Lasagna Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

 Lasagna is a layered pasta dish typically containing noodles, a meat sauce and a cheese or bechamel sauce and it is topped with plenty of cheese and baked until golden brown and bubbling.

This lasagna stuffed spaghetti squash takes the basic components of lasagna including the meat sauce and the cheese layer and stuffs them into a spaghetti squash, which essentially replaces the noodles, and bakes them until the cheese has melted. Since this dish goes with healthy spaghetti squash instead of noodles I decided to keep things on the lighter side going with ground turkey for the meat and a low fat cottage cheese for the cheese layer. Even though this lasagna stuffed spaghetti squash is designed to be healthier it certainly does not sacrifice anything in the way of flavour! You will definitely not miss the noodles in this tasty lasagna!

Ingredients

FOR THE ROASTED SPAGHETTI SQUASH:

• 2 small spaghetti squash, cut in half and seeded
• 1 tablespoon oil
• salt and pepper to taste

FOR THE LASAGNA MEAT SAUCE:

• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
• 1 (15 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste (optional)
• 1 teaspoon italian seasoning or oregano
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon basil, chopped

FOR THE LASAGNA STUFFED SPAGHETTI SQUASH:

• 1 cup low fat cottage cheese or ricotta
• 1 tablespoon basil, chopped
• 1 cup partially skim mozzarella, shredded

Instructions

FOR THE ROASTED SPAGHETTI SQUASH:

1. Brush the inner flesh of the spaghetti squash with oil, season with salt and pepper and roast, skin side up, in a preheated 400F/200C oven until tender, about 30 minutes.

FOR THE LASAGNA MEAT SAUCE:

2. Meanwhile, cook the turkey, about 8-10 minutes, and set aside.
3. Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat, add the onion and cook until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
4. Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, and fennel and cook until fragrant, about a minute.
5. Add the turkey, tomatoes, tomato paste, italian seasoning, bay leaf, paprika, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the spaghetti squash is cooked and then mix in the basil and remove from heat.

FOR THE LASAGNA STUFFED SPAGHETTI SQUASH:

6. Fluff up some of the inside of each spaghetti squash half, divide the mixture of the cottage cheese and basil between them followed by the sauce and the cheese.
7. Broil in the oven until the cheese has melted and turned a light golden brown, about 2-3 minutes.

Option: Use ground beef or Italian sausage instead of ground turkey.
Option: Instead of making the sauce from scratch, use your favourite marinara or other tomato sauce.
Option: Add one 2 inch piece of parmesan rind to the sauce while it simmers.

Italian Seasoning

A quick, easy and tasty Italian seasoning blend or spice mix!

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoon dried oregano
• 2 tablespoon dried basil
• 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme
• 1 tablespoon dried marjoram
• 1 tablespoon dried sage

Directions

1. Mix everything.

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