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Taking a classic white lasagna and making it just a touch healthier with this Spaghetti Squash 4 Cheese Pesto Lasagna. Seasonal spaghetti squash stuffed with a creamy 4 cheese béchamel sauce, basil pesto, and fresh herbs. All baked together until the cheese is melted and perfect. This is an easy, delicious, and healthier way to enjoy the classic flavors of a white lasagna.
One of my favorite autumn squashes to roast is spaghetti squash. It always makes me think of the year my family first moved to Colorado when I was an early teen. So think Tieghan in eighth grade…
I went through a major spaghetti squash phase that year. It was so frigid cold and snowy during the months of November and December. All I wanted was something roasted and warm. This was way back, before I really began experimenting in the kitchen. But since those days, spaghetti squash has always been a favorite fall vegetable. My mom would roast it simply with a sliver of butter and salt. But over the years I’ve experimented with spaghetti squash in so many fun new ways. They’re not only good, but make comfort food just a little healthier. Here are some others from the HBH archives.
If you’ve never roasted spaghetti squash, it’s kind of a magical thing. Just as it sounds, it’s squash that, once roasted, can be scraped into spaghetti like strands. It’s slightly sweet, naturally buttery, and so delicious. I’m not huge on pasta alternatives, but with spaghetti squash it’s so satisfying that I actually don’t miss the pasta. Then again, I think because this is something my mom would make, it always feels like cozy fall comfort food to me. Because everything mom’s make is better.
During the first year of writing HBH, I made these roasted garlic spaghetti squash lasagna boats. To this day they are one of the more popular recipes on the blog. If you’re looking for a meatier option, I highly recommend checking out that version. I was taking a scroll back through old recipes and came across those lasagna boats. I was then inspired to create a vegetarian friendly, white lasagna version.
Lasagna is one of those dishes that I love making, especially during the colder days of the year. But it can be time consuming and a little heavy for an everyday, weeknight dinner.
Enter the spaghetti squash lasagna. It has all the flavors of lasagna, but minus the noodles, and minus the layering. So it’s actually easier to make, and healthy..ish.
Here are the details.
Start out by pre-cooking your spaghetti squash in the microwave. Cooking the squash for a few minutes will soften the outside shell and make it easier to cut and remove the seeds. For the last three years I have not had a microwave in the kitchen and honestly never wished for one. I don’t really do any microwave cooking. But then KitchenAid offered to put this microwave in the studio. I must say, it’s really nice for small tasks (like heating up coffee). But it’s also great for things like softening squash. Microwaving the squash makes it so much easier (and therefore safer) to cut open.
Of course, if you don’t have a microwave, you can just skip that step. Just be careful, and be sure to use some force when cutting the squash in half.
While that’s happening, mix up the “béchamel” sauce. Instead of using butter, flour, and cream, I decided to go the simpler route and just mix together milk with basil pesto, ricotta cheese, fontina cheese, and provolone cheese. This is a little easier than cooking a sauce on the stove, and it’s truly just as good.
Spoon the white “béchamel” sauce into the cavities of the spaghetti squash. Then bake until the squash is soft, and the cheese is bubbly and melty. As the squash bakes, the cheese melts into a creamy sauce that coats the squash. When you pull everything out of the oven, don’t be worried that the sauce looks soupy. Once you scrape the squash into strands of spaghetti and mix it together with the sauce it’s perfect. And so good.
This recipe is really easy to make, but it does take time for the squash to roast, so plan for a little longer cooking time.
This is a great recipe for busy weeknights when you just need to come home and throw something in the oven. Or for when you just want comfort food, but you’re looking for something semi healthy too.
And yes, I know there’s still plenty of cheese in this recipe, but it’s all about balance. And the addition of spaghetti squash and spinach totally makes this healthy…ish.
Also, I have to note that as these are baking your house is going to smell like homemade lasagna, and it’s going to be amazing. Everyone who walked into the studio the day I was testing this recipe all said the same thing, “wow, it smells incredible in here”. It’s all about that combo of buttery spaghetti squash, basil pesto, and cheese. Too good.
If you make this stuffed spaghetti squash lasagna please 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 also tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Stuffed Spaghetti Squash 4 Cheese Pesto Lasagna
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 558 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 medium spaghetti squash, halved and seeds removed
- 1 cup whole milk or heavy cream
- 1/3 cup basil pesto, homemade or store-bought
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 8 ounces frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dried
- 1/2 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
- 1 1/2 cups shredded fontina cheese
- 1 cup shredded provolone cheese
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- kosher salt and pepper
- fresh oregano, for serving
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.2. Place the squash on a plate and microwave 3 minutes. Let cool slightly, then cut in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds and discard. 3. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, mix together the milk, pesto, oregano, spinach, and ricotta cheese. Season with red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Stir in 1 cup fontina cheese and 1/2 cup provolone cheese. 4. Place the squash in a baking dish and season the cut sides with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the remaining fontina cheese in the bottom of each squash, then evenly divide the milk mix among the squash cavities. Top with the remaining provolone cheese. Cover the squash loosely with foil. 5. 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. 6. Let the squash sit 5 minutes, then use a fork to scrape the squash into strands, mixing the cheese with the squash. Serve topped with fresh oregano.
