Winter squash is in season and one that I do not use nearly often enough is spaghetti squash so when I came across the idea of a lasagna stuffed spaghetti squash I pinned it right away to try later! Lasagna is a layered pasta dish typically containing noodles, a meat sauce and a cheese or bechamel sauce and it is topped with plenty of cheese and baked until golden brown and bubbling. This lasagna stuffed spaghetti squash takes the basic components of lasagna including the meat sauce and the cheese layer and stuffs them into a spaghetti squash, which essentially replaces the noodles, and bakes them until the cheese has melted. Since this dish goes with healthy spaghetti squash instead of noodles I decided to keep things on the lighter side going with ground turkey for the meat and a low fat cottage cheese for the cheese layer. Even though this lasagna stuffed spaghetti squash is designed to be healthier it certainly does not sacrifice anything in the way of flavour! You will definitely not miss the noodles in this tasty lasagna!
Lasagna Stuffed Spaghetti Squash
You get all of your favourite lasagna flavours without all of the carbs when it is served stuffed in spaghetti squash!
ingredients
- 2 small spaghetti squash, cut in half and seeded
- 1 tablespoon oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
- 1 (15 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste (optional)
- 1 teaspoon italian seasoning or oregano
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon basil, chopped
- 1 cup low fat cottage cheese or ricotta
- 1 tablespoon basil, chopped
- 1 cup partially skim mozzarella, shredded
For the roasted spaghetti squash:
For the lasagna meat sauce:
For the lasagna stuffed spaghetti squash:
directions
- Brush the inner flesh of the spaghetti squash with oil, season with salt and pepper and roast, skin side up, in a preheated 400F/200C oven until tender, about 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cook the turkey, about 8-10 minutes, and set aside.
- Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat, add the onion and cook until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, and fennel and cook until fragrant, about a minute.
- Add the turkey, tomatoes, tomato paste, italian seasoning, bay leaf, paprika, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the spaghetti squash is cooked and then mix in the basil and remove from heat.
- Fluff up some of the inside of each spaghetti squash half, divide the mixture of the cottage cheese and basil between them followed by the sauce and the cheese.
- Broil in the oven until the cheese has melted and turned a light golden brown, about 2-3 minutes.
For the roasted spaghetti squash:
For the lasagna meat sauce:
For the lasagna stuffed spaghetti squash:
Option: Instead of making the sauce from scratch, use your favourite marinara or other tomato sauce.
Option: Add one 2 inch piece of parmesan rind to the sauce while it simmers.
Chicken Enchilada Stuffed Spaghetti Squash
Lasagna
Lasagna Dip
Spaghetti Squash Shrimp Pad Thai
Lasagna Soup
Zucchini Stuffed with Italian Sausage and Cheese
Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Zucchini topped with Melted Cheddar, Bacon and an Avocado Blue Cheese Dressing
Chicken Enchilada Stuffed Zucchini
Eggplant Parmesan Stuffed Eggplant
Caprese Stuffed Avocados
Sausage and Pepper Stuffed Spaghetti Squash
Strawberry Caprese Stuffed Avocados with Pistachio Pesto
Meatball Parmesan
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar says
October 23, 2013 at 11:04 amThis needs to appear in my body RIGHT AWAY! Yum!
bellini says
October 23, 2013 at 12:23 pmI love the idea Kevin and my wheels are turning since I have a spaghetti squash sitting on the counter.
Aimee @ Simple Bites says
October 23, 2013 at 1:13 pmCan't wait to try this, Kevin.
Julie @ Table for Two says
October 23, 2013 at 1:14 pmI love the idea of having "lasagna" in this squash! so cheesy and a great alternatie to having the carby pasta!
Marian (Sweetopia) says
October 23, 2013 at 1:17 pmLooks so good, Kevin!!
Katie says
October 23, 2013 at 1:24 pmyum! I never thought to stuff spaghetti squash! Must give this a try soon!
A SPICY PERSPECTIVE says
October 23, 2013 at 1:26 pmSo warm, comforting, and cheesy!! Love it, Kevin!
Heather Christo says
October 23, 2013 at 1:45 pmThis is pure genius. You get to feed the craving without all the pasta! I really love this Kevin!
