’s much much sweeter than regular soy sauce so I would hold off on adding any more. I would instead compensate with 1 tablespoon oyster sauce, 1 tablespoon water, and maybe a little extra salt. I hope this helps! 🙂
Hi, thanks for posting this recipe. Sounds delicious and looking forward to making it. I know you’ve already explained the use of the 2 different soy sauces. I am able to purchase the Lee Kum Kee dark soy sauce. Just not sure about the regular soy sauce. Do you mean kikkoman or some other brand for the regular soy sauce? Thanks, looking forward to making this tonight!
Hi Yolanda! You can use any type of brand for regular soy sauce, Kikkoman being the easiest one to find. I personally love Yamasa but that one is a bit harder to find. I hope you like the dish! 🙂
This recipe was fantastic! Instead of a bag of cole slaw mix I used a half head of cabbage and a couple of shredded carrots. Also added a bit of sesame oil to the sauce.
I had never used the microwave method before for the spaghetti squash, but it worked great!
Will definitely use this recipe again in the future.
Thank you so much Angela for sharing your thoughts on the recipe, I’m very happy you liked it! 🙂
Thank you Angela! 🙂
Braggs Coconut Aminos.
We made this tonight, and it was very good. But…we roasted the spaghetti squash instead of microwaving it- and that was a big mistake! It made the squash into a mush. Next time, I’ll follow the recipe as is, rather than trying to get fancy with it. ; )
Made it this week – was delicious, didn’t miss the noodles!
I made it and added rotisserie chicken. It was so good, will definitely make it again.
Substituted the coleslaw mix with broccoli. Very tasty! My favorite recipe utilizing spaghetti squash so far!
Thank you so much for this recipe. This was fabulous!!! I took the advice of one of your readers and used sesame oil because I didn’t have sesame seeds. Turned out fantastic. Added Shrimp to the left overs…. YUMMY!!
The flavor was great but my spaghetti squash seemed to turn mushy. I haven’t cooked much with it before. Should you rinse it or could it have been the olive oil substitution? Either way, will make this again!
Hi Micki, it may have overcooked. Next time, cook the spaghetti for less time and it should come out less watery and crunchier 🙂
Where do the 30 grams of carbs come from? What can be altered to lower the carb count? Thanks!
Hi Kelley! the 30 grams come from the entire recipe. Each cup of spaghetti squash yields 7g of carbs but then you have some coming from the mushrooms, carrots, cabbage, soy sauce, etc… Unfortunately you would have to omit important veggies that are high in nutrients such as mushrooms and carrots to lower the carb count 🙁
I just found your recipe and would love to try it, but I’m allergic to soy. Is there something elso that might be an acceptable substitute??
Hi Cathy, you can substitute with tamari sauce. It’s gluten free but tastes similar to soy sauce 🙂
Tamari sauce is made from soy. I use something called “Horse Bean Sauce” which is made in Japan and can be purchased in America; I have only found one location where I can purchase it and they ship it to me. This store is Nijiya Market inTorrance, California and their telephone is: 310-366-7200; They call it Soromame Broad Bean Sauce and on the bottle it states that it is distributed by Saison Trading Inc, 4450 Cleveland Ave#14, San Diego Ca 92116. The Broad Bean and the Soromame are just different names for the bean. It works well, tastes good, and since I am also allergic to soy, it is truly a god-send!
This is probably an extraordinarily late response to your question, but coconut aminos are also a great substitute for soy sauce!
I am wanting to make this for the first time and divide it up to use for lunch through out the week. Would this be ok in the fridge for up to 5 days?
Hi Meghan, Yes it should be good. I’ve kept it in the fridge previously for 3 days and it tasted fine 🙂
Do you think I could get away with using chopped carrots and red cabbage for the slaw? I have everything on hand – just red cabbage instead of green!
Absolutely Jamie! You can add your own mix of vegetables and this dish will still taste great! 🙂
just made this, it was amazing!
This recipe sounds and looks delicious and I hope to make it this weekend! I was wondering how 1 serving has 41g of carbs though? I thought spaghetti squash was only about 7g carbs per cup? And all of the other ingredients seem to be relatively low carb as well.
Hi Vince, This recipe had the old calorie counter results I have stopped using because of its inaccuracies – my apologies! I’ve updated it with a new nutritional label 🙂
Thanks!
Hi! I made this yakisoba for dinner tonight and it was amazing! Didn’t miss the noodles at all! The cabbage, carrots, and mushrooms added interest (to the eye and tongue!), and the squash soaked up the delicious soy sauce mixture beautifully. I served this with fried eggs on top, and garnished with a cucumber slaw and crushed peanuts. Will definitely make this dish again! Somehow I managed to save some leftovers and I know this will be just as good for lunch. Thanks for another great recipe!
