This may be a little premature, but fall is almost here! Fall is one of my favorite times of the year for cooking because of all the delicious fall produce, including squash! Spaghetti squash is a new favorite of mine and this recipe is absolutely amazing! Spaghetti squash can still be hit or miss this time of year, but I was able to find them at my local Sprouts market (not at Trader Joe’s).
This recipe is AMAZING for a few reasons. 1) It’s a spin on pizza, my favorite food. 2) It’s really, really delicious and also really healthy 3) If you’re following the 21 Day Fix or Shift Shop nutrition plan, it doesn’t take up any of your precious yellow (aka carb) containers! A few fun facts about spaghetti squash: it has just 31 calories per cup, is rich in the B vitamins riboflavin, niacin, and thiamin, contains plenty of folate and also has omega-3 and omega-6 fats.
I do have to warn you that this is a pretty time intensive recipe. I’d recommend making it on a weekend evening or a night when you can start cooking at least 1.5 hours before you want to eat.
Spaghetti Squash Pizza Bake
Ingredients
- 1 large spaghetti squash
- 1 pound Italian turkey or chicken sausage
- 1/2 yellow onion – diced
- 2 cloves garlic – minced
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped (optional)
- 1 zucchini squash, chopped (optional)
- 1 cup pizza/marinara sauce of choice (no sugar added, low sodium)
- 1 teaspoon basil or Italian seasoning
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 egg, whisked
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
- Optional: add anything you like on your pizza: other veggies, more meat, even more cheese if your feeling wild! For a vegetarian spin, you could try using tempeh or a meat-free sausage instead of sausage.
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Cut spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and rub 1 tsp olive oil over the flesh. Place spaghetti squash cut side down on a baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes. (I like to microwave the squash or about 5-8 minutes first to get it soft enough to cut – this also reduces the baking time). You’ll know the squash is done when you can easily scrape the outside and noodles flake out. If it’s still tough, cook longer.
- Once squash is done cooking, remove ‘noodles’ and place in an 9×13 greased baking dish. While the squash is cooking, start on step 5.
- Reduce oven heat to 350 degrees.
- Place a large pan over medium heat. Sauté the onion and garlic and then add the chopped bell pepper and zucchini. I used basically pre-cooked organic chicken sausage which doesn’t require a lot of cooking time (and I just slice it, not crumble), but if you’re using raw sausage: remove Italian sausage from skin and place in the pan. Cook until no pink remains in the sausage and it is broken up into pieces.
- Add pizza/marinara (I just used spaghetti sauce) sauce, basil and salt and pepper to the pan and mix well.
- Add sausage mixture to the 9×13 dish and mix well with spaghetti squash ‘noodles’.
- Lastly, add the egg to the baking dish and mix everything together until you can no longer see the egg.
- Place in oven and bake for 30-45 minutes or until the top of the mixture forms a slight crust . Add the cheese just a few minutes before it’s done.
- Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Makes 6 servings
21 day Fix or Shift Shop Container Count:
1 serving counts as 1 Green, 1 Red, and 1 Blue
Have you ever cooked with spaghetti squash? Do you love pizza as much as I do? What are your favorite pizza toppings?
Yum! This looks awesome. I’ve made a similar Southwest variation with spaghetti squash using taco seasoning with ground turkey, black beans, peppers, onions, and Monterrey Jack cheese. I can’t wait to try the pizza version ?
I used to use spaghetti squash as a substitute for actual pasta all the time, but them my husband decided he needed more carbs in his life so we switched to rice noodles 🙂
I would eat pizza every single day if I could. I make my own crust in my breadmaker (on the dough setting) and always brush the crust with olive oil before adding the sauce and toppings. As far as toppings, I will eat pretty much anything on my pizza. I prefer to eat it with a fork and knife as well. And I always save the crust until the end and drizzle honey over it.
What a unique way to use spaghetti squash! I never know what to do with mine except make noodles. Thanks for sharing this idea!!
I have never cooked spaghetti squash but have been wanting to try it. This looks a great recipe to try.
Have you considered put a Pinterest button on your blog? I would love to pin this recipe.
I love to make spaghetti squash bake too. I add spinach and veggie crumbles
This looks delicious! And who knew spaghetti squash was packed with so many nutrients? Yum!
It has been far too long since i used spaghetti squash! WHAT HAVE I BEEN DOING???
This looks delicious! I love spaghetti squash!!!
so good!
Yum! This looks so good! I pinned it and can’t wait to try it! xo
Awesome! It’s so good, let me know what you think!