This is a weeknight meal that looks fancy but comes together with very little hands-on time!
Spaghetti squash and I used to be madly in love. I have never been a huge lover of pasta, so I was thrilled to find a lighter alternative during my weight loss days. We ate spaghetti squash all the time until….. some time in 2010 I got one that was bad. I cooked it and we didn’t notice until we sat down to dinner. The whole dish was just a little funky. Not rotten – just off. For the next few years my mind kept going back to that one squash and it didn’t seem appealing when I was meal planning or grocery shopping.
Then I bought one on a whim last year and realized how delicious normal squash is! So it returned to our menu again. This time fancied up with a super easy Bolognese. Those of you who are sticklers for definitions would probably argue that this isn’t “a slowly cooked sauce”… involving “several techniques, including sweating, sautéing and braising.” (Thanks Wikipedia.) You’re right – it’s the pretend version. So let’s carry on with a short-cut version in our minds involving beef, carrots, peppers and tomato sauce. Darn, if I’d only thought to use some red wine!
To begin, I roasted the squash (see instructions below) and used the skin as a little boat for the hearty sauce.
While the squash is roasting, chop your veggies – use in an onion if you like those kind of things
Brown your garlic, carrots and peppers in a medium stock pot over medium-low heat. Don’t let that garlic burn!
We used 85% lean grass-fed beef, but the leaner versions would be fine too. We also used some of our home-jarred tomato sauce, but store-bought is fine.
Add your meat and raise the heat a little. Brown it until it’s no longer pink. Spoon off any fat that you don’t want in your final sauce.
Add the tomato sauce…
And the Italian seasoning
And simma down. 5 minutes will do, but 20+ would be better.
Portion the sauce into the squash boats and top with parmesan cheese and fresh parsley.
The beauty of spaghetti squash is that it’s very low calorie for the amount you get to eat, but I still didn’t finish my whole boat!
Easy Spaghetti Squash Bolognese
Ingredients
- 1 spaghetti squash on the small side
- 1/2 lb ground beef
- 1/2 a bell pepper chopped
- 1 carrot chopped
- 1 quart tomato sauce homemade or store bought
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400*.
- Carefully cut your squash in half lengthwise and remove the seeds from the center.
- In a roasting pan, put squash cut-sides down and add a little water to cover the bottom. This will help steam the squash.
- Bake for 30-45 minutes, depending on the size of your squash. You’re looking for the flesh to be fork-tender all the way through and the strands to easily separate.
- Allow squash to cool until you can touch it.
- Use a fork to scrape the strands out of the squash, making the “spaghetti.” Leave in the squash boats and set aside.
- While the squash is cooling, prepare your sauce.
- Begin by prepping your veggies.
- Add cooking oil to a medium stock pot along with garlic, peppers and carrots. Cook for 3-5 minutes, until they begin to soften.
- Add meat and brown until no longer pink.
- Spoon off any fat.
- Add tomato sauce and seasonings.
- Simmer for a few more minutes and then serve in spaghetti squash boats.
- Garnish with fresh parsley and Parmesan cheese
- Read more at https://www.katheats.com/easy-spaghetti-squash-bolognese#zBqR9EPILt5Mgp5W.99
Bon appetit!
Linda @ TheFitty says
This is like pasta boat! I’ve tried this before with cheese on top. It was heavenly, but I wish I used grassfed beef as that would have taasted. So much better.
Elyse says
Since going gluten-free I haven’t tried this whole spaghetti squash as spaghetti yet, mainly because I associate spaghetti with not making me feel good, but this may just get me to try it. This looks fab!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
I love stuffing spaghetti squashes full of ALL the goodness 😉
Kaila @healthyhelperblog! says
Oh I was hoping you’d share this recipe when you featured it in a post earlier this week! I too LOVE putting carrots in my spaghetti sauce….they add such great sweetness! This looks delicious!
Erica says
I’m a sucker for anything spaghetti squash! I think I’ll try this recipe this weekend subbing my vegetarian ‘beef’ in it.
Amanda @ Life to Table says
I made Spaghetti Squash several years ago and my husband got sick too. Like vomiting sick, have no idea how it happened! Finally 4 years later, I was able to put it back on the menu! Totally going to try making these boats next!
Melissa @battleofmarathonblog says
I like your version! I just made spaghetti squash for the first time recently, and also loved how light it is. I ate a HUGE plate of “pasta” without any guilt. Score. NOT the easiest veggie to crack open, though, huh?
Do you have a homemade pasta sauce recipe you use? I’ve been on the hunt for one.
KathEats says
This is our go-to recipe!
https://www.katheats.com/favorite-foods/homemade-tomato-sauce-recipe
Melissa @battleofmarathonblog says
Awesome! Thanks 🙂
Tonya says
Very easy. Very pretty. Great recipe!
Kendal says
This looks great, I’ve always wanted to try spaghetti squash!
Life With Kendal
Amy @ SouthernMiles says
This looks so good!! I am adding this to the meal plan for next week, and I will definitely be including the wine 😉
Cheryl says
I microwave spaghetti squash all the time. I stab it with a knife, place the squash in a dish to collect the liquid, and cook for about 10 minutes (for the small-medium size that feeds 2 people nicely).
Also, the last one I bought wasn’t quite ripe and will still greenish when I cut it open… it was not as good
[email protected] says
Spag bol is ultimate comfort food! Yummy!
Jane says
I struggle to cut a raw spaghetti squash in half — any tips?
I’ve read suggestions to microwave it whole to soften it up but I’ve only had success roasting it whole for the first half of the estimated baking time, then cutting it in half (with oven mitts on since it’s hot) and baking it for the rest of the time that way.
KathEats says
I learned this trick a while back and always use it on giant squash: stab your knife into the middle and pull down to one side. Remove the knife, turn it around and stab in the middle and pull down to the other side. Then when you have 2 “almost all the way” cuts it’s easier to get your knife all the way in and get the last middle bit. Hope that made sense!
Lindsey says
I cook spaghetti squashes in the crock pot whole! I don’t remember the exact time (maybe 4-5 hours?). Much easier to cut it in half after it’s been cooked 🙂
Livi @ Eat, Pray, Work It Out says
This looks so good, I love spaghetti squash and this is a fun way to spice it up!
Ashley Barr says
That looks delicious and fresh!
Emily says
I love spaghetti squash! I make something similar but use spicy Italian sausage instead of beef. The spicy sausage helps offset the sweetness of the squash.
Christina @ The Beautiful Balance says
I love how easy this is to throw together and you don’t even have to shred all of the spaghetti squash!
Hannah Flack says
I found this recipe via pinterest and wanted to take the time to comment on this wonderful dish. Very easy to make, delicious flavours and easy to follow directions. I added 2 tbsp of sriracha sauce and found the spice level good for hubby and I, but a bit zippy for the kiddo’s (which can be easily fixed with less spice). Thanks so much for sharing your recipe.