All the flavors of a hearty spaghetti dinner packed into a tender, roasted spaghetti squash. These Stuffed Spicy Italian Spaghetti Squash Boats are the answer to comfort food made in a healthy way. A fork is all it takes to separate the pale orange strands of the gourd into vegetable noodles. It couldn’t be easier.
I love pasta. I wish I could eat it all the time! I get a kick out of reading the nutrition label on the pasta box and what they consider a serving size for a heck of a lot of calories. Let’s just say I’m not indulging in eating pasta as much as I did in my thirties or twenties.
Luckily, I’ve always loved squash of all kinds. I remember begging (as a kid) for every meal to include squash, especially zucchini. However, I also wanted every meal to include dessert, especially cake. So there’s that. Balance I guess.
Using spaghetti squash as a substitute for spaghetti noodles has been a gift. It lets me mimic and enjoy that hearty Italian dinner I’ve been craving and relieves so much of the my guilt when I accidentally eat too much pasta. I mean, it is always an accident, right?
After roasting the squash in the oven, it only takes a fork to get these spaghetti-like strands. A great time-saver is to roast your squash on the weekend and keep it in the fridge until your ready to use it. The squash is easily made into these strands even when it’s cold.
To save on calories I used ground turkey sausage and turkey kielbasa mixed into my marinara sauce. It’s totally flavorful, however, you can can use any combination of meat you choose. Ground beef, regular ground turkey, spicy Italian sausage…use whatever you have in the freezer to make your meat sauce.
How to Make Stuffed Spicy Italian Spaghetti Squash Boats
Ingredients
- 2 small spaghetti squash (about 3.5 lbs total)
- 1 package (13 oz) turkey Kielbasa or any other type of Kielbasa, sliced into coins
- 1 lb ground turkey sausage or any other ground meat
- 4 cups (24 oz) marinara sauce
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 4 oz shredded mozzarella cheese, plus extra for topping
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Directions
- Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 400°F. Cut the squashes in half lengthwise, scooping out the seeds. Lay the squashes cut-side down on a sheet pan and roast for about 40 minutes or until completely tender soft when poked with a fork. Transfer to a cooling rack until cool enough to handle.
- While squash is roasting, brown kielbasa over medium heat until each side is golden brown. Remove from pan. Add turkey sausage to the brown and cook until completely done and no longer pink. Add kielbasa back to the pan and stir in marinara sauce, cheeses and red pepper flakes. Keep on low heat until you finish preparing spaghetti squash.
- When squash is done roasting, use a fork to shred the inside of the each squash, leaving about a half-inch of squash left in the shell. Mix the shredded squash into the meat-marinara sauce.
- Divide the meat-squash mixture evenly into each of squash bowls. Sprinkle with more mozzarella cheese and place them in the broiler for a few minutes if a melty, bubbly, cheesy top is what you're after.
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Karen says
I made this dish last night and it was excellent! I cut the ingredients in half for 2 people. I used only the Keibasa, added a shallot, and some yellow and red pepper. I also used a spicy Arrabbiata sauce. Adding salt/pepper and a drizzle of olive oil on the inside of squash also adds favor to the squash. My husband and I loved it…I will be making it again very soon!! Keep up the great recipes!!
P.S. What is your favorite pickle brand? Mine is Clausen pickles 🙂
Cathy says
Glad you enjoyed it.
Lainie says
Looking forward to trying this recipe; sounds exciting.
Clausen pickles? yes, Hearty Garlic
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jenny says
Yum! This had me at spicy! I love spicy food.
Cathy says
Me too.
Baxter says
This looks absolutely delicious.. have to try it!
Cathy says
Thank you.
Christi says
I cannot wait to try this but I have a challenge. My husband loathes tomatoes. Anyone out there have any really cool suggestions to try with the spaghetti squash? Thanks!
Johnnie Williams says
Can the Spaghetti Squash boats be frozen?
Cathy says
Hmmm. I have never frozen spaghetti squash and I’m not sure how the texture is afterwards.
Arizona says
For Christi,
I often make spaghetti squash very simply with butter, guyere cheese, and fresh chopped parsley. Garlic salt finishes it. Delish. Perhaps you could add mini chopped heirloom tomatoes to yours and your husband can enjoy without tomatoes.