Cheesy and delicious Baked Spaghetti Squash Casserole makes the perfect weeknight dinner that is low carb, super filling with tons of leftovers!
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Happy (almost) Friday y’all!
Ok so I am absolutely loving spaghetti squash right now. It really is one of the most versatile vegetables to cook with and is the perfect substitute for pasta! You may be thinking “yeah right,” but it’s true. Hey I love pasta as much as the next person, but if I can find a healthier swap {with less carbs!} that tastes just as great I’m all for it. Baked spaghetti squash pulls apart so easily resembling angel hair pasta and the best part is it has little to no taste so it goes great with any dish. You may remember my recipe for spaghetti squash boats with spicy sausage that I shared a few weeks ago. Well they have been requested SO many times by my {picky} husband that I desperately needed to change things up!
You all are going to seriously LOVE this baked spaghetti squash casserole with meat sauce! Are you a vegetarian or not a fan of beef? Leave it out because this homemade marinara is absolutely delicious all on its own. Confession: I literally couldn’t stop shoving heaping spoonfuls straight to my face “taste testing” this meat sauce, it was just THAT good and when layered with spaghetti squash, cheese and topped with fresh basil this lightened-up dish makes the perfect dinner for all those hungry men, or kiddos, in your life!
OH and it’s a great way to sneak in those veggies!
This was a huge hit in our house and made a ton of great leftovers for lunches the next day. It was also super easy to throw together too! You just need to give yourself enough time to bake the spaghetti squash before shredding which takes about 45 minutes. What I like to do is prep this a day or two before (I usually do this on Sundays – you know I love my meal prep!) and do all the steps up until topping with cheese. Then just cover, throw the casserole in your fridge and when you’re ready to bake it, top the whole thing with cheese, cover and bake for 30 minutes.
BOOM dinner done in no time!
Hope everyone has a fabulous weekend! I’m loving that Fall weather has officially decided to make an appearance as opposed to being 85 degrees in October so I’m looking forward to making the most of this weekend, especially since last week I was sick with the flu. Let me know if there are any dishes you’d like to see lightened-up or any other recipes ideas you might have – just comment below! I love getting inspiration from you all and I, of course, loving hearing from you!
Baked Spaghetti Squash Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 ripe spaghetti squash
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound lean ground beef, 95% lean
- 2 cups crushed tomatoes
- 1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
- 1 packet Stevia
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
- 3 Tbsp basil, chopped (divided)
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
Instructions
- To make the spaghetti squash, preheat oven to 350 degrees F and cut squash right down the middle. Scoop out all the seeds and place cut side down on a baking sheet lightly sprayed with oil so they don’t stick.
- Bake squash in the oven for 45 minutes until tender.
- Meanwhile, drizzle oil into a large pan over medium heat and saute onion and garlic until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add ground beef and cook until meat is no longer pink; drain if necessary.
- Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, chicken broth, Italian seasoning, Stevia, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and allow sauce to simmer until the spaghetti squash has finished baking.
- When your squash is about ready, stir in grated Parmesan cheese and 2 tablespoons fresh basil in with the sauce; continue to simmer.
- Remove squash from the oven and scrape out all the strands of spaghetti using a fork, placing into a large bowl for convenience.
- In a 9×13 inch baking dish, spoon 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce into bottom and spread out evenly. Layer with 1/2 of the spaghetti squash then 1 1/2 cups more of meat sauce, then the rest of the spaghetti squash, the rest of the meat sauce (1 1/2 cups) and top with mozzarella cheese.
- Cover with foil and bake spaghetti squash casserole in the oven at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes, then remove foil and bake and additional 10 minutes until cheese is melted.
- Top with remaining tablespoon of basil, serve and enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Made this for dinner tonight. We thoroughly enjoyed. This was my first time cooking spaghetti squash. I decided a casserole was a good way to start. I did add mushrooms, green pepper and red pepper flakes to the sauce and skipped the sweetener. I also removed excess water from the squash. I will definitely make again, thank you for a wonderful recipe!
The spaghetti squash casserole was delicious. Thank you for keeping me healthy and on my weight loss plan with my 1200 calorie diet. I made one for my son-in-law and he had his wife make one this weekend. his boss and he loved it also!
My calculator says it is 6 freestyle we point
Just use 99% fat free chicken or turkey or go meatless to stay in your point range😁👍🏻
this looks delicious . I made the spaghetti squash with parmesan cheese a little olive oil and I loved it. I can’t wait to try this recipe. And your roasted cauliflower grilled cheese sandwich is so tasty, I made it twice in one week.
Could you sub just canned spaghetti sauce? I read a few comments about it being too watery. Any tips? Thanks!
Canned spaghetti sauce would work great! 🙂
Trying to go 100% sugar free. How important is the stevia?
You can omit the Stevia no problem!
Instead of baking the squash for 45 minutes in the oven, you can cook it on high in the microwave for 15 minutes but you have to stab it with a knife about 50 times first. That way, it’s very easy to cut and very easy to shred and scoop.
This had a lot of potential. It turned out just okay, but too watery. I would omit the chicken broth or reduce how much you put in. More tomato sauce.
Any problems with the squash being watery?
I gave mine a quick squeeze as I was assembling the casserole, turned out delicious!
This is one of the BEST recipes I have ever tried! It is so good!! It was great the first night but gets even better the next day!