Italian Sausage and Spinach Stuffed Spaghetti Squash is just like your favorite Italian sausage pasta! Except in this recipe, everything is stuffed into the roasted spaghetti squash! This cozy dinner is packed with veggies (spinach, tomatoes, and mushrooms). It's gluten-free and low-carb.
Italian sausage stuffed spaghetti squash
This recipe is so filling and delicious, you won't miss regular pasta at all! Spaghetti squash works great as a gluten-free and low-carb substitute for regular pasta. It's a great meal to have on your table when the nights get cold and you crave comfort food yet want to be conscious about your calorie intake and reduce the number of carbs.
First, the squash is roasted in the oven, and then stuffed with cooked Italian sausage, spinach, tomatoes, and mushroom mixture! Top stuffed spaghetti squash with some shredded Parmesan cheese, and put it back in the oven to melt the cheese! That's it! Your whole family will love this simple dinner and it will quickly become one of your favorites! What's even better is that Italian stuffed spaghetti squash is a simple weeknight meal that you can make year-round.
Why make it
- Low-carb, gluten-free recipe. If you're trying to cut back on carbs, sausage-stuffed spaghetti squash is a perfect choice! Packed with Italian sausage, spinach, mushrooms, and a small number of tomatoes this recipe is low-carb and gluten-free. It's a great alternative to regular pasta.
- Great presentation. It's easy to make your dinner look pretty by stuffing a colorful squash with more colorful ingredients. Impress your family and friends with this easy-to-make yet fancy-looking dinner. It's a restaurant-quality meal made at home.
- Minimal clean-up. You only need one cooking pan for cooking the filling for the squash. And, if you line the baking sheet with foil and then with parchment paper for roasting the squash, then you probably won't have to clean your baking sheet at all, or the cleaning would be minimal!
- Great recipe for Fall/Winter. The best time to make this recipe is when spaghetti squash is in season. Take advantage of the seasonal produce and make this dish!
Main ingredients
- Spaghetti squash is low in calories and incredibly nutritious, and a good source of folic acid, potassium, and beta-carotene.
- Sausage. This recipe uses spicy Italian sausage which adds lots of savory flavors and a bit of spice to the squash. You can use any other type of spicy sausage. If you don't like spicy sausage, use mild or sweet Italian sausage. You can also use chicken sausage. I used crumbled sausage, however, you can use the one in casings, too - just remove the casings and crumble it as you cook it.
- Spinach - I used fresh spinach, but frozen spinach can certainly be used! Make sure to thaw it and drain it from any liquid. I would even pat it dry with paper towels.
- Mushrooms. You can use white button mushrooms, crimini, portobello, or shiitake.
- Tomatoes. I used cherry tomatoes, but any fresh tomatoes would work!
- Italian seasoning combines just the right dried herbs and is perfect for the stuffed spaghetti squash. You can also use Herbs de Provance.
- Parmesan cheese is a must in this Italian-inspired dish!
How to make stuffed spaghetti squash - the overview
Here is the recipe in a nutshell with step-by-step photos. For a more detailed recipe, please scroll down to the recipe card.
1) Roast the squash. You will need 2 medium-sized spaghetti squash. Carefully slice it in half, and scoop out the seeds. (Note: you can microwave the spaghetti squash for about 5 or 10 minutes before slicing it to soften it up. Before microwaving the squash - make large slits with a knife along the line where you will slice it in half.) You will have 4 squash halves. Roast them in the preheated oven at 400 F for about 40 minutes.
2) Make the filling. In the meantime, you will prepare a super easy and very tasty filling by cooking spicy Italian sausage with Italian seasoning and garlic and then adding spinach, tomatoes, and mushrooms.
3) Stuff the squash. After the spaghetti squash is roasted, stuff it with the Italian sausage and spinach filling.
4) Bake the stuffed squash. Top the spaghetti squash with shredded Parmesan cheese, and reheat it in the oven (or under the broiler) briefly until the cheese melts. That's it!
Variations, substitutions, and recipe notes
- Microwave the whole spaghetti squash before slicing it in half. Microwave it for about 10 minutes or longer to soften it before you slice it in half. Make large slits in a squash with a knife along the line where you will slice it before adding it to the microwave oven.
- Can you make it meatless? Yes, use plant-based sausage, such as the Beyond Sausage brand. Or, simply use more mushrooms (Portobellos work especially well!) and exclude regular sausage.
- Greens. You can use spinach, kale, or Swiss chard.
