Preheat the oven to 400F and position the rack in the middle. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Wash the spaghetti squash with warm soapy water and dry it with a clean kitchen towel.

On a flat surface, carefully slice it lengthwise. With a spoon, scrape the seeds out and discard. Pierce the skin of the squash with a sharp knife –this helps the heat go through the squash layers.

Drizzle the spaghetti squash tops (the meat) with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the spaghetti squash halves, skin-side down, on the lined baking sheet.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 40 minutes, checking it sometime after the 30-minute mark to ensure that the skin pierces easily with a fork through the squash and meets little resistance. Remove it from the oven.

With a fork, separate the squash shreds from the skin and transfer them onto a plate or bowl. Top with the butter, garlic powder, and parmesan and mix well. You can also use it plain as the base for your favorite recipe.