My love of spaghetti squash runs deep. My mom started baking it when I was a kid. She’d just add butter, salt, and pepper and roast it in the oven. And when I say butter, I mean a good amount of salted butter. The two of us loved it. When I started cooking for my family, it was around Thanksgiving time. I created our whole Thanksgiving menu that year! One of the main side dishes was roasted spaghetti squash. And now I can’t not serve spaghetti squash at Thanksgiving. It’s been on my menu ever since that year.
Certainly, one of my favorite ways to serve spaghetti squash is in the form of a lasagna—or lasagna-inspired, I should say. I’ve made many variations, but I may love today’s best. It’s the simplest, yet truly delicious and cozy for all the chilly days ahead.
Here are the details
Ingredients
ground beef (or use ground spicy Italian sausage for even more flavor) yellow onions marinara sauce Italian seasoning basil pesto sun-dried tomatoes in oil chili paste or chili flaked spaghetti squash, find mini ones if you can! cream cheese heavy cream, or use whole milk fresh thyme grated nutmeg mozzarella, provolone, and parmesan cheese salted butter garlic whole sage leaves
Kitchen tools All you need is a skillet plus a sheet pan for roasting. Nothing fancy!
Step 1: make the sauce I love using ground beef, or sometimes I’ll use a mix of ground beef and spicy Italian sausage. Brown the meat with the onion and Italian seasoning, then mix in a jar of your favorite marinara sauce. Add basil pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, chili paste, or chili flakes. Use the chili flakes to your taste. Now let the sauce simmer for a few minutes on the stove.
Step 2: make the cheese sauce While the red sauce is simmering, mix up the cheese sauce. I make this with cream cheese, heavy cream, fresh thyme, freshly grated nutmeg, and mozzarella cheese. The cream cheese ensures the sauce will bake nicely in the oven.
Step 3: stuff the squash The squash I used were very small. I cut the tops off and then scooped out the seeds. If you’re using a medium-sized squash, half it for even cooking. Stuff each squash with the red sauce, then add a layer of the cream sauce.
Step 4: bake Bake the squash until tender. Once tender, remove them from the oven and top with the remaining cheeses. Now, add butter to the pan. Then, add the garlic cloves and sage leaves. Bake until the cheese is golden and the garlic is soft. Mix the butter, garlic, and sage and spread the mix over the squash. Let it melt into the cheese, and serve!
Delicious! While these are baking, your house will smell like homemade lasagna – it’s going to be amazing. Everyone who walked into the studio the day I was testing this recipe said the same thing: ” Wow, it smells incredible in here.” It’s all about that combo of buttery spaghetti squash, basil pesto, and cheese. Too good!
Looking for other autumn squash recipes? Here are a few ideas: 4 Cheese Roasted Garlic Alfredo Stuffed Spaghetti Squash Baked 4 Cheese Butternut Squash Rigatoni Butternut Squash Pasta Carbonara with Rosemary Bacon Creamed Spaghetti Squash with Browned Butter Walnuts Roasted Garlic Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Boats Lastly, if you make these Mini Spaghetti Squash Lasagnas, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And, of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
