When you love pasta but you’re looking for a lighter alternative, this dish is the best imposter you can find! Spaghetti Squash Casserole is no hoax when it comes to all of the Italian flavors you love! The tender strands of spaghetti squash intertwined with the beautifully crafted tomato sauce and the melted mozzarella cheese provide a sneaky way to bring life back to your pasta-free life. You can’t fake your reaction to this spectacular counterfeit concoction. It is a copycat that you will grow to love! Let Cheesy Spaghetti Squash Casserole lovingly mislead all your dinner guests with its full-on robust flavor… they will be so pleasantly surprised and tricked in the best way possible! We can’t pretend to know it all, but when it comes to impersonating the real deal, we have come to know that this is just about as close and delicious as it gets! This is the only form of deception that we can get behind, because as you know… imitation is the highest form of flattery and by flattery, we mean great taste!
Ingredients
- 1 (2-pound) spaghetti squash, cut in half lengthwise with seeds and stringy bits discarded
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or butter
- salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (15-ounce) can tomatoes, diced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 cup marinara sauce or pasta sauce
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
Directions
Step 1 –Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Step 2 –Line an 18×26-inch baking sheet with parchment paper and grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
Step 3 –Evenly drizzle the cut-sides of the spaghetti squash with the olive oil and season with the salt and the black pepper.
Step 4 –Transfer the spaghetti squash halves to the prepared baking sheet, cut-side down, and bake until they are just tender, about 40 minutes.
Step 5 –Transfer the baked spaghetti squash halves to a wire rack and let them cool, about 5 minutes.
Step 6 –Flip the spaghetti squash halves over, gently run a fork down them to separate the strands, and transfer them to a large bowl.
Step 7 –Reduce the heat of the oven to 375 degrees F.
Step 8 –In a large pan over medium-high heat, cook the ground beef, the onion, and the garlic, while crumbling, until the meat is no longer pink, about 5-7 minutes. Drain the excess grease.
Step 9 –Return the beef over medium-high heat, add the diced tomatoes, the tomato paste, the pasta sauce, and the Italian seasoning and simmer, about 5 minutes.
Step 10 –Add the spaghetti squash strands to the sauce mixture and stir to combine.
Step 11 –Transfer the sauce mixture to the prepared baking dish and top with the mozzarella cheese.
Step 12 –Bake the casserole until it is golden and bubbly, about 20 minutes.
Step 13 –Plate and serve.
