Written by: Amanda Bosch, Intern
15 servings
Total time: 1hr 15min -1hr 30min
Ingredients:
- 1 spaghetti squash
- 1 ½ jars of marinara sauce of choice (recommend a low sugar added variety)
- 1 lb. lean ground beef, pork, or turkey
- 16 oz. low-fat cottage cheese
- 2 cups low-fat mozzarella cheese
- 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
Directions:
- Roast a spaghetti squash by (1) preheating oven to 400 degrees (2) cutting squash in half and scraping out seeds (3) putting squash face down in a baking dish with a little water in the dish and cook for 30 - 45 min.
- While squash is roasting, brown the ground beef on the stove. Drain the fat. Add a tsp. of Italian seasoning and the marinara sauce and simmer for a few minutes.
- When the squash is done, turn the oven down to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 11 baking dish with cooking spray and then add a thin layer of marinara sauce.
- Scrape out the roasted spaghetti strands with a fork. If properly roasted, the squash should come apart easily and form a spaghetti-like texture. Layer half of them in the baking dish.
- On top of the squash, layer half of the meat sauce, half of the cottage cheese, and half of the mozzarella. Then add another layer of squash, the rest of the marinara sauce, cottage cheese, and end with mozzarella.
- Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Then uncover and bake for another 10 minutes.
This recipe may not look the prettiest, but it is definitely one of my favorites to make. It tastes very similar to regular lasagna with just a texture change due to the squash. Whenever I talk to someone about trying this, their initial response is hesitant, but they usually end up loving it. This is a great one for leftovers and meal prepping! This is a great main dish to pair with any kind of salad or some over roasted vegetables.
Using spaghetti squash instead of normal lasagna noodles is a great way to increase your fiber intake while supporting stable blood sugars for your day. Spaghetti squash is a fun nutrient dense food to try! Along with the fiber content, it has great vitamin C, manganese, and vitamin B6 content.