Bev Weidner (Bev Cooks) says
October 23, 2013 at 1:59 pmI love what you do to me.
Maria says
October 23, 2013 at 2:18 pmWOW! I love all of that cheese!
Danielle Miller says
October 23, 2013 at 2:27 pmI love this idea – I need to try this one for sure…pinning!
Cooking Elena says
October 23, 2013 at 2:43 pmBellissima idea, quel forma agio sopra ė delizioso!
Skinnytaste Gina says
October 23, 2013 at 2:53 pmWe eat this all the time in my home : )
Erin @ The Spiffy Cookie says
October 23, 2013 at 4:54 pmThis is the second recipe like this I've seen today, love it!
Tracy says
October 24, 2013 at 8:03 amIf I didn't want to cook the lasagna in the squash shell, would I just layer it in a baking dish, with no other modifications? Thanks!
kevin says
October 24, 2013 at 8:11 amTracy: That should work.
Tracy H. says
October 24, 2013 at 12:08 pmRecently found your blog via Pinterest and am in LOVE! I too have a small kitchen so it's a match made in heaven. This dish looks fantastic and I'm going to make it this weekend. Thanks for posting.
Ari @ Ari's Menu says
October 24, 2013 at 2:25 pmSo glad you enjoyed it–your version looks awesome!! Thanks for linking back 🙂
naomi says
October 24, 2013 at 4:14 pmYet, another recipe of yours that I have bookmarked! This looks so good I can't wait!
Linda Andrews says
October 24, 2013 at 5:14 pmi am with Katrina on…this definitely belongs in my body also. Wonderful new approach to using spaghetti squash
marla says
October 24, 2013 at 5:42 pmI just love how creative & smart this dish is!
Dixya says
October 24, 2013 at 8:52 pmhow did I miss this post earlier – drooool.
Stephanie H says
October 25, 2013 at 3:12 amFantastic idea!! I will be making this soon. Love squash.
jax says
October 26, 2013 at 8:15 pmi just died! omg.
Anonymous says
October 27, 2013 at 1:05 amGreat recipe. Just tried it tonight & it was a hit w/my husband. I think I'll leave out the Fennel Seed next time but other than that two thumbs up 🙂
Anonymous says
October 27, 2013 at 3:32 ammade this for dinner tonight – ahhhh-mazing!! Thanks!
ClaireBear says
October 28, 2013 at 12:01 amI just made this tonight. It is fantastic, seriously this is very good. The flavors and texture are beautifully blended and complementary. Thank you so very much for this recipe. Also I've made your pumpkin casserole about a half a dozen time and it is always a hit.
Marcia E. says
October 28, 2013 at 5:28 pmI would like to make this, but a little or a lot less fat, so besides taking out the turkey and adding a green pepper chopped and fresh mushrooms, does anyone have any other recommendations? Has anyone ever used fat free ricotta (assuming there is such a thing) or fat free cottage cheese when cooking? Those are about all the things I could think of. Kevin, anyone, ideas please? Thank you so much!!!
kevin says
October 28, 2013 at 10:27 pmMarcia E.: Fat free cottage cheese would work.
Anonymous says
October 29, 2013 at 11:13 pmI just made this and it's DELICIOUS! Even my three year old is gobbling it hurriedly. We're a GF household and this absolutely beats buying those expensive and bland rice noodles. It's got a nice homemade taste without the hefty calorie load, and bonus–it's very nutritious. Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe! I'm adding it to my monthly rotation!
amy says
November 4, 2013 at 9:56 pmJust made this and it looks scrumptious…waiting for hubby to get home to put under the broiler
Diane says
November 5, 2013 at 2:04 amThanks, just made this tonight. It was delicious!
erin says
November 5, 2013 at 4:24 amThis was amazing! My husband and I devoured it and will make this again. Beautiful on the plate but comforting too. I have larger squash and will cook mine a little longer next time. Thanks for this recipe. It will be in our family forever. xoxo
Krista says
November 13, 2013 at 12:15 amDelicious sauce! I am gorging on it even though I have ten minutes until my squash is done.
Simi J says
November 15, 2013 at 12:40 amam making a veggie version of this… LOVE it!
