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Taking the classic lasagna and making it just a touch healthier with these cute (cheesy) Roasted Garlic Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Boats. Seasonal spaghetti squash stuffed with a spicy chicken, tomato-based ragu sauce, and creamy cheesy béchamel sauce made with fresh ricotta and provolone cheeses. It’s all baked together until the sauce is bubbling hot and the cheese is melted and perfect. This is an easy, delicious, gluten-free, and slightly healthier way to enjoy the classic flavors of lasagna. Bonus? This is the perfect recipe for low key entertaining with friends all season long.
I’ve probably said this before, but I don’t think spaghetti squash gets nearly enough love. This time of year I tend to see a whole lot of pumpkin, some butternut squash, and sometimes acorn squash is occasionally thrown into the mix too. But spaghetti squash? Not so much.
I personally love spaghetti squash. My mom used to roast it in the oven and serve it simply with butter and salt. That’s my mom, noodles, butter, and salt. She could live off of that…and she would…if she didn’t have to eat my cooking every day.
Watch Me Make These Boats on Instagram:
Thanks to my mom, I’ve had a strong love for spaghetti squash since I was a kid. It’s one of the only vegetables I feel that can truly replace real deal pasta. I’m never bummed or left feeling unsatisfied after a spaghetti squash dinner. It’s always so delicious.
Enter these cute little spaghetti squash lasagna boats that I love so much. These are just like your classic lasagna only made healthier.
Here are the details
Start with the garlic. If you’ve never roasted garlic before, I’m here to tell you that it’s truly amazing. Slow roasted garlic loses it’s intense garlic flavor and instead takes on a soft sweetness. It’s delicious and so simple to do…like so simple. Just drizzle an entire head of garlic with a little olive oil, wrap in foil, and roast in the oven until the garlic turns a pretty, golden color.
And that’s it. Then mash the garlic into a paste and stir it into the ragu sauce…
Which brings me to the next step! While the garlic roasts, make the sauce. I like to use spicy Italian chicken sausage for extra flavor, but you can also use ground chicken, turkey, or even ground beef. All will work great. Then just add tomatoes and herbs, and simmer for a bit to thicken the sauce up. Stir in the roasted garlic. And that’s that.
Tip: if you’re short on time, you can skip roasting the garlic, but I will say that the roasted garlic really adds such a nice flavor to the sauce.
Next, prep the spaghetti squash. I like to microwave the squash for a few minutes to make it easier to cut in half. I know all too well that cutting through spaghetti squash can be super dangerous. Microwaving the squash makes it so much easier to cut. Trust me on this.
Of course, if you don’t own a microwave, you can easily just skip the step. But I would pre-roast your squash in the oven for 15 minutes to start the cooking process.
Now, for the cheesy béchamel sauce. It’s a simple mix up of milk, fresh ricotta, fontina, and provolone cheeses. I added fresh basil and some nutmeg for warmth.
OK. Now you have all your layers, let’s assemble these boats. Just layer the ragu sauce and the béchamel sauce inside the spaghetti squash. Top with cheese and bake until the squash is tender and the cheese is melted and bubbling up. One word to say here, YUM.
Top with fried sage and or fresh thyme. Not necessary, but I highly recommend. Why? Because it’s GOOD, and everything is better (and prettier) topped with herbs.
I really can’t begin to express just how good these lasagna boats are. They’ve been a favorite recipe of mine for years and I love making them every fall. They require a little cooking time, but they’re an easy, super-cozy dinner than you can throw together any night of the week. And? They are definitely special enough to serve guests for a smaller dinner party. Everyone loves getting a personalized lasagna boat.
Some serving suggestions for you
I recommend serving these with your favorite autumn side salad, this kale salad or this brussels sprout salad would both be great options.
Or? Just serve them on their own because remember, spaghetti squash is a vegetable! And it’s SO GOOD. Buttery, saucy, and a little cheesy. All the classic flavors of traditional lasagna, just on the lighter side.
Nothing not to love!
