Baking
Spaghetti Squash Casserole
Another warm dish with a surprising depth. Usually spaghetti squash is rather flavorless, but not in this dish. Here it is good to the last bite.
| Prep Time | 20 minutes |
| Cook Time | 65 minutes |
| Servings |
people
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Ingredients
- 2 medium spaghetti squash
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1.5 tsp salt divided
- 6 cloves garlic I use a big spoonful of crushed garlic
- 1 large onion chopped
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 2 tbsb tomato paste
- 1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesean
- 1 dash chopped basil optional
Ingredients
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Instructions
- Gather the ingredients and preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchement paper.
- Cut the squash into rings - not lenghwise. Whuups. Scoop the seeds out of the squash rings and arrange them in a single layer on the baking sheet. Brush both sides of the rigns evenly with olive oil and sprinkle evenly with black pepper and half the salt. Place in the oven.
- While the squash roasts, heat the remaining olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, chopped onion and cook until tender. About 8 minutes.
- Increase the heat to medium-high and stir in the ground beef, stirring often, breaking it up as you go, until it is no longer pink. About 6 minutes.
- Stir in the tomato paste, smooshing it into the mixture to distribute it evenly.
- Stir in the tomatos, oregano, fennel seeds, crushed red pepper, and remaining salt. Bring the sauce to a simmer over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the flavors meld and the liquid reduces and thickens. 20 - 25 minutes.
- Remove the squash from the oven and let sit until cool enough to handle. Reduce the oven temperature to 400 degrees. Using a fork, pull the squash into noodle-like strands, and discard the skins. You should have about 5 cups of squash.
- Add the squash to the skillet, and stir to coat.
- Transfer this to an ungreassed 13 x 9 baking dish, spreading evenly. Sprinkle evenly with the mozzarella and top with the parmesan.
- Bake until the cheese is golden brown and melted, about 20 - 25 minutes. Then remove, let stand for a few minutes, and garnish with the fresh basil. Serve and sigh...
Recipe Notes
I wasn't sure how this would turn out, as other recipes have seemed more like a way to get rid of spaghetti squash than anything else, but this was delicious. Maybe the tomatoes, maybe the cheese, definitely the fennel, but a nice surprise overall.
I divided this into two portions, and two pans - one with cheese and one without.
It's good either way, but some of us are on a diet, see. The other thing is this makes a lot, so it's possible to freeze some this way so you're not eating squash for a week. Good or not, anything gets old with repetition.