Sausage Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti squash is one of my favorite fall foods and I’m always anxious to get a few of them in my kitchen. Besides the magic trick of easily making spaghetti out of squash, I actually just like the flavor of the squash. It’s slightly sweet and pairs well with big flavors like the the Italian sausage and cheese in this stuffing.

Stuffing spaghetti squash with what I’d traditionally serve with normal spaghetti seemed like a good idea and it worked better than expected. You could leave the cheese out but I’m always game for a little melty cheese action.

This is a surprisingly fast meal to make since you can just microwave the squash to get it ready to stuff while you make the filling and then it only needs about 15 minutes in the oven to finish baking.

If you’re pressed for time, you can make this stuffed spaghetti squash entirely in advance and then just pop it in the oven to reheat it before serving.

Sausage Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

Print Pin

No ratings yet

Author: Nick Evans

Servings: 4 Servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes minutes

This lightened up version of spaghetti and Italian sausage is baked right in a spaghetti squash! Make it in advance and dinner is ready in minutes.

Ingredients 

• 2 medium spaghetti squash, microwaved
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound hot Italian sausage
• 1 cup diced white onion
• ½ cup chopped roasted red peppers
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ cup marinara sauce
• ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
• 6 ounces mozzarella cheese, cubed
• Fresh parsley, garnish
• Salt and pepper

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. To prepare squash, cut in half through the stem. Poke a few holes in the skin of each half with a fork. Place on a microwave safe plate and microwave spaghetti squash, cut side down, for 10 minutes on high. Let squash cool for a few minutes. IT will be very hot!
• For filling, add olive oil to a medium skillet over medium heat. Add sausage and cook for 5-6 minutes, breaking up sausage as it cooks. Then add diced onion, roasted red pepper, garlic, marinara, and fennel seeds. Stir to combine and cook for a few minutes until veggies soften slightly. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• When spaghetti squash are cool enough to handle, use a fork to mix up the flesh of the squash, making spaghetti strands. Leave some of the squash flesh on the exterior. Mix ¼ of the sausage filling and ¼ of the mozzarella cubes into each spaghetti squash.
• Place stuffed squash on a baking sheet, cut-side up. Bake for 15 minutes.
• Garnish squash with fresh parsley and serve while hot.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.5Squash | Calories: 683kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 46g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 19g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 115mg | Sodium: 1457mg | Potassium: 1020mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 1177IU | Vitamin C: 25mg | Calcium: 362mg | Iron: 4mg

Course: Main Dishes

Cuisine: Italian

Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

You could stuff this spaghetti squash with a huge range of filling, but I kept it pretty simple with this version: Hot Italian sausage, onion, roasted red pepper, garlic.

Once the sausage is cooked and the veggies softened, I also added some marinara sauce and fennel seed to the mix.

When it comes to the squash, you have two options. Either A) Roast them for like 45 minutes or B) just stick them in the microwave for 10 minutes. To microwave them, cut them in half and microwave them cut-side down. Poke a few holes in the skin and remember that they will be VERY hot when they come out. Let them cool before you try to do too much.

When they are cool enough to handle, you can scrape up some of the spaghetti squash.

I like to scrape up about half of the squash in each half and mix that with the filling, plus some cheese. Leave a good amount of the squash in the bowl also to give the bowl some integrity while baking and also eaters can scrape it up on their own as they eat.

These only need about 15 minutes in the oven to bake. Everything is already cooked and hot. It just blends the flavors!

Garnish with fresh parsley and you are in business!

This sausage stuffed spaghetti squash should be on your fall menu for sure!