- Add spice. Sausage-stuffed spaghetti will benefit from a bit of heat. Use red pepper flakes or Cayenne pepper to spice up this dish, especially if the sausage is not spicy.
- Fresh herbs are so important in this recipe! They truly make or break it! I use fresh thyme, and it adds a lot of flavor to this Fall sausage dinner. I used ¼ of an ounce - or just a few sprigs of fresh thyme. The more, the better! I would not recommend using dried thyme. But if you do use it, use a much smaller quantity.
- Toppings. When serving, top the stuffed squash with more grated cheese (Parmesan, Pecorino Romano, or Asiago), fresh herbs, green onions, red pepper flakes, or cracked black pepper.
Storage and reheating tips
- Fridge. Refrigerate the leftover stuffed spaghetti squash in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- Reheat in the oven. Reheat it in the preheated oven at 350 F for about 30 minutes.
- Reheat in the microwave oven. You can also microwave the leftovers. For the best and fastest results, you can take the sausage mixture out of the squash, and reheat this mixture and the squash separately. Then stuff this mixture back into the spaghetti squash.
What to serve with it
Simple, colorful, vibrant, and delicious Fall-themed salads are a perfect combination with stuffed spaghetti squash. Here are my favorites:
- Arugula Salad with Apples, Cranberries, Pecans, and Balsamic Dressing
- Cranberry Spinach Salad with Cashews and Goat Cheese and Lemon-Honey Poppy Seed Dressing
- Autumn Salad with Arugula, roasted Butternut Squash, dried Figs, toasted sliced Almonds, and Pomegranate Seeds.
- Simple Spinach Salad with Pine Nuts, Parmesan Cheese
- Arugula Salad with Pears, Apples, and Cashews
Other spaghetti squash recipes you might like
- Southwestern Spaghetti Squash with Chicken
- Parmesan Spaghetti Squash, Spinach, and Bacon with Pine Nuts
- Bacon, Spaghetti Squash, and Parmesan Fritters
- Parmesan Zucchini and Spaghetti Squash with Pine Nuts
Italian Sausage and Spinach Stuffed Spaghetti Squash
Ingredients
Spaghetti squash
- 2 spaghetti squash medium size
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- salt and pepper
Stuffing
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 16 oz spicy Italian sausage crumbled
- 8 oz mushrooms sliced
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning or Herbs from Provence
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- red pepper flakes
- 10 oz spinach
- 5 oz cherry tomatoes sliced
- 6 oz Parmesan cheese shredded
- fresh thyme for garnish
Instructions
How to roast spaghetti squash
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Preheat oven to 400 Fahrenheit. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper.
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Cut the squash in 2 halves, scrape out the seeds and the fiber out of each half. Repeat with a second squash.
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(Note: before cutting each squash, you can microwave it. In this case, make large slits with a knife in a spaghetti squash along the line where you will slice it in half. Then, microwave the whole squash for about 5 or 10 minutes to soften it a bit. Then cut each squash in half.)
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Drizzle olive oil over the cut sides and inside of the squash. Generously season with salt and pepper.
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Place the 4 squash halves on the prepared baking sheet cut side down.
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Bake for about 30 or 40 minutes on the middle rack. Remove it from the oven when it's cooked through and soft. You can check by pulling the baking sheet out of the oven and piercing the squash with the fork - it should be soft.
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Proceed with the rest of the recipe while the squash is in the oven.
Make the stuffing
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Make the stuffing while the spaghetti squash is roasted in the oven. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium heat in a large, high-sided skillet.
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Add crumbled sausage and sliced mushrooms and cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes or until the sausage is cooked. Drain excess fat if you like. Or, you could leave it in since you will be adding a lot of spinach to be wilted in the same skillet.
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Add minced garlic, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, and chopped tomatoes (reserving some for later use).
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Add fresh spinach in batches to the sausage mixture and cook until the spinach wilts.
How to stuff spaghetti squash
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By this time, you have roasted the spaghetti squash for 30 or 40 minutes. Remove it from the oven and turn cooked squash halves cut sides up.
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Let it cool slightly.
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Divide the Italian sausage mixture among the 4 halves and stuff the squash until the mixture is leveled. Top with the remaining sliced cherry tomatoes and the shredded Parmesan cheese.
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Return stuffed spaghetti squash to the preheated oven and roast at 400 F for 15 more minutes until the cheese mixture melts.
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When serving, top with fresh thyme.
Nutrition
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