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Spaghetti Squash with Easy Meat Sauce

Low Cost
November 11, 2022
Easy
Skill Level
35 minutes
Hands-on Time
55 minutes
Total Time
6 servings
Per Recipe
Who doesn’t love spaghetti and meat sauce? It’s crowd-pleasing comfort food, a hit every time. In our version, spaghetti squash stands in for the noodles, and the rich sauce is made simple with store-bought marinara. Use ground beef or turkey; either one works well here. To punch up the taste even more, go for a flavored sauce (we like Rao’s roasted garlic marinara)--just be sure to check the label to make sure it has no added sugar.
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Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion (11 ounces), chopped (about 2 cups)

¾ teaspoon fine sea salt

1 pound ground beef or turkey

2 cloves garlic, minced (2 teaspoons)

2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 (24-ounce) jar no-sugar-added marinara

3 (10-ounce) packages frozen spaghetti squash

¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan

Directions

Warm oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add onion, season with ⅛ teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is very soft, about 6 minutes. Raise the heat to medium, add the beef, season with ½ teaspoon salt and cook, stirring and breaking up the meat, until cooked through and lightly browned in spots, 7 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic, Italian seasoning and pepper in the last 2 minutes.
Stir in the sauce, bring just to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly and the flavors meld, about 20 minutes. Taste and season with an additional ⅛ teaspoon salt, if needed.
Meanwhile, warm the squash according to the package label directions. Divide the squash among 4 shallow bowls and top each with about 1½ cups of the sauce. Sprinkle each with 1 tablespoon Parmesan and serve.

Tips

If you’re serving one or two people, only heat up one package of squash. Let the leftover sauce cool, then cover and refrigerate it for up to 4 days, or wrap tightly and freeze for up to 3 months. Frozen spaghetti squash is a great shortcut, but it doesn’t yield long strands. If you really want to twirl noodles on your fork (we don’t blame you!), it’s best to roast a fresh squash. To do that: Preheat the oven to 400ºF; line a baking sheet with parchment. Using a sharp chef’s knife, cut the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise. Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds. Brush the inside of the squash with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Place cut sides down on the baking sheet and roast until tender, 30 to 45 minutes, depending on the size of the squash (we recommend getting a small one, around 2 pounds). Let it cool until you can handle it, then use a fork to scrape out the strands. If you like a touch of heat, toss in a pinch or two of crushed red pepper flakes when you add the Italian seasoning.

Nutritional facts (per serving)

316

Calories

20g

Fat

23g

Protein

10g

carbohydrates

1g

fiber

806mg

sodium

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