If you make these roasted garlic spaghetti squash lasagna boats be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
watch the how to video:
Roasted Garlic Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Boats
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 758 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 1 head garlic
- 3/4 pound ground spicy Italian chicken sausage or ground chicken
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped
- 1 can (28 ounce) crushed San Marzano tomatoes
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 medium spaghetti squash, halved and seeds removed
- 1/2 cup whole milk or heavy cream
- 1/4 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
- 1/8 teaspoon grated fresh nutmeg
- 1 1/2 cups shredded fontina cheese or mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup shredded provolone cheese
- kosher salt and black pepper
- fresh thyme and or fried sage leaves, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Slice off the top portion of the garlic head to expose some of the cloves. Place the garlic on a piece of foil. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and wrap in foil. Transfer to the oven and roast until cloves are lightly browned and tender, about 20 minutes. Let cool, then squeeze the garlic out into a bowl. Mash the cloves with a fork. 2. To make the meat sauce. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over high heat. When the oil shimmers, add the chicken sausage and brown all over, about 5 to 8 minutes. Add onion and cook another 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, add the tomatoes, 1 cup water, the bay leaf, oregano, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Simmer for 15 minutes or until the sauce thickens slightly. Remove the bay leaf, stir in the roasted garlic. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.3. Meanwhile, poke a few holes into the squash with a fork and place on a plate. Microwave 3 minutes. Let cool slightly, then cut in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds and discard. 4. In a medium bowl, mix together the milk, ricotta cheese, nutmeg, and basil. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in 1 cup fontina cheese and 1/2 cup provolone cheese. 5. Place the squash in a baking dish and season the cut sides with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the remaining fontina cheese into the bottom of each squash, then evenly divide meat sauce among the squash cavities. Now spoon the milk/cheese mix over the meat sauce. Top with the remaining provolone cheese. Cover the squash loosely with foil. 6. Transfer to the oven and bake 20 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking another 15-20 minutes or until the squash is tender and the cheese is golden brown on top. The squash will seem a little soupy, this is OK. 7. Let the squash sit 5 minutes, then use a fork to scrape the squash into strands, mixing the meat and cheese with the squash. Serve topped with thyme and sage.
Notes
If You Don’t Own a Microwave: Simply slice the squash in half, scrape out the seeds and place cut side down on a baking sheet. Pre-roast your squash for 15 minutes to start the cooking process, then continue the recipe as directed.
The video for Roasted Garlic Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Boats and the printed version are not the same (details below). Also, I get my spaghetti squash sliced at the produce market so I didn’t use the microwave which I think impacted the tenderness of the squash. I think I will add 20 minutes to the cooking time the next time I cook this.
The video shows putting the onion in the pan and then the sausage – recipe says sausage and then add onion. Also, video shows adding basil when basil isn’t on the ingredient list.. For step 4, the video shows adding oregano. Step 5 the receipe has sprinkling the remaining fontina cheese into the bottom of each squash before adding the sauce. The video doesn’t show this.
The sauce was excellent and I would make that just for a spaghetti sauce. I will try this recipe again adding baking time to see if that does the trick.
Hey Nancy! I had just made some very slight adjustments when I made this for the video. I will adjust the recipe a bit. So happy you enjoyed! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! And Happy Holidays!! xTieghan ?
I’m going to make this tonight! It looks so delicious! I love learning new ingredients to put together to help create new recipes in the future. I also can’t wait to roast garlic into a paste. I’ve never done that before.
I hope you love this one, Krissy! Thank you so much! xTieghan
I’m confused as to how this is 6 servings when it makes 4 squash boats? Wouldn’t it make more sense for the nutritional information to be calculated based off 4 servings?
Hey Anna,
Thanks for pointing this out. I hope you love the recipe, Happy Thanksgiving! xTieghan
These were amazing! Felt so good having something rich and creamy with a veggie to balance it out.
Thank you so much Rissy! xTieghan
This was a winner! Delicioso! Because it was new for my picky eaters, I only used one spaghetti squash and with the other half of the sauces and cheese, I tossed them with some penne and baked it in a casserole dish along with the squash. Came out ! That roasted tomato sauce is everything! Can’t wait to try the other squash recipes! Such a great recipe for a low carb diet!
Amazing! I am really glad you all enjoyed this recipe, Emerald! Thank you so much! xTieghan
I’ve made this recipe twice now! It is so tasty! Have you ever frozen this? Last time we had company, so we ate it all up, but this time there’s just me and my husband. And it makes a lot! Any recommendations would be appreciated. So yummy!?
