Stuffed Spaghetti Squash with Sausage

This Stuffed Spaghetti Squash recipe is filled with hearty sausage, melting Gruyère cheese, and fresh spinach. The presentation is fun and almost all of it can be made in advance.

This time of year I make as many recipes with winter squash as I can. Roasted butternut squash and spaghetti squash are favorites in my house.

Stuffed Spaghetti Squash is fun to make and a great way to create a cozy meal that can easily be customized with your favorite ingredients. The squash is inherently gluten-free and can be filled with all sorts of vegetables, cheeses, chicken, and then some.

My stuffed spaghetti squash recipe includes sausage and cheese and it's easy to switch it up to make it a vegetarian or vegan meal.

About Spaghetti Squash

• Spaghetti squash is a winter squash that gets its name from the appearance of its inside flesh once it's cooked. It falls apart into what looks like spaghetti - very thin, noodle-like strands.
• While the “strings” of the spaghetti squash are soft once cooked, they have a bit of a bite to them, a slight crunch — you could say they're al dente, which in referring to pasta, means “to the tooth.”
• Spaghetti squash has a mild flavor that is buttery and nut-like. It's mild enough to take on other flavors, but still stands out because of its texture.
• This yellow squash is subtly sweet but not as sweet as butternut or other orange winter squashes.
• Though quite different, it's a great gluten-free, low-carb alternative to regular pasta.
• Choose a squash that's heavy for its size with smooth skin, and an intact stem.

How to Make it

- Preheat the oven to 400° F and adjust a rack to the center.

* PRO TIP * Before you begin, use a fork to poke holes in a few areas on all sides of the squash. Then microwave it for 2 minutes. This will make it much easier and safer to cut.

- Next, follow this photographic, step-by-step guide for roasting spaghetti squash.

- While the squash is cooking, squeeze the sausages out of their casings, and add them to a large skillet and break them into bite-sized pieces. Sauté until it’s cooked through. Add the onions and garlic to the sausage and cook until the onions are soft and becoming golden, about 10 minutes.

Recipe Tip: If the sausage doesn’t have enough fat to keep it from sticking, add olive oil to the pan.

- Mix in the tomato sauce, spinach and nutmeg. Stir until the spinach has totally wilted. Season generously to taste with salt and pepper. (The tomato sauce will deglaze the pan.)

- Once the squash is roasted, remove it from the oven, and turn the temperature down to 375° F. Use kitchen tongs to turn the squash over to let it cool for a few minutes. Use a fork to very gently pull the flesh away from the skin.  It will naturally come off in strings. Add the squash to a very large mixing bowl and place the now empty squash skins, round sides down, back on the baking sheet.

- Add the spinach-sausage mixture to the large bowl of spaghetti squash, along with about 2¾ cups of the cheese. Mix very well, and season again with salt and pepper.

- Divide the mixture between the 4 squash halves and top each one with a bit of the remaining ¼ cup of cheese. Place in the 375° F oven for 10 to 15 minutes, to melt the cheese and to be sure everything is heated through.

- You can spoon out the mixture to serve, or cut the entire squash halves into slices. Whatever suits you.

Variations

• Vegetarian version. You can easily make this stuffed spaghetti squash recipe vegetarian too — just leave out the sausage and replace it with more spinach or sautéed mushrooms. Skillet oyster mushrooms would be excellent in this.
• Vegan version. Omit the cheese and sprinkle this tasty crispy quinoa on top.
• Other ingredient ideas. Kale, Swiss chard, tomatoes, and zucchini are all fantastic with the squash.
• Sausage substitutions. Ground turkey and chicken are good choices if you don't want to use sausage.

Making it Ahead

• The spaghetti squash can also be cooked a couple of days in advance. Be sure to use a fork to turn it into the 'spaghetti' before storing it. It should be kept inside the squash 'bowls' in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
• You can make the filling the day before. Once it comes to room temperature, store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Bring it back to room temperature before you fill the squash.
• Don't fill the squash bowls, add the cheese or finish cooking until serving time.

Other Must-Try Winter Squash Recipes

• Stuffed Honeynut Squash
• Roasted Butternut Squash Chili
• Pecan-Crusted Acorn Squash
• Spaghetti Squash Rings
• Spinach Pesto Spaghetti Squash

I hope you love this as much as my family and I do!