Easy Italian Spaghetti Squash Casserole Boats
Easy Italian Spaghetti Squash Casserole Boats are an easy, cheesy weeknight dinner! Baked spaghetti squash mixed with gooey mozzarella cheese, marinara sauce, mushrooms, and sharp parmesan cheese, then seasoned and baked to perfection. It’s a great way to feel like you’re indulging, while you’re actually getting your vegetables!
I’m always looking for the next best recipe that will fit into my new healthy diet. It’s been a little tough finding that balance between foods I love, and foods I know I should be eating for my health. And these Easy Italian Spaghetti Squash Boats really hit the spot when I’m craving something cheesy and smothered in marinara sauce, but I just don’t have the calories left for an entire bowl of pasta.
And the best part is, these spaghetti squash casserole boats are loaded with veggies! Squash, mushrooms, tomatoes, and I even through some kale and green peppers in there for good measure. Plus, the serving size is huge, so you’re completely satisfied by the end of it!
A few years ago, a friend and I were on the weight watchers plan. I’m not on it anymore. But at the time, we were looking for something that was lower in calories, but still good enough to make for a girl’s night, so we wouldn’t be tempted to snack half way through the night. Which I’m kind of notorious for!
And that’s when we discovered this fantastic thing: spaghetti squash! It’s not exactly the same thing is spaghetti, but it’s still pretty darn delicious, and really nutritious for you. Plus, you get a HUGE portion, compared to the comparable amount of pasta. An entire half of the squash, plus all of the delicious, cheesy, out-of-this-world filling. And ever since then, I’ve been making spaghetti squash boats for my family, and they love them!
I’ve made spaghetti squash casserole in the past, and until recently this was one of my favorite dishes. But these easy italian spaghetti squash casserole boats are like that, but about a million billion times better. I love that there’s no big casserole dish to clean out when it’s over, and I’ve tweaked the recipe to include something else completely awesome, marinara sauce!
Did I mention that these are vegetarian? That’s right, no meat here. It’s Meatless Monday, folks. If you want to make them full-on vegan, feel free to use a dairy-free cheese of your choice.
And I’m serving these up to my family tonight, so I’ll be doubling the recipe to make sure everyone gets their own whole boat. It’s really a great dish for sitting around the table and enjoying everyone’s company, and talking about how our lives are going with work and daily activities. That’s what gets me the most excited about any recipe that I make, and I just feel like Italian food does it best. And I know everyone is going to LOVE these spaghetti squash casserole boats.
How To Make Easy Italian Spaghetti Squash Casserole Boats:
Now, these are pretty darn simple to make. Just cut your spaghetti squash in half (like above), and place them open-side-down on a baking sheet with just enough water to cover the surface of your pan. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until you can easily poke a fork through the squash.
Then you just take a fork and scoop out the insides, mix them together with all of the ingredients, put everything back into the shells, cover with remaining cheese and bake.
That’s it! Super easy, and super delicious. Personally, I like my veggies a little crunchy in my foods. But if you’re not a fan of that, you can saute them in a little bit of oil before adding to the mixture and baking.
Either way, your family’s going to love them!
Easy Italian Spaghetti Squash Casserole Boats
Ingredients
- 1 medium spaghetti squash
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup ricotta cheese, part skim
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped
- 1 cup mushrooms, chopped
- 1 cup marinara sauce, gluten free
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
Equipment
- baking sheet
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Place about 1 cup of water on baking sheet, or enough to just cover the bottom.
- Cut spaghetti squash in half and scoop out seeds. Place squash open-side-down on baking sheet. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until a fork goes through the squash easily. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
- Lower oven temperature to 350°F.
- Use a fork to remove insides of squash into a medium sized bowl. Stir squash together with ricotta cheese, salt, pepper, oregano, thyme, onion, mushrooms, marinara sauce, and half of the mozzarella.
- Place mixture evenly inside of each spaghetti squash shell. Top with remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
- Bake for additional 20-30 minutes, or until tops are golden brown and cheese is melted.
Notes
Nutrition
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This was yummy! I’ve never made spaghetti squash before and I’m not sure if it’s supposed to be soft or not when it’s done. My squash was on the larger side so maybe I should have cooked it longer.