What if a big yellow squash could turn into a bowl of spaghetti? It sounds like a magic trick — and honestly, for kids, it kind of is.
In this video, Adaya and I are making a vegan take on cacio e pepe using spaghetti squash as the base, topped with a homemade Brazil nut Parmesan that comes together in minutes. Both recipes are naturally plant-based, gluten-free, and dairy-free — and both are genuinely good, not just good-for-you.
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The Recipes
Cacio e Pepe Spaghetti Squash
Ingredients:
- 1 spaghetti squash
- Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
Cut the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and roast cut-side down at 400°F until tender — about 35 to 45 minutes depending on size. Once cool enough to handle, use a fork to scrape the flesh into long strands. Toss with a generous drizzle of olive oil and fresh cracked pepper, then top with the Brazil nut Parmesan below.
Vegan Brazil Nut Parmesan
Ingredients:
- ¾ cup Brazil nuts
- 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- ¼ teaspoon garlic flakes or powder
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt
Add all ingredients to a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse Parmesan. Don’t over-blend — you want texture, not paste. Store in a jar in the fridge and use on everything.
Note for little ones: Reserve a portion before adding salt to use for babies and young children.
Feeding Therapy Tips by Age
Under 18 months
Spaghetti squash is a fantastic first vegetable — it’s mild, naturally sweet, and the strand texture is genuinely interesting for babies who are learning to self-feed. If you’re serving it to a child under 18 months, roast their portion 5 to 10 minutes longer than the rest so the strands are softer and easier to manage. You can serve it mashed, or offer it in a bowl so your child can practice grasping the strands — which is great for fine motor development alongside feeding exploration.
The Brazil nut Parmesan is also a wonderful way to introduce Brazil nuts early. Because the nuts are ground down into a fine crumble, the texture is easy to incorporate into foods your baby already accepts. Blend up a small batch before adding salt and stir the nut mixture into oatmeal, a vegetable puree, or any other familiar food.
Toddlers and older kids
This is a great recipe to make with your child, not just for them. Let them help scoop out the raw squash seeds — the texture is slimy and a little strange, which makes it perfect for sensory exploration without any pressure to eat. Once it’s roasted, the reveal of running a fork through the squash and watching it turn into “spaghetti” is genuinely exciting for little kids. Talk about it. Make it a moment.
From there, they can help mix it into sauce or sprinkle on the Parmesan. Kids who help make the food are almost always more willing to try it.
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