Spaghetti Squash Casserole
I love the new "trend" of using squash as an alternative to pasta and/or noodles. Although we still love our regular pasta and noodles, again, it's nice to have the variety.
When you want something hearty but still light, try making this dish. I use our favorite jarred marinara sauce (Raos), making this a relatively simple dish (but feel free to make your own). The hardest part is making sure you cook the spaghetti squash ahead of time.
Spaghetti Squash Casserole
Ingredients:
1 small Spaghetti Squash
1 jar of favorite Marinara
1 pound of ground Turkey or Chicken
2-4 cloves minced Garlic
1 to 2 cups shredded Mozzarella
1/2 to 3/4 cup grated Parmesan
Directions:
Cooking the squash: Either bake or boil the squash. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and bake the whole squash (cutting several 1/2 inch slits to allow steam to escape) on a baking sheet, for about 1 and a half hours. Or, place squash in a large pot of water (it should float) and bring to a boil. Once it boils, lower the heat, cover and boil gently for about 50 minutes. I prefer the boiling method as I feel like it's less work.
While the squash is cooking, heat a little olive oil over medium heat in a big pot (I love my dutch oven). Add minced garlic and cook until fragrant, making sure not to burn. Next, add your ground meat and turn up heat to medium high. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper and cook through until liquid evaporates (or discard any liquid that forms from cooking the meat). Once cooked, add in the jar of marinara. Let it come to a simmer. Cover and continue to simmer on low for 15-20 minutes. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
If you baked the squash, let it sit for 15 minutes on the baking sheet. If boiled, let it rest in a colander in the sink (to let excess water drip out). Once cooled, cut the squash lengthwise and scoop out the seeds and discard. Next, using a fork, shred the squash until it forms noodle-like strands.
Add the shredded squash into the meat sauce and mix thoroughly.
Get a large baking dish and add half of the squash mixture to the bottom and spread evenly. Sprinkle on half of the mozzarella and parmesan. Add the rest of the squash mixture and top with the rest of the cheese. (You don't need to add all of the cheese. Just however much your family likes. Call us crazy, but we personally don't like too too much.)
Place inside a 350 degree oven and let it bake for about 30 minutes. Finish for 1-2 minutes under the broiler, until the cheese browns to your liking. Out of the oven, let it rest for about 15 minutes. This way, the liquid finishes absorbing and the casserole will hold together better when serving.
Enjoy!!
