Lasagna Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

Happy Monday Everyone! As usual I didn’t work on Friday and we didn’t have anything planned that night. Days like this are usually when I try something new for dinner, especially something that isn’t terribly unhealthy.  My husband is in charge of dinner Sunday through Tuesday, because those are the days I work, and his list of dinner options is pretty short. But hey, I’ll take it because it’s soo nice not to have to worry about dinner after being at the hospital for 13+ hours!  I also always try to incorporate something that James usually says he doesn’t like so I can convince him it’s not so bad.  A little back story on my husband: when I met him, and really to this day, he didn’t eat any vegetables. He claims corn and potatoes, but let’s get real…those are starch and DO NOT count!!  Hence, the reason I make things like this, to broaden his food horizons!

I had a spaghetti squash I knew I wanted to do something with, so I went to my dear friend Pintrest to gather some ideas. I then stumbled upon This recipe. Naturally, I didn’t have all of the stuff, but I had things I could substitute to make it my own. I hope you try it out and enjoy it as much as we did! Yep that’s correct, I said WE…This was husband approved and he would eat it again!!

Lasagna Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

1 Spaghetti squash
Olive oil
salt & pepper
1 lb Italian sausage (I actually used 1.3 lbs)
2 C Favorite pasta sauce (jarred or homemade)
1 Tbs Tastefully Simple’s Rustic Herb seasoning (you can use any italian seasoning blend)
1 C Cottage cheese (I had 2 4oz individual serving cups)
½ – 1 C Colby Jack cheese, shredded (mozzarella cheese would be great too // amount fluctuates depending on how much you want)
2 Tbs Parmesan cheese

Roasting the squash

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees. Wash spaghetti squash, cut off stem and slice squash lengthwise (I’ve found it easiest to cut all the way through if I place a partial cut on one side, then microwave it for 1-2 minutes). Scoop out the seeds and gunk. Brush with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and place, cut side down, on a foil lined cookie sheet. Roast for about 45 minutes, depending on squash size, or until inside is soft and easily “fluffs” with a fork. It will look like very tiny spaghetti noodles… The

Stuffing

While squash is roasting, brown Italian sausage in large skillet over medium heat. Remove sausage from the pan and set aside. If you are using a jar sauce, add that to the pan now and simmer.  If you have a simple homemade recipe, that’s great, just use the sausage pan to make it so you can use all of that flavor left in the pan! Once the sauce is heated through add the sausage back in.

Putting it all together

Once squash is tender and cooled slightly (I gave my daughter a quick bath and got her ready for bed while it cooled), use a fork to remove most of the center. As you can tell from my pictures below, next time I will leave a little more inside to help the squash hold their shape! Now we layer the fillings, much like you would a lasagna! Since there is still some squash on the bottom, I started with the italian sausage sauce, then the cheese mixture, and last a layer of the noodle…then Repeat the sauce and cheese layers. End with the cheese mixture and if you want sprinkle with more cheese if you think it needs its! Once you have them put together, turn on the broiler, put them back in and wait for the cheese to bubble and brown!