Today’s Wonder of the Day was inspired by Tanner. Tanner Wonders, “How is pasta made?” Thanks for WONDERing with us, Tanner!
Do you love spaghetti? It's probably hard to find a kid who doesn't like a mound of pasta covered in marinara sauce. Add some cheese, meatballs, and breadsticks and you've got a meal that'll satisfy even the most finicky eaters.
The spaghetti squash, whose scientific name is Cucurbita pepo, is known by many different names, including vegetable spaghetti, noodle squash, spaghetti marrow, squaghetti, gold string melon, and keeper squash. It's an oblong type of winter squash that's famous for the fact that, when cooked, its flesh forms strands like spaghetti.
Spaghetti squash vary from off-white to yellow or orange in color. The center of a spaghetti squash contains a lot of large seeds. Their flesh is usually bright yellow or orange in color and is solid like other squash when raw.
When cooked, the flesh of the spaghetti squash can be removed with a fork to form long strands like spaghetti. These long strands are often used as a substitute for regular pasta. They can be made into a wide variety of dishes with or without sauces, just like regular spaghetti.
Although regular pasta can be healthy, spaghetti squash offers a healthy alternative for those who want to eat more vegetables. Many nutrients, including folic acid, potassium, vitamin A, and beta carotene, can be found in spaghetti squash.
Do you have a garden at home? If so, you can grow spaghetti squash at home. They're easy to grow in either gardens or in containers. You can also find spaghetti squash in stores. They're often available year-round, but their peak season is in early fall through the winter.