Spaghetti squash pad thai
All the tangy, sweet, peanutty flavor of pad thai with spaghetti squash strands standing in for noodles, plus eggs, crunchy sprouts and lime.
- 35 min total
- 25 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 2
- About $4.87 a serving
- 690 calories
- Vegetarian
- Dairy-free
Dolly says: Read the steps once before you start. Everything goes smoother after that.
Ingredients
For 2 servings.
- 1 spaghetti squash, small, about 2½ lb
- 2 limes, divided
- 1 tsp sriracha
- 1 shallot, thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1½ cups bean sprouts
- 4 green onions, cut into 1-inch pieces
- ⅓ cup peanuts, chopped
- ¼ cup cilantro, chopped (optional)
From your pantry
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
Each serving has about 690 calories, 25 g protein, 79 g carbs and 36 g fat, and costs about $4.87 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No limes? Lemons work.
- No sriracha? Hot sauce works.
- No shredded carrots? Carrots work.
- No green onions? Chives work.
- No cilantro? Fresh parsley works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the squash and scoop out the seeds. Set the halves cut side down in a microwave-safe dish with 2 tablespoons water and microwave until tender, 12 to 15 minutes.
Halve. Halving means cutting something into two equal pieces. Even halves cook at the same speed, so one doesn’t dry out while the other finishes.
How you’ll know: The two pieces look like mirror images of each other.
Lengthwise. Lengthwise means cutting along the long side, from stem to tip, which gives long pieces. Crosswise is the other way, straight across the middle, which gives short, round ones.
How you’ll know: Lengthwise halves of a zucchini look like two little canoes; crosswise pieces look like coins.
Timer: 13 min
Dolly’s tip: It’s very hot. Let it sit 5 minutes before you touch it.Scrape the flesh into strands with a fork and let them in a colander.
Drain. Draining means pouring off liquid, like tipping pasta into a colander or spooning extra fat out of the pan. Pour hot grease into a can or jar, not the sink, where it hardens and clogs the pipes.
How you’ll know: Only a few drips are left, and the food isn’t sitting in a puddle.
Dolly’s tip: Press gently with a towel. Dry strands soak up the sauce instead of watering it down.Stir the soy sauce, brown sugar, juice of 1 lime, vinegar and sriracha together in a cup.
Heat the oil in a large over medium-high heat.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Medium-high heat
Cook the shallot and garlic for 1 minute.
Medium-high heatTimer: 1 min
Push them aside, crack in the eggs and scramble until just set, about 1 minute.
Medium-high heatTimer: 1 min
Food safety: For the safest eggs, cook until the whites are fully set and the yolks begin to thicken. Dishes made with eggs are done at 160°F.
Add the carrot for 1 minute, then the squash and sauce. until everything is hot and coated, 2 to 3 minutes.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Medium-high heatTimer: 3 min
in the bean sprouts and green onions for 30 seconds.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Medium-high heat
Food safety: If you’re pregnant, or cooking for small children or older people, cook the bean sprouts until steaming hot or leave them out. Raw and lightly cooked sprouts carry a small risk that rinsing doesn’t remove.
Serve topped with the peanuts, cilantro and wedges from the second lime.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
More dinners like this
Tofu pad thai
45 min
Thai basil chickpeas with a crispy fried egg
35 min
Thai basil tofu (pad kra pao)
40 min
Thai cashew broccoli stir-fry
30 min
Vegetarian dinners ›Easy Thai dinner recipes ›What to make with eggs and carrots ›What to make with eggs and bean sprouts ›