So, I think it’s safe to say the degree of my cooking has improved greatly since my first semester in college (Class of 2018, holla) when I basically lived off of pasta and sauce from a jar. Due to that sad, sad time in my life I’m still working on shredding the freshman 15. Anyhow, in doing so I’ve made it a point to find healthy alternatives for some of my favorite meals, one of them being lasagna… because God knows I have a sweet spot for Italian.
I’m gonna share with you this rendition of lasagna where spaghetti squash steps in for the traditional, carb-filled, lasagna noodles. My favorite part about it is the dramatic difference in calories (42 per cup of spaghetti squash vs 221 per cup of pasta). As an added bonus — as if I need to give you more reasons to try this — spaghetti squash is a good source of fiber and beta carotene, which is good for your skin, immune system, and your vision. If you don’t know, now you know.
Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Boats
Ingredients
Instructions
Cut the spaghetti squash in half (good luck!) and remove the seedy flesh from the middle while leaving the thick wall of squash surrounding. Rub olive oil all over the inside and outside of the spaghetti squash. Put both halves face down on a baking sheet and stick ‘em in the oven for about 40 minutes at 350°.
Heat pan over medium heat and add ground turkey. While the meat is cooking add minced garlic, basil, oregano, and salt/pepper to taste. Once the meat is fully cooked add the crushed tomatoes, stir, and let it simmer until you’re ready to fill the boats.
P.S. No oil is necessary for this step!
My favorite part, undoubtedly due to my love for cheese: mix 1 cup of ricotta, 1 cup of mozzarella, dash of salt and dash of pepper and you have your cheese filling!
Once the spaghetti squash is done baking, use a fork to scrape the noodles out and transfer them to a bowl. Leave some noodles in the boat for the first layer.
You’re gonna layer the noodles with meat and then cheese. You’re gonna add more noodles and repeat the process one more time. After that, you’re gonna top off the boats with mozzarella — a little or a lot, do you — and stick them in the oven for about 10 minutes or until the cheese looks like melty, gooey goodness (my preferred method).
Dive in.