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Spaghetti Squash with Chile-Spiced Pinto Beans

Alert!  This Mexican-flavored spaghetti squash with chile-spiced pinto beans causes purring noises while eating. Really. I’ve heard those contented purrs from across the dinner table! Brick-red chile-spiced beans and golden spaghetti-like strands–this is a gorgeous purr-worthy vegetarian meal.

Roasted Spaghetti Squash with Pinto Beans in patterned bowl

When cooked, the insides of the oval yellow squash can be separated with a fork into yellow strands that resemble thin spaghetti pasta. Yay for vegetable spaghetti! It’s a perfect low calorie, low carbohydrate vehicle for most any sauce you would serve with pasta. This is my favorite way to eat spaghetti squash!

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scraping spaghetti squash for spaghetti squash with pinto beans

While the squash is in the oven baking mix the pinto beans and enchilada sauce. Scrape the “spaghetti” out into a bowl, top with the sauced beans and garnish with avocado slices and cilantro! Serve this easy wholesome Mexican-food dinner with a mixed greens and veggie salad.

It’s January of a new year, when many people make resolutions to lose weight. We know the diet that works best in the long term is to make positive food choices, healthy choices like eating more vegetables, leafy greens, nuts, and whole grains, less or no processed foods, more plant-based meals, or going meatless at least one day a week. Along those lines would be subbing spaghetti squash for regular pasta!

Mexican Spaghetti Squash with Pinto Beans in bowl ready to eat

When I was about 12 years old, my mother joined Weight Watchers. She went to weekly weigh-in pep talks and brought home recipes using nutritious ingredients. Eating along with Mom, my sisters and I learned weight loss tricks and I’ve kept many of those lifestyle food habits my whole life.

One time Mom came home from her meeting psyched to make spaghetti squash “pasta”, a recipe she’d picked up from her weight-loss “teacher.” We were suspicious this new vegetable would taste like acorn squash, which we thought was awful, even swimming butter and brown sugar. Mom bathed our spaghetti squash with lots of pasta sauce and cheese. We loved it!

Thanks Mom for introducing us to spaghetti squash. I bet you’d like it this way, Mexican style, with pinto beans and plenty of enchilada sauce!

Mexican Spaghetti Squash recipe details:

  • I make this quick and Easy Enchilada Sauce with prepared chili powder to mix it into the creamy beans. More ambitious–make authentic red enchilada sauce.
  • You can use canned pinto beans or home-cooked beans. If you have black beans on hand, substitute them for the pintos.
  • Bake ahead: Bake the spaghetti squash earlier in the day or the day before. You can rake the strands before or after, just refrigerate, then heat if when you are ready to serve with the pinto beans and enchilada sauce.
  • If you eat cheese, sprinkle on cotija, sharp white cheddar, or jack cheese.

spahetti squash with seeds for Mexican spaghetti squash with pinto beans and easy enchilada sauce

  • Sometimes I’ll finish this dish with a sprinkle of toasted pumpkin seeds, or the toasted seeds from inside the spaghetti squash.
  • Toast the seeds: Unless I’m being lazy, I like to save the seeds from the insides of the cooked spaghetti squash. Some strands of squash will cling to the seeds, but you can get them pretty clean by rinsing through a sieve. You don’t need to be anal about it though, the little rogue strands will practically disappear in the oven. Toss the rinsed seeds with a bit of oil and kosher salt and dump onto a baking sheet. Bake 5 to 10 minutes, until the seeds are crunchy and very slightly golden.

Make it a fabulous week–get in the kitchen and cook something healthy and delicious!

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Nutrition Facts
Mexican Spaghetti Squash with Pinto Beans and Enchilada Sauce
Amount Per Serving
Calories 260 Calories from Fat 81
% Daily Value*
Fat 9g14%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Sodium 388mg17%
Potassium 858mg25%
Carbohydrates 40g13%
Fiber 12g50%
Sugar 8g9%
Protein 8g16%
Vitamin A 365IU7%
Vitamin C 11mg13%
Calcium 122mg12%
Iron 2.9mg16%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

This is an updated January 2014 post, edited with new photos and writing.

11 comments

  • Yum. We get a lot of spaghetti squash in our CSA so I end up freezing quite a bit. We enjoy it many ways but haven’t tried it with enchilada sauce. Thank you. Reply · 25 January, 2014

    • Letty

      Thanks Tammy. Spaghetti squash does freeze well. That was the last of my hoard from autumn farmers market. Reply · 26 January, 2014

  • I like the idea of using spaghetti squash as something besides a substitute for pasta; it goes with so many other flavors. And thanks for the shout-out for for my recipe! Reply · 27 January, 2014

    • Letty

      Thanks Kalyn! Reply · 27 January, 2014

  • I’ve never had spaghetti squash with a Mexican twist. Great idea. Reply · 29 January, 2014

  • Love you and your recipes! Took a pie class from Kitchen Kneads in Logan!!! love your cookbook and recipes!! Can’t wait to make this sauce!!! One of my new favorite things in my kitchen is a Spiralizer!! Thank you Lettie for all your awesome hard work Reply · 8 February, 2015

    • Letty

      Patti,
      Thanks for your note! I am teaching a spring dessert class at LTC in April, or is ti May? I have yet to own a spiralizer–on my list. Reply · 9 February, 2015

  • Spaghetti squash is a staple in my house and this recipe looks so inviting! I’m loving that enchilada sauce! Reply · 21 February, 2019

  • I’m a huge fan of spaghetti squash, and this is so hearty with those pinto beans and enchilada sauce. This is such a satisfying meal! Reply · 27 March, 2019

  • Carolyn Sterrett

    We loved this recipe! And I especially loved how easy it was. I did not make homemade enchilada sauce because I didn’t have the supplies. It was delicious anyways. Will make this again and again! Reply · 24 April, 2020

    • Thank you Carolyn. I found a “clean” enchilada sauce mix at WF. Brand is Los Chileros. Reply · 24 April, 2020

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