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Pad Thai is a classic stir-fried rice noodle dish commonly served as a street food and at most restaurants in Thailand. Here, I’ve swapped out noodles for spaghetti squash for a low-carb option. If you are a spaghetti squash skeptic, you’ll have to give this Whole30 Spaghetti Squash Pad Thai a try!
This version features spaghetti squash “noodles” in place of the usual rice noodles that are found in traditional pad Thai. You’ll roast the spaghetti squash first, then toss the noodles with seared chicken, carrots, red onions, and an umami-packed sauce for a feel good dinner. They add a light, crunchy bite and tons of nutrients to this dish.
Want to get a head start on dinner this week? You can roast the spaghetti squash and make the sauce up to three days in advance, which will save you a ton of time. When you’re ready to assemble, you can quickly stir-fry everything together and get dinner on the table in just about 20 minutes.
Ingredients:
- Spaghetti Squash
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Kosher Salt
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- Smooth Almond Butter
- Sesame Oil
- Coconut Aminos
- Fish Sauce
- Thai Chiles
- Garlic Cloves
- Rice Vinegar
- Fresh Ginger
- Full-Fat Coconut Milk
- Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
- Arrowroot Flour
- Neutral Oil
- Red Onion
- Large Eggs
- Matchstick Carrots
- Green Onions
- Roasted Cashews
- Mung Bean Sprouts
- Fresh Cilantro
- Fresh Thai Basil
- Lime
step-by-step:
step one: roast the spaghetti squash
Preheat the oven to 425℉.
Cut the squash in half lengthwise using a sharp chef’s knife. Use a large spoon to scoop out the seeds and discard. Drizzle the cut sides of the squash with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
Place the squash cut side down on a baking sheet and bake for about 45 minutes until tender. Let cool, then use a fork to scrape the inside of the squash to create noodles. Set aside.
step two: make the pad Thai sauce
Add all of the pad Thai sauce ingredients in a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth, about 30 seconds. Set aside.
step three: prep and cook the chicken
In a medium mixing bowl, add the sliced chicken, salt, pepper, and arrowroot starch. Toss to coat all of the chicken.
Heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and sauté until chicken is nearly cooked through, about 7 minutes.
step four: make the pad thai
Add the red onions and sauté for about 3 minutes.
Reduce the heat to medium-low. Push the chicken and onions to the side of the skillet. In a bowl, whisk the eggs, then pour them into the skillet on the empty side. Let them set, like an thin omelette, then chop up and toss into the chicken.
step five: toss with the pad thai sauce
Reduce the heat to low and add the prepared sauce. Stir to combine.
Add the spaghetti squash, carrots, and green onions, tossing until all of the squash is coated.
step six: assemble and serve
Divide among four bowls and top with chopped cashews, bean sprouts, cilantro, basil, and lime wedges. Enjoy!
recipe faqs:
You can use regular basil instead! Just note that the flavor will be milder and sweeter.
Yes! This dish freezes exceptionally well for up to three months. Be sure to let it cool thoroughly before transferring it to an airtight container. Let it thaw in the fridge for about 24 hours, then gently reheat it on the stovetop and garnish with some fresh toppings.
The next time you’re craving a nourishing and light dinner, I hope you’ll give this Whole30 Spaghetti Squash Pad Thai a try! Comment below and let me know what you think!
looking for more Thai-inspired recipes? try these!
Tangy Thai Shrimp and Noodle Salad
Whole30 Spaghetti Squash Pad Thai
Thai-Inspired Curry Butternut Squash Soup
Whole30 Spaghetti Squash Pad Thai
Ingredients
For the Spaghetti Squash
- 1 (2-pound) whole spaghetti squash
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For the Pad Thai Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons smooth almond butter
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/2 cup coconut aminos
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- 2 Thai chiles, thinly sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1- inch knob of ginger, peeled and grated
- 3 tablespoons full-fat coconut milk
For the Pad Thai:
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced against the grain
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons arrowroot flour
- 2 tablespoons neural oil
- 1 cup thinly sliced red onion
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup matchstick carrots
- 4 green onions, cut into 2-inch slices (white and green parts)
- handful of roasted cashews, roughly chopped
- 1 cup mung bean sprouts
- freshly chopped cilantro
- freshly chopped Thai basil, to garnish
- 1 lime, cut into wedges, for serving
Instructions
Roast the Spaghetti Squash
- Preheat the oven to 425℉.
