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Spaghetti Squash Lasagna is a tasty, low-cal solution to your favorite Italian dinner. Each spaghetti squash half is loaded with marinara sauce, meat, and Italian cheese!
Table of Contents
- Ingredients for Spaghetti Squash Lasagna
- Homemade Sauce
- Health Benefits of Spaghetti Squash
- How to Make Spaghetti Squash Lasagna
- Tips for Making Easy Spaghetti Squash Lasagna
- Storing and Reheating Dinner
- Frequently Asked Questions
- More Delicious Light and Tasty Dinners to Try
- How to Make Spaghetti Squash Lasagna
- Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Recipe
This spaghetti squash lasagna is filling, delicious, and easy on the carbs! Spaghetti squash is such a versatile vegetable that is easy to make, and fun to add to dozens of different dishes. This lasagna recipe takes my love of spaghetti squash to a whole new level.
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. Fill it with meat, sauce, and cheese, and you’ll never even miss the pasta!
Ingredients for Spaghetti Squash Lasagna
Start off with a yellow spaghetti squash to start baking and add layers of sauce and cheese for this delicious dinner recipe!
- Spaghetti squash – Find solid, medium-sized spaghetti squash that are firm. Cut them in half lengthwise with a sharp knife. When cut open your squash it should be bright and yellow in color.
- Ricotta cheese – This has a mild and slightly nutty flavor to it. It is a creamy texture with some granules in it.
- Parmesan cheese – Several flavors are blended together making parmesan cheese come to life. Sprinkle the parmesan cheese on top.
- Parsley – Add in the Italian flavor with fresh parsley or dried parsley for extra seasoning.
- Mozzarella cheese – Thicker cheese with a more robust flavor. It is milky and soft-formed cheese. Shredded mozzarella melts together evenly and very nicely compared to other cheeses.
Homemade Sauce
Make this more of an Italian dish with a special homemade spaghetti sauce. It is simple to make and still on the light and tasty side. Just a few ingredients sautéed and then simmered together for another layer on the spaghetti squash.
- Olive oil – This will be used to sauté the onions and garlic in a large skillet.
- Onion – Finely chop the white or yellow onion for the sauce.
- Garlic – Minced garlic cloves is the perfect flavor in this spaghetti sauce.
- Italian sausage – Cook your sausage until it is browned and cooked through.
- Tomatoes – A can of crushed tomatoes can just be dumped into the pan. This makes for a simple ingredient!
- Basil – Fresh basil will add that beautiful fresh taste.
Health Benefits of Spaghetti 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! In addition to saving some calories, spaghetti squash provides several essential nutrients. These nutrients can help increase eye health, lower blood pressure, enhance blood circulation, help prevent heart disease, and aid in weight loss. When prepared correctly, your kids will love it too! Check out our post on How to Cook Spaghetti Squash Four Different Ways for some more delicious ideas.
How to Make Spaghetti Squash Lasagna
This is a simple spaghetti squash lasagna recipe all about layering! Spaghetti squash lasagna is similar to traditional lasagna, only with squash noodles instead. This is so simple to make and comes together quick and easy!
- Prepare squash – First, cut the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds and membrane. Season lightly with salt and black pepper. Then, bake for about 1 hour, or longer if needed on a baking sheet, cut side down.
- Combine cheese – In a small bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, and parsley.
- Making the sauce – 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. Next, add the sausage and cook, breaking it up into smaller pieces until browned and cooked through. Once cooked, add the crushed tomatoes and add salt and pepper to taste. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, adding fresh basil at the very end.
- Cooking squash – 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°.
- Squash noodles – When the spaghetti squash is cool enough to handle, use a fork to remove the 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 it with half of the sauce. Place the spaghetti squash back into the 4 shells and place them on a baking sheet.
- Layering – Top each with the remaining sauce, 1 scoop of 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.
Tips for Making Easy Spaghetti Squash Lasagna
This spaghetti squash lasagna is literally layers of deliciousness! You can’t go wrong with the spaghetti squash noodles, homemade tomato sauce, and all the cheeses combined. This is the best combination! Follow these tips and modifications to make this dinner just the way you like it!