So, so good!! I made half a recipe, since I just had one squash at home. I also substituted a shredded Gruyere/Swiss cheese mix for the fontina, shredded mozzarella for the provolone, and fresh spinach for frozen. Squash was perfectly cooked and the flavor outstanding! Thanks for adding another meatless meal to my rotation!
Hi Sarah,
Awesome!! I am thrilled to hear you enjoyed this recipe, thanks so much for giving it a go! Have a great weekend:) xTieghan
This review is from my 7 year old, Silas: “This was REALLY GOOD. I like the cheesiness. I know you’re trying to be sneaky with the spinach but that’s ok, it’s good anyway. I think it’s called a ‘spaghetti squash’ because the strings look like spaghetti noodles. You can make this again.” That’s high praise as he is my pickiest eater!
Hey Lauren,
LOL hilarious!! I am glad Silas liked the recipe, I’d say that’s a win!! Thanks for making it:) xx
Thank you so much for this recipe. I’m not even sure I should be reviewing this recipe based on how many substitutions I made, but hear me out.
I had spaghetti squash and some whole milk. Oh and some type of jared pesto and dried oregano. But as for the cheese, my substitutions were laughable. I used what I had. Ricotta became cream cheese. Pretty much everything else became a shredded Mexican cheese blend I had open. Oh and the requisite Kraft parmigiana cheese. Also substituted curly kale for spinach—again cause what I had.
My point is that, despite all my weird substitutions, this dish turned out awesome! Can’t wait to make it with the prescribed ingredient, but because of the cooking instructions provided, I’ve learned an amazing way of cooking a gourd I was previously intimidated by. I cannot thank you enough. And as family is raving and enjoying as we speak, thank you on their behalf! ?
Hey there,
Happy Sunday! I am thrilled to hear this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! Thanks for sharing what worked well for you. xTieghan
I was a bit skeptical when the squash wasn’t baked before all the ingredients went in and into the oven and sure enough, our squash wasn’t ready. But the flavor of the sauce inside was nice. Unfortunately we had to do something different for dinner and will try popping these squashed into the oven longer another night.
Hi Selma,
So sorry to hear about your squash, did you microwave it? That usually helps! xTieghan
Absolutely love this recipe! Even when I make substitutions it’s amazing! I’ve got a new love for spaghetti squash!!!
Hey Rachael,
I love to hear that you enjoyed this recipe, thanks a lot for giving it a try! xTieghan
Love this recipe. I don’t always have all the ingredients but make substitutions with what I have. It never fails. The whole family loves. I share it frequently and always tell friends to check out HBH! (And I can make it Keto friendly too!)
Hey there! So glad you enjoyed this recipe, thanks for giving it a try! xTieghan
OMG. Just made this and added blackened shrimp on top. It was awesome!!!
Hi there! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I hope you enjoyed it! Happy Weekend 🙂 xTieghan
Made it for our family of 7, all the children loved it!!! Amazing flavours! For our carnivores I made a few with minced meat of sausages as an extra ingrediënt. It was a hit! ??
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try! So glad you enjoyed it. xTieghan
Hi Tieghan! I was planning to make another one of your squash recipes but didn’t have all the ingredients so I used what I had for this one. I cooked Italian sausage on the stove & added my fresh spinach to it and added it after the first 20 mins of cooking when I removed the foil. SOOOOO good! Thank you for all the delicious recipes.
I cannot stand the texture of Ricotta/Cottage cheese type cheese. Any suggestions for a substitute?
Hey Evan,
How about using mascarpone? I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
I made this with Rainbow chard instead of spinach and crumbled sausage sautéed with shallots on top of the fontina (Actually gruyere) and it was a huge hit.
Hey Megan,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Happy New Year! xTieghan
Just made this tonight for my husband and I! So delicious!
Thank you so much Paulina! xTieghan
Hey! HUGE fan! I’m in this cleaning out the fridge mode and have a ton of cheeses just not fontina.. any other suggestions? (I’m debating on using this recipe or the one with walnuts for my spaghetti squash… the first recipe you ever sold me on was the pumpkin gnocchi with hazelnuts and ever since then I’ve loved browning nuts and sage in butter!!)
Hey Liv,
Honestly any cheeses that you enjoy will work here! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Made this last night because my dinner guests are low/no carb, and it was a huge hit!
That is so amazing! So glad you all loved this one, Michelle! Thank you! xTieghan
How much of the squash is supposed to be scooped out of the half? I can just read it’s where the seeds are, but that area couldn’t cater for too much… but then again, for we were to make a bigger hole; what happens to the scooped out pumpkin?
Hey Bella, I am sorry, I do not understand what you are asking? Can you please clarify? You should only be removing the seeds from the squash, nothing else. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan