Best Italian Spaghetti Squash Recipes

ITALIAN SAUSAGE SPAGHETTI SQUASH

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place squash, cut sides down, on baking sheet.
• Bake squash in the preheated oven until it starts to soften, about 25 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and continue baking until easily pierced with a knife, about 25 minutes more. Remove from the oven and cool until easily handled.
• Cook sausage in a large skillet over medium heat until browned, about 5 minutes; remove from skillet. Add onion, celery, and carrot to the skillet; cook and stir in sausage drippings until starting to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir cooked sausage, diced tomatoes, chicken broth, tomato paste, and garlic into the skillet. Simmer sauce until flavors combine, about 15 minutes.
• Use a fork to scrape insides of squash into spaghetti strands. Transfer strands to a 9x13-inch casserole dish. Spoon sauce over strands and stir to combine. Cover with mozzarella cheese.
• Bake in the preheated oven oven until bubbly and golden brown, about 25 minutes.

ITALIAN CHICKEN PESTO WITH SPAGHETTI SQUASH

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Sprinkle squash with Italian seasoning and place upside-down on a rimmed baking tray. Add about 1 inch of water.
• Bake in the preheated oven until tender, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes; strands of squash should easily pull away when scraped with a fork.
• Heat a large skillet or wok over medium heat. Cook and stir sausage, uncovered, in the hot skillet until mostly browned and crumbly, about 10 minutes. Stir in broccoli and bell pepper. Reduce heat to low and add squash strands. Sprinkle basil, rosemary, and Italian seasoning, on top and drizzle with olive oil. Stir in 2 big spoonfuls of pesto, adding more to taste, followed by sun-dried tomatoes. Let simmer over low heat for 2 to 5 minutes. Serve.

ITALIAN SPAGHETTI SQUASH

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Pour water in baking dish and place halved squash cut-sides down in the dish.
• Bake squash in preheated oven until a fork pierces the skin very easily, about 45 minutes. Let squash cook while preparing remainder of recipe.
• Melt butter with olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute onion in hot butter until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and continue to saute until fragrant, about 1 minute more. Pour diced tomatoes over the onion mixture; season with basil. Place a cover on the skillet, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook at a simmer until the tomatoes are soft, about 30 minutes; season with salt and pepper.
• Once squash is cool enough to handle, use a fork to strip flesh from the skin in strands. Stir squash and Parmesan cheese into tomato mixture. Replace cover on skillet and cook until squash is heated through, 5 to 10 minutes more. Sprinkle additional Parmesan cheese over the dish to serve.

SPAGHETTI SQUASH WITH ITALIAN SAUSAGE, BROCCOLI, AND SAGE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Brush olive oil over spaghetti squash halves; place on a baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until skin is easily pierced with a fork, about 30 minutes.
• Start frying sausage in a large skillet when squash has 5 minutes left to bake. Remove squash from the oven and let cool. Add broccoli, mushrooms, onion, garlic, and sage to the skillet with the sausage; cook and stir until onion softens, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Scrape insides of squash into spaghetti strands with a fork. Stir into the sausage mixture until well combined. Season with garlic salt, salt, and pepper. Shave Pecorino Romano cheese on top.

ITALIAN SPAGHETTI SQUASH

Steps:

• Halve squash lengthwise; discard seeds. Fill with tomatoes and mushrooms; sprinkle with seasonings. Place in an oval 7-qt. slow cooker, tilting 1 slightly to fit., Cook, covered, on low until squash is tender, 6-8 hours. Sprinkle with cheese. Cook, covered, on low until cheese is melted, 10-15 minutes. To serve, cut each half into 2 portions.

ITALIAN-STYLE SPAGHETTI SQUASH

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Prick squash skin all over. Rub cut sides of the halved garlic over the flesh. Lightly brush each squash half with some olive oil. Place cut side-down in a 3-quart baking dish.
• Bake in the preheated oven until tender, 45 to 60 minutes. Let cool until easily handled. Separate the squash flesh into strands using a fork. Leave strands in the shells.
• Divide mozzarella cheese between the shells. Toss lightly. Press mixture up the sides of the shells.
• Combine remaining olive oil, tomatoes, pine nuts, green onions, basil, and minced garlic in a bowl. Divide tomato mixture between the shells. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top. Return squash halves to the baking dish.
• Continue baking until filling is heated through, about 20 minutes.

SPAGHETTI SQUASH WITH ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND SAUTEED VEGGIES

Steps:

• Pierce squash all over with the tip of sharp knife. Put in a microwave-safe dish and microwave 15 minutes on high, or until slightly soft. Let cool 10 minutes or until cool enough to handle, then cut in half crosswise, scoop out and discard seeds. Flesh will be in long spaghetti-like strands.
• Scoop squash into large bowl and season with butter, parsley, oregano, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. This stage alone yields a delicious side dish.
• While squash cooks and cools, make your sausage and peppers.
• Slice red bell pepper and red onion into lengthwise strips. You may need to cut the pepper strips in half to be fork-size.
• Heat 1 T olive oil in a large non-stick pan over med-high heat. Squeeze sausage out of casings in little meat balls and fry until browned and cooked through. You may need to do this in two batches depending on the size of your pan. Remove sausage and set aside to keep warm.
• Toss peppers and onions into pan. Cook until softened. You may need to add a bit more oil, or a few tablespoons of wine to deglaze the pan. When vegetables are about 2 minutes away from being done, add minced garlic to pan and heat till fragrant. Then return sausage to pan and add several handfuls of spinach. Toss to coat spinach until just wilted and sausage is reheated.
• Serve immediately over prepared squash. If you can tolerate dairy, I'm sure fresh parmesan would be great, but it was already delicious without it.

SPICY ITALIAN STUFFED SPAGHETTI SQUASH #RAGU

Steps:

• Preheat Oven to 400.
• Split clean, dry Spaghetti squash long ways and clean, removing all seeds. I like to use a large spoon for this.
• Oil liberally with olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.
• Place cut side down and roast 45-60 minutes until just tender enough to fluff with a fork. Time will vary depending on size of squash.
• While squash is roasting, work on dicing vegetables and brown Italian sausage.
• Once sausage is browned add in half of the butter and the entire onion. Cook until tender.
• Add in garlic, zucchini, and Ragu Spicy Italian Sauce and simmer until all veggies are tender.
• Season with chopped oregano, salt and pepper to taste.
• Once roasted squash is tender, drag a fork from edge to edge just enough to loosen the flesh from the skin. Divide the Ragu ,mixture between the two halves. Sprinkle crumbled goat cheese evenly between the two pieces.
• In a small bowl, melt remaining butter and add in bread crumbs. Sprinkle evenly on top of the two pieces or squash, careful to cover Ragu mixture.
• Place back into oven and bake for 15 minutes or until the breadcrumbs are nicely golden brown.
• Allow to cool 5 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

ITALIAN TURKEY AND SPAGHETTI SQUASH CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Halve squash lengthwise; scoop out seeds. Place squash, cut sides down, in a large baking dish and prick skin all over with a fork. Bake until tender, about 30 to 40 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cook turkey with season salt and pepper, stirring occasionally, in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until browned, about 5 minutes. Drain, remove from skillet and set aside.
• In same skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and stir-fry until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in diced tomatoes and Italian seasoning; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; add cooked turkey and simmer, stirring often, until desired consistency, about 5 minutes.
• Place ricotta cheese and egg in a food processor or blender and puree until smooth.
• Coat a 9-inch glass pie plate with cooking spray. Remove squash from oven and increase oven temperature to 375 degrees.
• Using a fork, carefully rake stringy squash pulp from shell, separating it into strands that look like spaghetti. Arrange spaghetti squash strands in bottom and up sides of pie plate to form a crust.
• Add ricotta cheese mixture and gently spread over squash.
• Pour tomato-turkey sauce over cheese mixture and sprinkle with mozzarella.
• Bake for 20 minutes.
• Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes before dividing into six servings.

ITALIAN SAUSAGE SPAGHETTI SQUASH

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut open a spaghetti squash and remove seeds.
• 2. Place halves on a cookie sheet. Brush the inside with olive oil.
• 3. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• 4. Turn them face down in the pan and bake for 40 to 45 minutes.
• 5. While the squash is cooking, work on the filling. Add the ground beef and sausage to a large skillet. While it's cooking, break apart the sausage. Brown until the meat is completely cooked.
• 6. Remove the meat to a paper towel-lined plate.
• 7. In the same pan, cook the zucchini and mushrooms in the meat juices until tender (about 5 minutes).
• 8. Turn off the heat and return the meat to the pan with the veggies.
• 9. Next, add the garlic and herb pasta sauce. Mix together carefully.
• 10. When the squash is cooked, remove it from the oven. Use a fork to pull the spaghetti strings from its shell (be careful not to damage the shells).
• 11. Add the squash to the pan with the meat and veggie sauce and mix together carefully. Cook at medium heat for about 10 minutes until the mixture is heated through.
• 12. Turn off the heat and add 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese to the pan. Fold it into the filling.
• 13. Use a slotted spoon to fill the squash shells with the meat and veggie filling.
• 14. Reduce the oven temp to 350. Sprinkle the halves with the remaining cup of Parmesan.
• 15. Bake for 10 to 15 min and serve directly from the shells.

ITALIAN SPAGHETTI SQUASH BOATS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
• Place the spaghetti squash halves cut side down in a rectangular baking dish. Add water to come up 1 inch in the pan.
• Bake for 40 minutes or until squash is tender.
• Using a fork, remove most of the flesh of the squash, leaving the shells behind.
• In a large pan heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Place the turkey sausage in the pan and cook, breaking up the meat with a spatula, for 5-7 minutes or until cooked through.
• Add the marinara sauce and spaghetti squash into the pan; season to taste with salt and pepper and stir to combine.
• Cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the sauce is warmed through.
• Preheat the broiler. Divide the spaghetti squash mixture between the two shells and sprinkle the cheese over the tops.
• Broil for 3-5 minutes or until cheese is melted and browned. Watch carefully so that it doesn't burn!
• Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve.

SPAGHETTI SQUASH ITALIAN STYLE

Steps:

• Cut the squash in half lengthwise and remove seeds.
• Place cut sides down in a glass baking dish.
• Add 1/4 cup water and cover with plastic wrap.
• Microwave on high for 8-10 minutes until tender; cool.
• In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoons of oil.
• Add the onion and cook until translucent.
• Add the zucchini and cook for 4-5 minutes until the zucchini begins to brown.
• Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper.
• Reduce the heat; simmer gently for 10 minutes.
• Using a fork, scrape the squash strands into a bowl.
• Toss with the remaining oil.
• For presentation you can do two things.
• Just toss the squash with the cooked vegetables and sprinkle with cheese or as recommended in the book: Mound the squash in the center of 4 pasta bowls.
• Spoon the vegetable mixture around the squash.
• Drizzle with more oil if desired, and garnish with parmesan cheese.
• Add the lemon slices.

SKINNY ITALIAN BULGUR MEATBALLS WITH SPAGHETTI SQUASH

Steps:

• Halve squash crosswise; remove seeds. Place squash, cut sides down, in a microwave-safe 2-quart rectangular baking dish. Add 1/3 cup of the water. Cover with vented plastic wrap. Microwave on 100% power (high) for 13 to 15 minutes or until squash is tender when pierced with a fork. (If your microwave does not have a turntable, turn squash once for even cooking.) Drain squash. Set aside until cool enough to handle.
• Meanwhile, in a large microwave-safe bowl, combine the remaining 1/3 cup water and the bulgur. Microwave on 100% power (high) for 1 minute; do not drain. Cool slightly.
• Stir egg product, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper into bulgur mixture. Add ground turkey or beef; mix well. Shape mixture into 24 meatballs. Place in a microwave-safe 2-quart square baking dish. Cover with vented plastic wrap. Microwave on 100% power (high) for 4 minutes, rearranging once; drain off liquid.
• Pour tomatoes over meatballs. Cover with vented plastic wrap. Microwave on 100% power (high) for 1 to 3 minutes more or until meatballs are no longer pink in centers (165°F).*
• Rake the squash pulp out of the shell and separate the squash pulp into strands. Serve meatballs over spaghetti squash. Sprinkle with basil, cilantro, or green onion.

ITALIAN SPAGHETTI SQUASH CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a large skillet, start browning ground beef and Italian sausage on medium-high heat, breaking meat into smaller pieces with wooden spoon. Drain excess fat.
• Add in salt, pepper, garlic powder, red pepper flakes and stir until meat is cooked through. Add in tomato paste and vegetable stock and mix until evenly incorporated. Add in tomato puree, sweetener, dried oregano and basil. Let cook and stir occasionally for about 10 minutes. Add in spaghetti squash and stir until incorporated.
• In a medium sized casserole dish, spread out half of the mixture on the bottom of the pan. On top, layer the mozzarella, parmesan and half of the pepperoni. Add remaining squash and meat mixture on top. Top with remaining pepperoni and reserved mozzarella.
• Cover with foil and place into oven for 45 minutes. Take out of oven and remove foil, change oven to broil and broil until cheese is bubbly and golden brown. Usually 2-5 minutes. Let rest for at least 10 minutes.