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
This was so simple but so delicious. I have been adapting to a diet low in processed and refined carbohydrates, and this was so comforting and fulfilling! I didn’t have cole slaw mix but I had red cabbage and carrots that I shredded in the food processor. I had the spaghetti squash precooked from a previous meal and this just came together in a flash. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe. I feel like I can enjoy the essence of my favorite Asian dish (noodles) again without the refined carbs!
Thank you so much Denise!:)
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!