Cheesy spaghetti squash baked in its own shell to make one festive, flavorful and low carb, gluten-free meal. This is the ultimate keto comfort food that makes a ton of leftovers that are easy to reheat the next day
The first time I tried to make spaghetti squash at home, I accidentally bought a butternut squash; I had no idea what I was doing and at the time, I had never made either squash before so what did I know? Jason got a good laugh out of it though.
But since then, I for sure know how to cook with spaghetti squash, and it’s one of our favorite ways to get our pasta fix without the starchy carbs!
There are so many ways to fix a spaghetti squash for dinner; pesto and parmesan, chicken and cheese, mozz and pepperoni…I could go on and on. And while you can search all day looking for the tastiest way to prep a spaghetti squash, sometimes a classic comforting meal is the way to go. I love to bake my low carb squash with a ricotta mix, before topping with fresh mozzarella and marinara sauce.
So here’s the thing, if I can make my own sauce, I will. And I like to freeze a batch for last minute meal prep, but sometime life happens and you don’t have an extra batch in the freezer and you don’t have time to make your own sauce; store-bought, jarred sauce works just fine for this recipe and as an easy weeknight dinner.
How to make spaghetti squash:
Because I like to serve this low carb meal in a ‘boat’, the recipe calls to bake your spaghetti squash in the oven
- If you’d rather turn this into a casserole deal, you can always microwave your spaghetti squash for 15 minutes: just poke all over, remove (use a towel!) from microwave, allow to cool, slice in half and scoop out seeds.
- Using an instant pot is also an option; you’d want to cut in half (instead of lengthwise) and set to manual for 7-8 minutes, remove seeds and steam.
These Low Carb Spaghetti Squash Parmesan Boats will serve two/squash, but you can easily stretch it for three/squash, or have lunch leftovers for the next day – enjoy!
how to make cheesy spaghetti squash boats
Ingredients
- 2 small spaghetti squash - approx 1.5 lbs each
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- ¾ cup whole milk ricotta cheese
- 1 egg, whisked
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning blend, dried
- ¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese - divided
- Rao’s Homestyle Italian Sausage & Mushroom Sauce - divided
- 6 ounces fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced or shredded - divided
- fresh basil leaves, for garnish - optional
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400F. Slice one end of the spaghetti squash off. Slice in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Repeat for next squash.
- Place squash on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet, drizzle cut sides with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Place cut side down and roast 40-45 minutes, or until easily pierced with a fork.
- While squash roasts, combine ricotta cheese, egg, Italian seasoning blend to a bowl. Mix well.
- Using a fork, gently scrape out the squash strands and transfer to the bowl with ricotta mixture. Stir in 1 cup sauce, and mix until mostly combined but still streaky.
- Return the mixture to the hollowed-out squash boats. Dollop additional sauce over the squash and scatter with fresh mozzarella. Top with remaining Parmesan cheese.
- Bake until cheese is melted and browned in spots, about 20-25 minutes. Garnish with basil, if desired, and dig in!
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I’d happily eat this for dinner any night of the week!
Meeee too, Toni!
Love everything about this dinner! Spaghetti squash is such a favorite!
It’s so easy and filling!
Wow, this looks delicious! I can’t wait to make them. I have to do some shopping first. Thanks!
I know you’d love this one!
I have the ingredients for this and cant wait to make it for dinner tonight! It sounds amazing!
Yay! Hope you enjoy as much as we do, Michele!
My husband is obsessed with spaghetti squash but I’ve never made boats before. Looks like we will be adding this to our meal plan soon!
Yessss! Hope you all enjoy!
This looks amazing! Also such a healthy choice!! Pinning for later!
Thanks – yes, sooo good!
This is such a brilliant idea for zucchini squash! I’ve made eggplant boats before and my kids loved them. I’m definitely going to try this.
I love spaghetti squash! It’s such a simple and yummy and dish. I’ll have to make it again soon.
Kasey Ma
thestylewright.com
Yum! This looks and sounds amazing. It’s been a while since I’ve had spaghetti squash. I’m craving the melted cheese now.
Oh yum!! I love spaghetti squash!
Yum! My boys are vegetarian and I’m always looking for new recipes. I’m in a recipe rut right now, so I can’t wait to try this!
Oh I just can’t wait to try this recipe. It looks so tasty.
This looks amazing and still it’s low carb! I keep wondering how that butternut spaghetti worked out though. 🙂
Haha, yes that first squash attempt was a mess, lol! But this meal is so good!
Such a great yummy low carb meal~! Guilt-less!
Wow! This sounds so yummy! I have never had spaghetti squash but I have been wanting to try it! And this may be the recipe for me to try it!
It’s so easy and filling, hope you get to make soon!
I have actually never had spaghetti squash and 8 don’t even know why and how that happened. This look so tasty I am sold to try it out now.
It’s a must try, Joan! xo
My mouth is watering while reading this recipe, it looks so delicious, thanks for sharing!
~xo Sheree
poshclassymom.com