Stuffed Spaghetti Squash Italiano

Stuffed Spaghetti Squash recipes
You know the feeling when you are looking for some specifically sized vegetable, but you find everything else except the exact thing you are looking for. When you make up your mind to find a few petite sized spaghetti squashes because you imagine to serve the darling little half globes as a Stuffed Spaghetti Squash Italiano filled with your favorite Italian meat sauce and topped with gooey Parmesan cheese…well lets just dream on because there was no petite squash in sight. Yes we went to not just one store, but at least four stores where we know they have the best produce in town and we could only find large oversized squash. It seemed like the vegetable trolls were against us and were laughing about our sizable dilemma. In this case bigger squash is not better, unless you are very, very hungry.

Stuffed Spaghetti Squash Italiano Recipe
As it happened to us on Friday morning, the day started with lovely Autumn like temperatures, and you have to agree our dear friends, is a call for celebration. Which meant that we can finally turn on the oven and bake something without melting the kitchen decor. The lovely crisp air evoked in us such a craving for fragrant oven roasted vegetables or baked pumpkin, that we immediately perused our fall recipes and thought that with spaghetti squash we could smoothly ease our way into the baking madness.

Spaghetti Squash ingredients
So once we made up our minds there was no turning back and so in just a little over an hour we dreamily feasted on our ridiculously delicious result “Stuffed Spaghetti Squash Italiano.” It tasted wonderfully comforting, nothing could ruin our enjoyment even that we had to cut each bowl in half. This recipe came about when we had leftover meat sauce and we decided to put a healthy spin to our favorite  dish “Spaghetti Bolognese.” We still occasionally indulge on whole wheat pasta but we could not resist trying the sauce this time with a delicious pasta replacement such as the nutty, sweet flavored spaghetti squash.

How to make Spaghetti Squash
This pale yellow oblong globed winter squash reveals lovely flesh after baking that you can separate with a fork and fluff into spaghetti like strands. Perfect substitution for pasta lovers who have diabetes, need to eat Gluten-Free, or wish to live a healthier low-carb life. Be adventurous and do try one if you have not already. It also makes a cute dish for Halloween night since it looks like a little spooky pumpkin.

Spaghetti Squash strands
If you are in the hurry you could cook your spaghetti squash in the microwave (we did it too a few times) however we love the sweet caramelized flavor when baked in the oven. We like to bake the squash upside down because the flesh caramelizes deeper. Feel free to bake an extra spaghetti squash we know you will love it.

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Stuffed Spaghetti Squash Parmesan Cook
The last time when we made this lovely stuffed Spaghetti Squash Italiano we had a friend over who said he would only eat the meat sauce over real pasta and for sure not in a squash bowl. We told him he can have a glass of wine if he will try a little of our Stuffed Spaghetti Squash Italiano. With a wine glass in hand he watched very carefully what we were putting into the sauce pot and oven, and pretty much said it that he does not like any kind of squash but will stay if we pour him another glass of wine and then will even try it. So much for our friends resolution no to have squash! He ended up liking the spaghetti squash so much that he even enjoyed a second helping of it. He said “what a delicious dish” and kept repeating “who would have thought, squash could taste so good.” Now you see how a good wine can make everything taste better!

Stuffed Spaghetti Squash Italiano
Stuffed Spaghetti Squash
Stuffed Spaghetti Squash Italiano is so easy to prepare and beside being healthy it is much faster to make then you think. For us this is what simple cooking and enjoying traditional flavors with healthy alternative is all about. We can’t even describe how satisfying the flavors are in this lovely Italian dish served in its own edible bowl (just don’t eat the shale). From the warm Parmesan cheese topping and the very tasty spicy tomato – meat sauce to the nutty butternut squash, it is so cozy and comforting just like a large warm wool shall.