Hey Tanja,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am glad you enjoyed! I’ve not tried freezing this but I’m sure it would work well. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
You did it again! This squash is so good and easy and fun. The flavor is perfect. Literally everything I’ve made of yours turns out beautifully and is a hit with the entire family, young and old alike. I’ve bought your cookbooks to give as Christmas gifts this year. Grateful to have found you. Thank you!
Wow yes! I am really glad you enjoyed this one, Betsy! Thank you so much for all of the support, I hope your friends and family members enjoy my cookbook! I hope you know how much this comment meant to me! xTieghan
I loved to cook these recipes.my favorite dish.
Thank you Nancy! I am so happy to hear that! xTieghan
This turned out delish! We are definitely putting it in our rotation of fall and winter go to’s!
We used a veggie crumble in place of sausage and maybe or sauce spicy like an Arrabbiata.
Thank you so much Ginger! I am really glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
There seem to be a few glitches in this recipe.
When I try to adjust the service size, all the measurements change to “infinity” haha
Also, I had to cook my squash almost double the time listed in the recipe and it’s still not cooked well. It was still hard when I took it out after 40 mins and I had to keep putting it back in for another 10, another 10, another 10… for almost a full 40 extra minutes! 🙁
too bad as the meat sauce is super delish! (Definitely use the red wine instead of water)
Hi Alison! I will fix the recipe, I am sorry about that! Please let me know if there is anything else I can help with! xTieghan
First, the flavor of this recipe was out of this world. My challenge came with how watery it came out. I’m talking like pools of water in the bottom of my baking dishes. I pre-baked my squash for about 30 minutes. I’m thinking maybe I didn’t simmer the sauce long enough but I had simmered it for like 40 minutes before I had to get things moving in the oven. Does the sauce really need a cup of water added? Should I have strained the tomatoes? Help! I want to make again but want to get it better!
Hi Jodi, thanks so much for trying out this recipe! I’m so sorry about that! Is there anything else you did differently? xTieghan
SO GOOD, SO EASY…I HAD SOME JARRED SAUCE LEFT OVER SO I JUST BROWNED SOME MEAT, ROASTED SOME GARLIC, AND ADDED IT TO THE SAUCE. THESE COME OUT AMAZING LOOKING, AMAZING TASTING AND SATISFYING. CAN’T WAIT TO MAKE IT FOR GIRLS’ NIGHT DINNER. IT’S THAT SPECIAL AND THAT GOOD. THANK YOU!!
Thank you so much for trying this one, Evie! I am really glad you loved this one! xTieghan
I made this and it was amazing! But the printed recipe below the explanation and video uses ricotta, not the béchamel-do you have a written recipe for this one? I had to continue stopping and restarting the video to make it-it would have been so much easier to have the printed recipe.
Thanks so much! You have amazing food and I have several of my adult kiddos hooked on your account as well!!
Hey Jennifer,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try! Sorry for the confusion, but the ricotta/bechamel is used in both the video and step 4 of the written instructions. Hope this helps for next time! xTieghan
Just made this and was so excited to try it. Have made spaghetti squash many times, roasting cut side down and love it. This time the squash never quite cooked through to fork tender even though cooked an extra 10 min in oven. Super bummer!! Very average as written. Next time will roast squash by itself as usual and last 5 min flip and add in the toppings.
Hi Catherine! I am sorry this did not turn out as expected. If there is anything I can help with, please let me know! Otherwise, I hope you enjoy some other recipes of mine! xTieghan
This was very good!. Everyone loved it! I doubled the sauces and made a macaroni base for those that didn’t want the squash and made a casserole with everything layered on top for them. Delish!!! It took longer to make then I thought, but next time I know what things I can do ahead of time, like roast the garlic, and prepare the squash. I like the idea of cooking the squash in the instant pot and then just assembling and cutting the cooking time. I had a lot of extra sauce, so I’m freezing it for next time. I’m already ahead of the game. ☺️
Amazing! I am really glad this recipe turned out so well for you all, Meghan! Thank you so much! xTieghan
Made this last night and LOVED it! I’ve never been a huge fan of replacing pasta with veggie noodles, but this recipe just worked with the natural flavour of squash without pretending it was pasta. The roasted garlic was an amazing touch, and the tip to roast it in foil made it come out perfect!! This will definitely be a repeat recipe for me.
amazing!! I am really glad this recipe turned out so well for you, Felicia! xTieghan