- Protein – Substitute the sausage to ground beef for a more classic Italian lasagna taste, or ground turkey for a lighter dinner instead.
- Sauce – Use your favorite canned spaghetti sauce to save time. It may have more calories or even extra ingredients, but it will help make this quick while still retaining the flavor.
- Making “noodles” – Spaghetti squash is firm on the inside until it is baked or microwaved. This will give it a softened feel. Take a fork and slowly shred the squash inside in the middle. It should start to look like yellow strings or noodles. If it is hard to shred, the squash needs more time baking to soften it.
“I just made this for dinner and it is AMAZING! Love how quick and easy it was, especially the sauce. Thanks for the awesome recipe!”
–Erin
“I make this all the time, it’s my favorite way to eat lasagna now! Great recipe!”
Pat
Storing and Reheating Dinner
Spaghetti squash lasagna is perfect for reheating for another meal. Simply place the cooled spaghetti squash in an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days long. When ready to reheat, place in a baking dish and warm in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until it is warmed through and the cheese is melted again. You can reheat in the microwave, but the cheese may separate when warming up.
Frequently Asked Questions
Give the slices of squash a touch of salt, but not too much! Adding too much salt can cause the squash to get too watery as it cooks.
While you don’t want to overcook your spaghetti squash, you can undercook it too. The strands should be pleasantly al dente and not mushy, but they should not be crunchy or have a raw taste. Once the flesh pierces with a fork, your spaghetti squash is done cooking.
If you prefer the microwave, cut the squash in half lengthwise, scoop out seeds and fibers and place it on a microwave-safe dish and cover. Microwave for 8-9 minutes or until soft.
Yes! There are little to no ingredients that have gluten in them for this recipe. It is always best to double-check the sausage and make sure it doesn’t contain gluten as well as any other ingredients you feel may have gluten in them.
Once it is cooked, the spaghetti squash tastes very mild and sweet with a firm but soft noodle texture.
READ MORE: 35+ Easy Family Dinner Ideas
More Delicious Light and Tasty Dinners to Try
If you love this recipe, you’ll absolutely enjoy these other healthy meal options. Full of flavor, not on calories!
How to Make Spaghetti Squash Lasagna
Spaghetti Squash Lasagna
Ingredients
- 2 spaghetti squash small or medium
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup part skim ricotta cheese
- 2 Tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
- 1 Tablespoon chopped parsley or basil
- 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
For the sauce:
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1/2 onion finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 14 ounces Italian sausage you can use reduced fat or chicken sausage
- 14 ounces crushed tomatoes
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 Tablespoons 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 for about 1 hour, or longer if needed on a baking sheet, cut side down.
- 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 it 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 for 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.
- When the spaghetti squash is cool enough to handle, use a fork to remove the 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 it with half of the sauce. Place the spaghetti squash back into the 4 shells and place them on a baking sheet.
- Top each with the remaining sauce, 1 scoop of 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.
I’ve tried this with jarred sauce and it’s DELICIOUS! Thanks for the recipe!
I just made this for dinner and it is AMAZING! Love how quick and easy it was, especially the sauce. Thanks for the awesome recipe!
I make this all the time, it’s my favorite way to eat lasagna now! Great recipe!
Where 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.
Hi 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/
I’m going to try this. Sounds delicious. But – sorry to be so dumb – do you eat the vessel?
You 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!
I 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.
Yum! Sounds delicious!
Thanks 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!
Please provide calorie count for recipes
We 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!
Any calorie count on this with the chicken?
Just to confirm, are you using the whole 14oz can of tomatoes or 1/2 a can of 14oz tomatoes?
Typically the crushed tomatoes are 28oz… so you will use half of a can of the 28oz or 14oz total. Does that make sense?
Made this last night and my boys loved it. Even my picky eater enjoyed it! Thanks!!!
Thank 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.
This 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!
spaghetti squash lasagna
this looks delicious