Nothing says goodbye summer and hello fall like an autumn harvest meal. Spaghetti squash, also known as winter squash, is one of my all-time favorite foods as you really don’t need to do much to it to enjoy the simple, delicate flavor of the buttery golden strands. I know for some folks, spaghetti squash can be intimidating to cook, as the tough outer skin is difficult to slice open—much like a watermelon rind.

This is my foolproof method for cooking a spaghetti squash:

1. Cut open the squash lengthwise.
2. Rub the flesh with some extra virgin olive oil and add salt and pepper.
3. Lay flesh sides down on a baking sheet.
4. Gently poke a few holes in the skin with a fork.
5. Roast in a 400-degree F oven for 30 – 40 minutes.
6. Once cooled enough to touch, remove seeds from the center of each half.
7. Using a fork, scrape the squash from each half.
8. You can use all of the flesh down to the skin.

Spaghetti squash is quite versatile and is very low in calories with just 31 per cup. It contains less than one gram of protein and less than one gram of fat and only 5.5 carbohydrates per serving.

Toss in another one of my favorite autumn harvests, the sweet potato, and you are looking at adding roughly 110 calories per cup. Sweet potatoes are also packed with potassium and fiber and have less than 1 gram of fat, 2 grams of protein, and only 20 carbohydrates per serving.

I love adding in some healthy protein to balance everything out, so ground turkey fits this bill. With just 160 calories per serving and zero carbohydrates, the protein tops out at 23 grams.

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Serving this soup/stew inside the hollowed-out skin of the spaghetti squash really just further emphasizes the fall mood and makes for easy clean-up to boot! Since most of these flavors are somewhat mild, you can kick up the flavor profile with fresh herbs and spices and even with some chili pepper flakes and/or hot sauce.

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