Ingredients
For the squash:
- 1 whole spaghetti squash
- 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the sauce:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cups marinara or other pasta sauce, jarred or homemade
- 3/4 pound hot Italian turkey sausage, casings removed
- Grated parmesan cheese, for serving, if desired
Directions
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Preheat the oven to 400°F. With a large sharp knife, cut the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds and membrane. Sprinkle the squash with the olive oil, dried herbs and salt and pepper to taste. Line a rimmed baking sheet or 9x13-inch dish with foil. Place the squash cut-side down in the baking dish. Cook for 30 to 40 minutes, or until fork tender.
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Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large sauté pan. Add the turkey sausage and cook, breaking up into small pieces, until no more pink is showing. Add the sauce and stir until combined. Bring to a simmer then reduce to low heat and cook for at least 5 minutes, or up to 30 minutes.
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Let the squash cool slightly then use the tines of the fork to scrape out the spaghetti strands of squash. Make ahead: The spaghetti squash strands can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.Divide the squash among four plate and top with sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
You can also use chicken sausage, regular ground turkey or sausage, or ground beef for the sauce. Or, skip the meat and use mushrooms instead to make this vegetarian.
how would you reheat the precooked squash
Hi Joan! Feel free to reheat in the microwave, or you can reheat in the oven at 300°F until warm- that can actually help improve its texture if your squash ended up mushy. I hope that helps!
I had made a sauce that was so chunky and aromatic from the garlic and fresh basil. I used loads of veggies including onions, peppers, tomatoes and zucchini. Because my husband loves aeat sauce I used a pound of both ground sirloin and ground pork. After cooking the sauce I dig thru my pantry and was disappointed to find I was out of pasta. I had never used spaghetti squash as a substitute for pasta in spaghetti. But I had one because I make it as a side with steak or pork. I found your site and was delighted to see a recipe for exactly what I was attempting to make. I felt sure it would be good, but was blown away by how GREAT it was. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. I will continue to check back for more recipes as my husband and I like to be adventurace with our dinners.
So thrilled to hear that, I’ll be sure to share your rave review with Tessa 🙂 You had me drooling at the description of your sauce, yum!!
How do I print the recipe. I bought spaghetti squash already cut in strips not cooked. How do I cook it [email protected]. Thanks
Hi Lois, click the red printer button directly below the title where the recipe is located to print out the recipe 🙂 Please read the directions for instruction on how to cook it. Enjoy!
Now if you could make spaghetti squash as cost effective as past, perhaps more people might be inclined to eat healthier. Until then, this budget will continue with pasta.
The trade-off is that healthier foods require fewer trips to the doctor, less money spent on medicines to try to cure what ails us, not having to diet and exercise so strenuously in life. An ounce of prevention, in this case, healthy food, is better than a pound of cure, in this case, the risk of heart disease, diabetes, overweight, etc. My mom taught me early in life, beginning in the 60’s, before healthy foods were so popular, that eating well can prevent a host of troubles later in life. She was right.
What kind of turkey sausage did you use? Is it the breakfast type of sausage? What I found and used ended up being more of a hot dog texture.
What is the calorie count? Fat? And protein?
How many calories per serving
Yours looks so much better than the spaghetti squash I’ve made in the past! Mine was really, really mushy… I’m definitely pinning your method for later. 🙂
I love spaghetti squash! This looks so delish!
Being a less-mess is best-mess kind of gal, my super-easy way to make the squash is to poke a few holes in it (I use a pointy meat thermometer as a skewer) and microwave the whole squash for 10-12 minutes, let stand for 5 minutes so it steams and finishes cooking, and then cut open, scoop out the seeds, and fork out the squash strands. I use one of those knit oven gloves to hold the hot squash while I work with it. If you’re cooking for two, you can simply cut the squash in half, scoop out the seeds, fill the cavity with spaghetti sauce, and serve. It looks pretty cute.
I love spaghetti squash! Great how-to video, Tessa!