Anonymous says
December 4, 2013 at 4:03 amwhat a brilliant idea
Arianna says
December 6, 2013 at 12:29 pmGreat idea! I made it last night and it was pretty good but the spaghetti squash portion lacked flavor. I'm making it again tonight and I'm going to mix some sauce with the spaghetti squash, then layer ricotta, then more sauce, put that back in the oven for about 20 minutes, then do the mozzerella and put is in for 5 minutes. I think that will get more flavor throughout.
Christine says
December 7, 2013 at 3:19 amYUM!!!! Yum…mmmm Yummy!!!
Made this for my bf and friend, it was amazing!!
Defiantly doing a layer of ricotta cheese next time.
kevin says
December 10, 2013 at 2:24 pmArianna: I usually 'fluff' the spaghetti squash up so that the sauce melts into it but mixing it in could only make it better!
Anonymous says
January 15, 2014 at 5:32 pmIs the nutritional information for the entire amount of food this makes, or per portion size?
kevin says
January 15, 2014 at 5:33 pmAnonymous: The nutrition facts are per serving.
Abby Kimbell says
January 22, 2014 at 11:40 pmI made this with ground beef and it was amazing!
Anonymous says
March 6, 2014 at 11:42 pmThis is genius. I made it last night for my family. Because I only had one huge spaghetti squash, I just cut it in half and filled each half with all the ingredients. When it was completely done, I cut each half….in half….haha. It was more than enough for my family of four with huge appetites. Even my picky eater gobbled it up. Thanks for an awesome recipe. Can't wait to try it with different fillings.
Anonymous says
April 3, 2014 at 7:22 pmI made this over the weekend and it is so good. My boyfriend loves spaghetti squash as a pasta substitute, but I'm not as fond of it in that way. This worked great for both of us!
Anonymous says
April 14, 2014 at 7:03 pmThis dish was absolutely delicious! Full of flavor and healthy at the same time. I only changed a couple of things, I used olive oil infused with garlic and use marinara sauce instead of the ingredients listed. I made this twice for company and it was very well received. Thanks so much for the recipe.
Anonymous says
April 28, 2014 at 1:31 amI just made this with a jarred sauce base and without meat. It was absolutely amazing and a great use for spaghetti squash! My family loved it, which surprised me because they are typically very picky!
captiveinflorida says
October 21, 2014 at 3:19 pmThis was absolutely delicious. Only problem is the calories, too much. Would like to make it with less calories, anyone have any clues for that?
Anonymous says
October 25, 2014 at 11:55 pmThis was unbelievably AMAZING! Already planning the next time I'm making it, haha!
kevin says
October 29, 2014 at 3:21 pmcaptiveinflorida: Most of the calories are coming from the turkey so you can cut back on the turkey, say 1/2 pound, or replace it with something like veggies, chickpeas, etc. The cheese is the next biggest calorie contributor and you can cut back on that as well.
Bethany says
December 16, 2014 at 10:08 amThe lasagna looks so delicious! I'll send the recipe to my boyfriend, he cooks better than me 😀
Anonymous says
February 22, 2015 at 10:34 pmOMG! Made this tonight for my niece & I. We just kept saying omg! how yummy it was and that it felt so much like a cheat meal, but its not!
Unknown says
October 21, 2015 at 4:34 pmWould a butternut squash work as well? And if so, would there be a difference in cook time?
kevin says
October 23, 2018 at 8:22 amYes, you can use butternut squash and it will take longer to roast, though the time will depend on how thick it is. Start at the 30 minutes and
Anonymous says
October 27, 2015 at 4:25 pmIs there a way to make this ahead of time, like lunch/nap time but have it for dinner? Maybe make it all up to putting it back in the oven to broil?
kevin says
October 23, 2018 at 8:19 amYes, you can do that!
menzrob says
December 24, 2015 at 12:35 amExcellent! Thank you.
Anonymous says
January 6, 2017 at 11:26 pmI also used a jar of sauce. We are big fans of spaghetti squash, so a new recipe was welcome. All your recipes are winners, and since I found your cooking blog I feel you have gotten me out of a boring rut!
Lt._Keyrose_Wife says
March 1, 2017 at 5:57 pmThis is our FAVORITE dish! When I make it we have it for 3 days in a row! LOL
kevin says
March 3, 2017 at 12:21 amLt._Keyrose_Wife: I'm glad you like it!