- Cut the squash in half lengthwise using a sharp chef's knife. Use a large spoon to scoop out the seeds and discard.
- Drizzle the cut sides of the squash with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
- Place the squash cut side down on a baking sheet and bake for about 45 minutes until tender. Let cool, then use a fork to scrape the inside of the squash to create noodles. Set aside.
Make the Pad Thai Sauce:
- Add all of the pad Thai sauce ingredients in a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth, about 30 seconds. Set aside.
Cook the Chicken:
- In a medium mixing bowl, add the sliced chicken, salt, pepper, and arrowroot starch. Toss to coat all of the chicken.
- Heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and sauté until chicken is nearly cooked through, about 7 minutes.
Continue Making the Pad Thai:
- Add the red onions and sauté for about 3 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low. Push the chicken and onions to the side of the skillet. In a bowl, whisk the eggs, then pour them into the skillet on the empty side. Let them set, like an thin omelette, then chop up and toss into the chicken.
Toss with the Pad Thai Sauce:
- Reduce the heat to low and add the prepared sauce. Stir to combine.
- Add the spaghetti squash, carrots, and green onions, tossing until all of the squash is coated.
Assemble and Serve:
- Divide among four bowls and top with chopped cashews, bean sprouts, cilantro, basil, and lime wedges. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Photography and styling by Eat Love Eats.
I have made A LOT of your recipes from the blog and the book but always thought this was just sounded iffy. I’m not a huge spaghetti squash fan and I didn’t see how it could work. I just made this tonight for the first time and I am BLOWN AWAY. This is the most delicious thing I have ever made of yours and that is saying A LOT. It’s also maybe just one of the top 5 most delicious things I’ve ever made at home. Is there anything you can’t do?
This is HANDS DOWN my favorite dish I’ve cooked of yours yet – and I’ve cooked a lot of YUMMY Defined Dish meals. I didn’t have Thai chiles so replaced them with Serrano peppers and red chiles, which was actually delectable and the perfect amount of spice. But in the future I’ll try and plan better to get my hands on the true ingredients 🙂
Everyone doing Whole30 – make this and you will never want to order takeout again!
Doing Whole30 and tried this recipe! Added some sliced mushrooms. Replaced mung beans with shredded cabbage. It was so good!!! Everyone loved it, even the carb lovers in the house. Thanks for the great recipe!
I am so excited to make this recipe! Would it be okay to substitute peanut butter for the almond butter? I realize that will omit it from Whole 30, but I have a slight allergy to almonds. Thank you!
yes you definitely can!
SO good! I was looking for a recipe to use up a spaghetti squash and I must admit I hesitated when I saw this one. Not sure why I even doubted it. No leftovers. Only thing was it was a bit spicy for the kids so I had to rinse off some of the chicken for them but overall a big hit!
This recipe was so delicious!! I’m sad we ate it all. Guessing it won’t be long before we make this again!!!!
🙂 yay!
I want to try this Pad Thai but I can’t do really spicy. How would you rate your recipe…mild, medium,hot..and how would I adjust the spice flavor?
Just leave out the Thai Chiles and it’ll be good!
Just made it this evening and it was DELICIOUS. I’m so excited to try your other recipes.
Yay!! 🙂
This is delicious! Pad Thai is one of the few takeout items that my husband and I would occasionally have for dinner pre-Whole30. We tried another blogger’s recipe during our first Whole30 last year and were super disappointed – we might have messed up the recipe, but let’s just say Sunbutter is now a food aversion! Eek! Anyway, we’re now on our second Whole30. When I came across your recipe, we were hopeful, especially since you used almond butter. We were NOT disappointed! THANK YOU!! We’ve tried several of your other recipes (Jerk Wings, Mongolian Beef, etc.) and have loved them all. It’s nice to find someone whose taste buds we trust!
hooray! that makes me so happy to hear 🙂 Thank you so much for the sweet message!
Brought it to a potluck and he was a big hit … SO GOOD!!!
Hooray!! So glad it was a hit! 🙂