Stuffed Spaghetti Squash Recipe

Stuffed Spaghetti Squash Recipe

Stuffed Spaghetti Squash Italiano

Judit + Corina
Course Main

Ingredients
  

  • 2 small or 1 large Spaghetti Squash - halved lengthwise and seeded
  • 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
  • pinch of Himalayan Salt
  • 1 small Yellow Onion - finely chopped
  • 2 clove Garlic - minced
  • 1 pound Italian Chicken Sausage - casings removed
  • 1/4 cup Italian red Wine like Sangiovese Chianti
  • 1 1/2 cups Tomato or Marinara Sauce
  • 1/4 tsp Himalayan Salt
  • Black Pepper to taste
  • Good pinch of Pepper Flakes
  • 1 tsp dried Oregano
  • 1 tsp dried or 4 fresh Basil leaves
  • 4 Vine Ripe Tomatoes - cut into pieces
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
  • 1/4 cup fresh Parsley - chopped

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
  • Wash squash and pat it dry. Place it on a Cutting board, and with a sharp large knife cut lengthwise. With a spoon remove seeds. Brush flesh with a little olive oil ( about 1/4 Tbsp) and sprinkle with Himalayan salt.
  • Bake squash halves cut side down on a parchment lined baking sheet for about 30 minutes, or until tender. Let it cool for about 10 minutes. With a fork scrape and fluff the flesh into spaghetti like strands.

For the Tomato Meat Sauce

  • In the meantime heat the rest of the olive oil in a sauce pan over medium high heat. Add the onions, garlic and sautee for a few minutes until onions become translucent.
  • Add the sausage and with the wooden spoon break up the meat into small pieces and cook for 10 minutes
  • Pour in the wine and tomato sauce. Season with salt, pepper, pepper flakes, oregano, basil and stir well. Continue to simmer for 15 more minutes.
  • Place the squash halves onto a parchment paper lined baking tray or in a fireproof glass dish and spoon meat filling evenly into the shells. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and bake uncovered for 20 minutes or until the top is lightly browned. To serve sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley.

Nutrition

Serving: 4g
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

 

Diet: Gluten-Free, Diabetic Friendly, Low-carb

Glamorous Pairing: 2012 Rusack Sangiovese – from the hillsides of Santa Barbara County’s Ballard Canyon vineyard. Smooth well balanced wine, with lovely berry and spice aromas. Ripe fruit flavors of plum, raspberries and dark cocoa make you wish to asking for more. Sangiovese is the main grape in Italy’s Chianti region and if you can find a nice bottle of Chianti it would be a delicious pairing with the Stuffed Spaghetti Squash Italiano too.

Winter Squash Spaghetti SquashJudit Corina

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    1. Thank you Lorraine, we are glad you like the recipe and design! Yes, we love the caramelized flavors you get from baking the squash and even made this Stuffed Spaghetti Squash Italiano again today topped with a tomato sauce and meatballs. It was a very rare cold rainy day just right for a warm comforting dish.

  1. Wonderful new blog layout, Girls! Love it! I also love what you’ve done with this squash. Every time I see a recipe with this sexy vegetable I’m impressed and wish I could get it over here in the UK. I’m sure I could somewhere, but I don’t think it’s available in any supermarket. It’s so clever that you’ve left the flesh in the veggie ‘bowl’ and treated it like regular spaghetti with those beautiful traditional toppings. 🙂

    1. Thank you Helen, we are happy you like the new design! We have been in a squash mood lately and have been cooking with so many different varieties. Hopefully you will find spaghetti squash someplace in a local store in the UK too or we may need to take it in our carry-on luggage on our next trip to Europe and send it to you…. 😉

  2. says: Brenda V.

    I have to try this Spaghetti Squash and it looks so good. I usually just get butternut and overlook this type of squash since I haven’t really cooked with it before. Thanks for the inspiration and the gorgeous photos.

  3. says: Eva Taylor

    Spaghetti squash is definitely one of my favourites but I can honestly say that I’ve never seen the really small ones, they would make a beautiful serving at a dinner party. I love the Italian flavours you’ve combined in this beautiful fall dish.

  4. says: Juliana

    Oh! I love how you presented this stuffed spaghetti squash…what a beautiful presentation…and yes, they look delicious!
    Have a great week 🙂

  5. says: Hotly Spiced

    I’ve seen spaghetti squash in the stores but not bought it. I know of a lot of bloggers who have used it to make ‘spaghetti’ and they all say how good it is. I have not seen the spaghetti served in the squash before so this is lovely and I think the presentation is gorgeous xx

    1. Thank you Hotly Spiced! We love serving the spaghetti squash in the shell since we want to make sure not to miss any bite of this tender squash and it looks more festive, especially near Halloween and Thanksgiving.