This sounds amazing! But I was wondering what I can substitute to make it low carb. That’s what I’m doing at home right now. Was it the just sugar?
Hi Mandy! Spaghetti squash has about half the amount of carb pasta does, so you are cutting down by just making this substitution 🙂
Delicious
I made this dish last night. It was absolutely delicious! What an interesting combination of ingredients that I would have never envisioned for spaghetti squash. A perfect substitution for traditional noodles. Didn’t miss them at all! I added garlic, ginger and lemongrass to mine. Loved it so much that I forsee this becoming a regular meal in our home. Thank you greatly for your inspirational ideas!
I’m so happy to hear this might become part of your meal rotation! I’m going to have to try lemongrass next time! Thanks Heather!
made it and loved it. had to make a few substitutions. i went to two grocery stores for sesame seeds and neither one had them so i used toasted sesame oil to get that flavor. worked beautifully!! also couldn’t find those mushrooms so i bought portabello mushrooms instead. i will definitely make this 100 more times!
Wonderful, thank you for sharing Joanna!
I made this meal today, and I have to say that it was delicious!! What a wonderful recipe! I just used the regular soy sauce and it didn’t seem to make a difference. Oh and try squeezing some lemon on it ladies, it gave it such an edge.
Love this website!!!!!
Thank you Dee for sharing your tips, I love it!
Hi,
Just a bit confused as to the double soy sauce ingredients listed for the sauce…
Hi Lori!
Dark soy sauce is thicker and sweeter than regular soy sauce, but since it can sometimes be hard to find, I’m giving the option to use regular soy sauce as well.
Can you use stevia instead of granulated sugar? This sounds great!
Hi Donna, I’m sure you can although I have never tried it. Honey might also be delicious!
Brilliant! This is definitely going to become part of my regular rotation. I added ginger and grilled tofu. Yum.
Your combination sounds yummy Larissa!
Can you use a different type of oil other than vegetable oil, such as Olive Oil or Avocado Oil?
Yes you absolutely can Marissa, although avocado oil may be too delicate for stir frying.
Avocado oil is perfect for high heat cooking
I made this tonight and it was *amazing*. I added some shaved steak with a Korean marinade and some scrambled egg and it was ALL GONE. This is going to be a regular menu item for sure. By far my most favorite recipe using spaghetti squash. Thanks!
Wow that sounds so yummy Amelia! I’ll add your extra toppings as suggestions for others to try, thanks for sharing and I’m so happy you love this recipe as much as I do!
Hi Caroline!
What an ingenious way to use spaghetti squash! I’d love to include your yakisoba spaghetti squash recipe in a spaghetti squash roundup I’m doing for Parade Magazine this month.
If you’re fine with it, could I use one of your photos with a link back to your original post (https://pickledplum.com/yakisoba-spaghetti-squash-recipe/)?
Let me know, thanks!
Felicia
Hi Felicia! Please go ahead and use my picture and link! Could you also credit the picture to Caroline Phelps? Thank you, I look forward to seeing the roundup!
Hi Caroline!
Just wanted to let you know that the Spaghetti Squsah round up is now live here:(http://communitytable.parade.com/437103/felicialim/the-12-best-spaghetti-squash-recipes-ever/)
Would love for you to share it with your followers as it’s getting pretty good response!
Thanks so much for letting me include your recipe once again!
What should I do if I can only find dark soy sauce?
Hi Jennifer! What brand of dark soy is it? I’ve noticed that there are many different kinds of dark soy sauce – some of them aren’t that different from regular soy sauce while others taste completely different and are thicker in texture. If you have the thicker, sweeter/umami/nutty kind, start with 1 tbsp and go from there. If you have a brand like Kimlan, you can use 2 tbsp and the result will be almost the same.
So there are two types of soy sauce to put in? At first I thought it was a typo.
Hi Gin,
There are two different types of soy sauce I like to add to this recipe. However, you can add just one or the other and it will still be delicious! 🙂
I just made this and it is delicious! I’ve tried other spaghetti squash recipes but this is by far my favorite. Thanks so much!
You are so welcome Brittany! I’m so happy you like this spaghetti squash recipe as much as I do! 🙂
this looks phenomenal.
Thank you Caitlin!
Dong this weekend. Really need an alternative for the pasta that I love.
I hope you enjoy it as much as we did! We seriously could have eaten an extra serving!