Spaghetti Squash Lasagna is the perfect lower calorie solution to your favorite Italian dinner. Each spaghetti squash half is loaded with marinara sauce, meat, and Italian cheeses!
I can’t even begin to tell you how much I love this spaghetti squash lasagna. I already love spaghetti squash but this lasagna recipe took it to a whole new level. It is so easy to make and it is low in calories. Cooking and serving the lasagna right in the spaghetti squash halves makes clean-up a breeze.
If you haven’t had spaghetti squash before, you have to try it! It is a low-carb and delicious substitute for pasta. When cooked, the flesh of the spaghetti squash separates into spaghetti like strands. You simply use a fork to scrape it from the sides of the squash. There are 42 calories in a cup of spaghetti squash. Compare that to the 221 calories in a cup of cooked spaghetti. That’s a huge calorie difference!
Health Benefits of Spaghetti Squash
In addition to saving some calories, spaghetti squash provides these essential nutrients:
- Vitamins A, B, and C
- Potassium
- Folic Acid
- Beta-carotene
- Omega-3 essential fatty acids
- Antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin
- Fiber
These nutrients can help:
- Promote optimal cellular function
- Prevent free radical damage to cells
- Increase eye health
- Lower blood pressure
- Enhance blood circulation
- Help prevent heart disease
- Aid in weight loss
Spaghetti Squash Lasagna is Gluten Free
I made this for my mother-in-law who is gluten intolerant and she loved it! If you are preparing this for someone who has gluten allergies, be sure to check the ingredients on the sausage to make sure it doesn’t contain gluten. If you are in a hurry and don’t want to make a homemade sauce, a jar of sauce also works. I have done this and it tastes just as good, it just might add a couple more calories. Definitely give this recipe a try, you won’t be disappointed. My kids even ate it up with no complaints!
How to Make Spaghetti Squash Lasagna
Ingredients
- 2 spaghetti squash small or medium
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 c. part skim ricotta cheese
- 2 Tbsp. grated parmesan cheese
- 1 Tbsp. chopped parsley or basil
- 3/4 c. mozzarella cheese shredded
For the sauce:
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1/2 onion finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 14 oz Italian sausage you can use reduced fat or chicken sausage
- 14 oz crushed tomatoes
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 Tbsp chopped basil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400º. Cut spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds and membrane. Season lightly with salt and black pepper; bake about 1 hour, or longer if needed on a baking sheet, cut side down.
- If you prefer the microwave, cut squash in half lengthwise, scoop out seeds and fibers and place on a microwave safe dish and cover. Microwave 8-9 minutes or until soft.
- In a small bowl combine the ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese and parsley.
- In a large deep sauté pan, heat oil and add onions and garlic; sauté on medium-low for about 3 to 4 minutes, until soft. Add the sausage and cook, breaking up into smaller pieces until browned and cooked through. When cooked, add the crushed tomatoes and add salt and pepper to taste. Reduce heat to low and simmer 20 to 30 minutes, adding fresh basil at the very end.
- When spaghetti squash is cooked, let it cool for about 10 minutes keeping the oven on. If you microwaved this, preheat the oven to 400°.
- When the spaghetti squash is cool enough to handle, use a fork to remove flesh, which will come out in spaghetti looking strands reserving the shells. Drain the squash on a paper towel to soak up any excess liquid, then toss with half of the sauce. Place the spaghetti squash back into the 4 shells and place on a baking sheet.
- Top each with remaining sauce, 1 scoop ricotta cheese mixture, and a little mozzarella cheese.
- Bake in the oven for 20 - 30 minutes or until everything is hot and the cheese is melted.
Notes
This recipe is adapted from Skinny Taste.
joanne wood says
January 15, 2014 at 4:36 amthis looks delicious
Briana says
September 29, 2014 at 4:59 pmspaghetti squash lasagna
kelly says
November 5, 2014 at 3:49 pmThis is truly amazing! I just finished devouring it. I wasn’t expecting it to be quite that good. On my next menu for impressing company. WOW!
Barb Barton says
April 2, 2015 at 8:31 amMade this last night and my boys loved it. Even my picky eater enjoyed it! Thanks!!!
Echo says
April 4, 2015 at 9:38 pmThank you for sharing your success with this recipe. I have picky eaters too and I love it when I find something healthy they will eat.
Jane says
October 31, 2015 at 6:08 pmJust to confirm, are you using the whole 14oz can of tomatoes or 1/2 a can of 14oz tomatoes?
Erica says
November 2, 2015 at 9:30 amTypically the crushed tomatoes are 28oz… so you will use half of a can of the 28oz or 14oz total. Does that make sense?
Keith Krukowski says
January 13, 2018 at 3:46 pmAny calorie count on this with the chicken?
Carol Kuhlman says
January 14, 2018 at 1:17 pmPlease provide calorie count for recipes
Favorite Family Recipes says
January 16, 2018 at 10:04 amWe are currently working on adding these to all the recipes. Because we have over 1,000 recipes on our site, it may take a little while. Thanks for your patience!
Cris says
July 31, 2018 at 5:51 pmI made my own sauce and used ground lamb as a healthier alternative. I add egg to my ricotta to make it richer. Instead of returning the squash back to its vessel I halved the squash and layered it in a casserole dish so my little one would eat it. I’m all about healthy and child friendly recipes.
Favorite Family Recipes says
July 31, 2018 at 7:17 pmYum! Sounds delicious!
Emcee says
January 17, 2019 at 4:13 pmThanks for the suggestion of layering in a dish! I baked the spaghetti squash the night before to save time in making a weeknight meal, and saving the shells didn’t seem appealing. (Also used a jar of spaghetti sauce instead of making sauce.) The casserole dish worked perfectly, and everyone had seconds!
Carol says
August 20, 2018 at 2:07 pmI’m going to try this. Sounds delicious. But – sorry to be so dumb – do you eat the vessel?
Favorite Family Recipes says
August 22, 2018 at 10:11 amYou will want to scrape out the spaghetti and pulp as much as possible, but after doing so, you will have a thin “shell” that wouldn’t be very fun to eat. Most will prefer discarding the shell. Hope this helps!
D says
January 6, 2019 at 3:04 pmWhere is the recipe for the butt nut squash soup ? You put up a pin for the soup that is what a person is looking for when they click on your pin ..not a wild goose chase that starts with a recipe for lasagna ! If a person wants to make lasagna they would type in Lasagna . Way to go at wasting people’s time.
Favorite Family Recipes says
January 7, 2019 at 3:43 pmHi there- I am not sure what you are referring to. Was this a search on Pinterest? I went to our search bar and typed “butternut squash” and the first recipe that came up was the butternut squash soup. We have spent countless hours making our site as user-friendly as possible so you can find what you need and get cookin’– anyway- here is the recipe for the butternut squash soup: https://www.favfamilyrecipes.com/creamy-butternut-squash-soup/