  6. says: Kevin D

    This looks so good I want to take a big bite right now! Getting the Italian dinner experience with out all the carbs is great.

  7. says: Karen (Back Road Journal)

    We love spaghetti squash with meat sauce. I really like the idea of putting the squash back into the shell and baking it…it makes a nice presentation.

  8. says: Joanne

    It often happens to me that when I head to the grocery store I can not find the particular thing that I want, and then the next week when I go and don’t need it anymore – there it is in front of me! Murphy’s law, I guess.

    Looks like you made do with these bigger squash though! And they look great.

    1. We are glad you like it Kelly and hope you get to try it soon. The best thing about the spaghetti squash is that is has so much good fiber and Vitamin C plus it is very tasty.

  9. says: Samantha

    How cute is this! Your stuffed spaghetti squash looks like it would be so much fun to serve on Halloween or any time for that matter.

  10. says: Maria

    Beautiful photos, Jusit and Corina! Thank you for this delicious inspiration it will be just the perfect dish to make for my weekend progressive dinner.

  11. Haha! I know exactly what you are talking about! For the longest time we had cute, small spaghetti squashes and just when I finally got around to photographing my stuffed squashes, I could only find gargantuan ones! Yours look perfect! Your filling looks so delicious, I am sure I wouldn’t fight you if you put a large one in front of me!!!

    1. The same happened to us 2 years ago when we first made this recipe. We tried to find nice small once with perfect skin and we could only find large once with weathered skin. Now you will get a good laugh, yesterday we planed to make spaghetti squash salad and so a large one would have been perfectly fine, but in the store basket there were the prettiest little pale yellow globes we could ever find. 🙂

  12. says: Beverly

    What a neat way to serve spaghetti squash and I love the idea of an alternative to pasta so that I can have more variety. The tomato sauce looks so divine too and great for a weekday dinner.

  13. Looks ‘loverly’ as Liza Doolittle would say. I agree that cooking the squash by baking really does caramelize it in comparison to the microwave. Microwaving the squash is only for time crunch time in my book. Would make a fun dish for a little homey get together.

    1. We try not to use the microwave at all, but alas sometime there is just not enough hours in a day. A “little homey get together” sounds good specially wit a comforting a “loverly” (l Thank you Carol, love this word) dish what is easy to prepare.

  14. says: marcie

    I absolutely love spaghetti squash, and have one in my pantry right now. This needs to happen very soon! It looks so delicious and comforting. 🙂

    1. We are adore it so much that we could eat it almost every day. It is so hard to resist not to eat it right out of the shell when you take it out the oven and the warm sweet aromas tickling your nose.

    1. Thank you Manali! The vegetarian version sounds delicious and we did make it before. We filled the globes with a black bean & quinoa chili like sauce instead of a meat sauce. (oh yes we have to post that recipe soon too)
      J+C

  15. I love the idea of making spaghetti squash! It’s something that I’ve always wanted to try, but just haven’t gotten around to doing. This dish looks incredible! Thanks so much for the helpful tip.s Love the chicken in here, too. Pinned!

    1. Thank you kindly for the Pin, Gayle! Hope you get to try spaghetti squash soon, you will be not disappointed. If you prefer you can bake it as a whole and cut open later, we found that baking in halves with cut sides down taste even more sweeter.
      J+C

  16. says: Livia

    Love this low carb version of one of my favorite Italian dishes. Great way to serve it for company.
    Thank you 🙂

  17. says: Marcella

    This Stuffed Spaghetti Squash Italiano looks so fun and tasty. I think it is a nice treat for Halloween too and I am now thinking to make it for a few friends. They really like red wine and usually bring a bottle so it will go very well with the dinner.

  18. says: Liz

    I’ve used spaghetti squash in place of pasta, but the lovely way you served yours is an inspiration! It would be great fun for company!

  19. I’m trying to eat low carb when I can, and this looks SO GOOD! I have to try this very soon. I like that you baked at the end. The gooey cheese and everything will come together and use the squash as a bowl. Brilliant! 😀 Now I’m hungry….

    1. Thank you Nami, and we could never imagine that eating low carb would be so delicious! You can also prepare ahead and bake it for the lovely gooeyness just before serving. We love dishes that taste even better if prepared in steps.
      J+C