Spaghetti Squash Lasagna

It’s spaghetti squash season, and this is one of those cozy fall dinners that feels like comfort food while giving you a whole lot of veggies. Tender strands of warm filling squash, marinara or bolognese sauce, and melted mozzarella come together for all the flavors of lasagna without the work of layering noodles so it’s naturally gluten free.

You can make it right in the cooked squash shells for a fun, easy dinner, or scoop everything into a casserole dish if you’re feeding a crowd or want leftovers. Either way, it’s hearty, warming, and so simple.

For squash-shell lasagna: Leave the strands in the shells. Spoon the sauce over the squash, gently mixing some through the strands. Top with mozzarella and Parmesan.

For casserole-style lasagna: Scoop the squash strands into a baking dish. Gently mix with the sauce and then top with mozzarella and Parmesan.

Laura Burak MS, RDN

Spaghetti Squash Lasagna

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Servings: 4

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 1 medium to large spaghetti squash cut in half lengthwise
• 1 lb lean 85-93% ground beef or poultry
• 3 cups quality marinara sauce like Rao's
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/8 cup Parmesan cheese
• Olive oil spray
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tbsp chopped basil for serving optional

Equipment

• 1 sharp knife
• 1 baking sheet option to cover in parchment paper
• 1 casserole dish
• 1 pot to make the sauce

Method

 

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Microwave the spaghetti squash whole for 5 minutes, so it’s easier to cut open.
3. Cut open the squash lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. You can bake the seeds later if you want just as you would with pumpkin seeds.
4. Spray squash halves with olive oil and add a dash of salt and pepper to each half.
5. Place squash open face DOWN on a parchment-covered sheet pan and cook for about 30 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, make the meat sauce.
7. Saute the ground meat or poultry in a pan sprayed with olive oil for a few minutes until it's brown. Add the sauce, mix, and set aside.
8. When the squash is soft and done, take it out of the oven and scoop it out into a medium casserole dish that was sprayed with olive oil.
9. Decrease the oven heat to 350 F.
10. Add the meat sauce to the squash and gently mix right in the casserole dish.
11. Top with the mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese.
12. Bake uncovered for ~20-25 minutes until the top is brown.
13. Option to add shredded basil before serving.

Notes

Feel free to use cooked tofu or lentils in sauce instead of meat sauce for a vegetarian option. 

You can also make the “lasagna” right in the cooked spaghetti squash halves by mixing the sauce right into the cooked squash, topping with the cheeses, and placing the shells back on a sheet pan into the oven to finish. 

Recipe calculated using white meat ground chicken and part-skim mozzarella cheese and is estimated to have ~500 calories, ~40 grams of protein and ~5+ grams of fiber.