For a fun healthy side that you can make with your kids, try these easy to make spaghetti squash tater tots!
I know when I was a kid I loved tater tots growing up!
Served with a juicy burger and dipped in ketchup, tater tots were the bomb!
And I can’t tell you how many school lunch tater tots I ate as a kid!
While most people wouldn’t think of tater tots as a health food, this recipe for spaghetti squash tater tots is healthy!!
And even better they are easy to make!
So easy to make, your kids could do it!
What better way to get your kids involved in the kitchen and helping out than rolling out all these tater tots!
So let’s jump in and make some easy, healthy spaghetti squash tater tots!!
How to Cook the Spaghetti Squash
First things first, you need to cook the spaghetti squash!
You can do this a couple of ways.
The quickest way to cook your spaghetti squash would be to use an Instant Pot.
Check out my post on how to use an Instant Pot to cook a spaghetti squash either whole or in halves.
If you don’t have an instant pot, no worries!
You can also cook your squash in the oven!
Just set the oven temperature to 350 degrees, wash the squash off and put it in the oven for an hour.
After an hour, pierce the skin with a fork and see if it slides in easily.
If it does then the squash is ready to come out.
If you fork doesn’t slide in and out easily, continue to cook the squash, checking it every 5 minutes until it’s done.
Whether you use your Instant Pot or cook the spaghetti squash in the oven, allow it to cool enough that you can handle it.
Then remove the skin and seeds so that you are left with just the squash.
So you have some baked squash…now what?
Preparing the Spaghetti Squash for Perfect Tater Tots
So can you take that fresh baked spaghetti squash and cook it into tater tots?
You can, but with a little extra effort to prepare your spaghetti squash, you can take your tater tots from good to great!
Chopping the Spaghetti Squash into Smaller Pieces
First, we need to get those squash strands a bit smaller.
There is a reason it’s called spaghetti squash.
Those squash strands can be just as long as a piece of actual spaghetti!
And that’s great if you are serving the squash as spaghetti, not so great if you want to turn them into tater tots.
I find that smaller squash strands are easier to work with, so use a sharp knife to cut the squash strands into smaller pieces.
Squash strands no longer than a half inch long work the best.
Squeezing Out the Excess Liquid
And the second step to make sure your tater tots turn out perfect is to take the time to squeeze the excess water out of the squash.
Do I do this every time?
Absolutely not.
Lets face it, I have lazy days!
BUT, your spaghetti squash tater tots WILL turn out less moist if you take the time to do this step.
If you like your tater tots kind of crispy on the outside, you will definitely want to take time to do this step.
All you need to do is take the squash and put it all in a flour sack cloth.
Then twist the top of the towel together so that the squash is all in a ball in the middle of the towel.
Now position yourself over a bowl or the sink.
Use one hand to hold the towel right above the ball of squash and use the other hand to wring out the squash in the towel.
There should be some water that drips out of the towel.
This helps remove any extra moisture from the squash.
Now you are REALLY ready to transform the squash into delicious tater tots!!
How to Make Spaghetti Squash Tater Tots
Once the squash is cooked and chopped into smaller pieces, it’s time to make the tots!
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
Place all of the ingredients in a large bowl together.
I like to use my hands to get everything mixed together.
Kind of like how you would mix together a meatloaf!
Now check your mixture.
Since every squash has a different amount of moisture, this step is important.
Does your mixture seem like a dough consistency or does it seem really wet?
If you take a spoonful, can you use your hands to shape it or does it stick to your palms?
If the batter is sticky and wet, add more coconut flour a tablespoon at a time until you reach a consistency that doesn’t seem too wet and it doesn’t stick to your hands.
Now use your hands to form the mixture into “tater tot” shapes.
I use about a heaping Tablespoon at a time for each tater tot.
This is where kids in the kitchen can be helpful so that you don’t have to shape all the tots yourself!
Place the formed spaghetti squash tater tots on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Once all of the tots have been formed, place the baking sheet in the oven for 15 minutes.
Then flip them over and bake for another 5-10 minutes or until they are slightly golden brown.
Enjoy hot out of the oven!
Spaghetti Squash Tater Tots {keto, paleo}
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Description
For a fun healthy side that you can make with your kids, try these easy to make spaghetti squash tater tots!
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked spaghetti squash (see above for directions on how to cook and prepare the spaghetti squash for this recipe)
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 cup coconut flour
- 1/4 cup cassava flour (use almond flour or Parmesan cheese for keto)
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Mix all of the ingredients together in a large bowl. Use your hands to mix everything together (like you would for a meatloaf).
- Using your hands, form tater tot shapes out of a heaping tablespoon of the mixture at a time.
- Place the formed spaghetti squash tater tots on the prepared baking sheet.
- Once all of the squash tots have been formed, place the baking sheet in the oven for 15 minutes.
- Remove the baking sheet and flip the tater tots over.
- Place the squash tots back in the oven for 5-10 minutes or until slightly golden brown.
- Enjoy hot!
Notes
- Storage: Store spaghetti squash tater tots in an airtight container for up to a week in the fridge.
- Freezing: Spaghetti squash tater tots can be stored in the freezer in an airtight bag or container. Consume within 3 months for best freshness although they are safe to eat indefinitely.
- Prep Time: 1 hour (includes time to cook the squash)
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
