Hey there! How has the first week of the year been treating you? I know I was so happy to get back to working out with Classpass after taking a bit of time off around the holidays. Hello sore muscles! I also kicked off the week on a healthy note with this grapefruit kale salad I made over the weekend. (Have you tried it yet?!) Did you make any New Years resolutions? For any of you who are trying to eat healthier in 2016, these lasagna stuffed spaghetti squash deserve a spot in your weekly dinner rotation. You’ve tried spaghetti squash, right? If not, you should definitely jump on the spaghetti squash trend this year! It’s simple to prepare and can be stuffed in any number of ways to make a healthy dinner.
These lasagna stuffed spaghetti squash are stuffed full with tomato sauce, ricotta cheese, artichoke hearts, olives, and sun dried tomatoes. Basically, I stuffed many of my favorite pizza toppings into these squash with some tomato sauce. π This is a great alternative to pasta which I know can sometimes be a too much of a go-to food in a vegetarian diet. The squash we picked up was pretty large, about 4 lbs, so a serving turned out to be 1/4 of the squash. However, you can likely adjust the serving size a bit depending on the size of the squash you buy.
If you make this lasagna stuffed spaghetti squash, let me know by tagging #dietitiandebbie on Instagram! I love seeing your tags!
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Need a healthy new dinner idea for the new year? This lasagna stuffed spaghetti squash is gluten free, vegetarian, and stuffed with delicious olives and artichokes.
Ingredients
- 1 (4 lb) spaghetti squash
- 1 1/2 cups pasta sauce (see sauce recipe below)
- 1/3 cup ricotta cheese
- 1 heaping cup fresh spinach
- 5–6 artichoke quarters, chopped
- 8–10 kalamata olives, chopped
- 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
- 4 ounces shredded mozzarella
- Pasta Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
- 1/3 cup chopped button mushrooms
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
- 1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 2 teaspoons harissa (optional – but highly recommended!)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Cut spaghetti squash in half lengthwise. Scrape out the seeds and discard. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray and lay spaghetti squash cut side down on the sheet. Bake for 45 minutes or until squash is tender when poked with a fork.
- Meanwhile, prepare the pasta sauce if you are making your own by heating olive oil in a medium saucepan. Add onion and mushrooms and cook for 5-7 minutes or until onion is translucent. Add the garlic and cook another minute.
- Stir in the tomato sauce, tomato paste, oregano, and harissa. Bring to a gentle simmer for 5-7 minutes.
- Pour sauce into a large mixing bowl and stir in ricotta cheese.
- Scrape the insides of the spaghetti squash with a fork. Scoop out the stringy insides and add to the bowl with the sauce/ricotta mixture. Add the spinach as well. Stir well to combine and then scoop back into the two halves of the squash, dividing evenly between the two.
- Evenly divide the artichokes, olives, and sun-dried tomatoes between the two halves of the squash. Then top with shredded mozzarella cheese, again dividing evenly between the two halves. Return the squash (cheese side up) to the 425 degree oven and bake another 15-20 minutes or until cheese has melted and squash is warmed through.
Notes
Short on time? Bake the squash ahead of time on the weekend and store in the fridge until ready to use. Also, you can skip the semi-homemade pasta sauce I made for this recipe and just use your favorite brand from the store.
Weβve made spaghetti squash many times, but itβs never been as good as when we baked it this way. Thanks so much for the idea!
★★★★★