One of my favorite autumn squashes to roast is spaghetti squash. It always makes me think of the year my family first moved to Colorado when I was an early teen. So think Tieghan in eighth grade… I went through a major spaghetti squash phase that year. It was so frigid cold and snowy during the months of November and December. All I wanted was something roasted and warm. This was way back, before I really began experimenting in the kitchen. But since those days, spaghetti squash has always been a favorite fall vegetable. My mom would roast it simply with a sliver of butter and salt. But over the years I’ve experimented with spaghetti squash in so many fun new ways. They’re not only good, but make comfort food just a little healthier. Here are some others from the HBH archives. If you’ve never roasted spaghetti squash, it’s kind of a magical thing. Just as it sounds, it’s squash that, once roasted, can be scraped into spaghetti like strands. It’s slightly sweet, naturally buttery, and so delicious. I’m not huge on pasta alternatives, but with spaghetti squash it’s so satisfying that I actually don’t miss the pasta. Then again, I think because this is something my mom would make, it always feels like cozy fall comfort food to me. Because everything mom’s make is better. During the first year of writing HBH, I made these roasted garlic spaghetti squash lasagna boats. To this day they are one of the more popular recipes on the blog. If you’re looking for a meatier option, I highly recommend checking out that version. I was taking a scroll back through old recipes and came across those lasagna boats. I was then inspired to create a vegetarian friendly, white lasagna version. Lasagna is one of those dishes that I love making, especially during the colder days of the year. But it can be time consuming and a little heavy for an everyday, weeknight dinner. Enter the spaghetti squash lasagna. It has all the flavors of lasagna, but minus the noodles, and minus the layering. So it’s actually easier to make, and healthy..ish. Here are the details. Start out by pre-cooking your spaghetti squash in the microwave. Cooking the squash for a few minutes will soften the outside shell and make it easier to cut and remove the seeds. For the last three years I have not had a microwave in the kitchen and honestly never wished for one. I don’t really do any microwave cooking. But then KitchenAid offered to put this microwave in the studio. I must say, it’s really nice for small tasks (like heating up coffee). But it’s also great for things like softening squash. Microwaving the squash makes it so much easier (and therefore safer) to cut open. Of course, if you don’t have a microwave, you can just skip that step. Just be careful, and be sure to use some force when cutting the squash in half. While that’s happening, mix up the “béchamel” sauce. Instead of using butter, flour, and cream, I decided to go the simpler route and just mix together milk with basil pesto, ricotta cheese, fontina cheese, and provolone cheese. This is a little easier than cooking a sauce on the stove, and it’s truly just as good. Spoon the white “béchamel” sauce into the cavities of the spaghetti squash. Then bake on a baking sheet until the squash is soft, and the cheese is bubbly and melty. As the squash bakes, the cheese melts into a creamy sauce that coats the squash. When you pull everything out of the oven, don’t be worried that the sauce looks soupy. Once you scrape the squash into strands of spaghetti and mix it together with the sauce it’s perfect. And so good. This recipe is really easy to make, but it does take time for the squash to roast, so plan for a little longer cooking time. This is a great recipe for busy weeknights when you just need to come home and throw something in the oven. Or for when you just want comfort food, but you’re looking for something semi healthy too. And yes, I know there’s still plenty of cheese in this recipe, but it’s all about balance. And the addition of spaghetti squash and spinach totally makes this healthy…ish. Also, I have to note that as these are baking your house is going to smell like homemade lasagna, and it’s going to be amazing. Everyone who walked into the studio the day I was testing this recipe all 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. If you make this stuffed spaghetti squash lasagna please 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 also tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
