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Cheesy Mini Spaghetti Squash Lasagnas: winter spaghetti squash stuffed with spicy beef (or use chicken/pork) and tomato-based red sauce. A creamy cheesy béchamel sauce made with whole milk cream, cream cheese, herbs, and melty mozzarella cheese. The squash is baked until the sauce bubbles and the cheese is melted to perfection. Mix with sage and garlic butter just before serving. Totally delicious and, indeed, such a cozy fall/winter dinner to make. Serve to family and friends all season long!
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My love of spaghetti squash runs deep. My mom started baking it when I was a kid. She’d just add butter, salt, and pepper and roast it in the oven. And when I say butter, I mean a good amount of salted butter. The two of us loved it.
When I started cooking for my family, it was around Thanksgiving time. I created our whole Thanksgiving menu that year! One of the main side dishes was roasted spaghetti squash. And now I can’t not serve spaghetti squash at Thanksgiving. It’s been on my menu ever since that year.
Certainly, one of my favorite ways to serve spaghetti squash is in the form of a lasagna—or lasagna-inspired, I should say.
I’ve made many variations, but I may love today’s best. It’s the simplest, yet truly delicious and cozy for all the chilly days ahead.
Here are the details
Ingredients
- ground beef (or use ground spicy Italian sausage for even more flavor)
- yellow onions
- marinara sauce
- Italian seasoning
- basil pesto
- sun-dried tomatoes in oil
- chili paste or chili flaked
- spaghetti squash, find mini ones if you can!
- cream cheese
- heavy cream, or use whole milk
- fresh thyme
- grated nutmeg
- mozzarella, provolone, and parmesan cheese
- salted butter
- garlic
- whole sage leaves
Kitchen tools
All you need is a skillet plus a sheet pan for roasting. Nothing fancy!
Step 1: make the sauce
I love using ground beef, or sometimes I’ll use a mix of ground beef and spicy Italian sausage. Brown the meat with the onion and Italian seasoning, then mix in a jar of your favorite marinara sauce.
Add basil pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, chili paste, or chili flakes. Use the chili flakes to your taste.
Now let the sauce simmer for a few minutes on the stove.
Step 2: make the cheese sauce
While the red sauce is simmering, mix up the cheese sauce. I make this with cream cheese, heavy cream, fresh thyme, freshly grated nutmeg, and mozzarella cheese.
The cream cheese ensures the sauce will bake nicely in the oven.
Step 3: stuff the squash
The squash I used were very small. I cut the tops off and then scooped out the seeds. If you’re using a medium-sized squash, half it for even cooking.
Stuff each squash with the red sauce, then add a layer of the cream sauce.
Step 4: bake
Bake the squash until tender. Once tender, remove them from the oven and top with the remaining cheeses.
Now, add butter to the pan. Then, add the garlic cloves and sage leaves.
Bake until the cheese is golden and the garlic is soft.
Mix the butter, garlic, and sage and spread the mix over the squash. Let it melt into the cheese, and serve!
Delicious! While these are baking, your house will smell like homemade lasagna – it’s going to be amazing. Everyone who walked into the studio the day I was testing this recipe 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!
Looking for other autumn squash recipes? Here are a few ideas:
4 Cheese Roasted Garlic Alfredo Stuffed Spaghetti Squash
Baked 4 Cheese Butternut Squash Rigatoni
Butternut Squash Pasta Carbonara with Rosemary Bacon
Creamed Spaghetti Squash with Browned Butter Walnuts
Roasted Garlic Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Boats
Lastly, if you make these Mini Spaghetti Squash Lasagnas, 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!
Mini Spaghetti Squash Lasagnas
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 jar (28 ounce) marinara sauce
- 3 tablespoons Italian seasoning
- 1/2 cup basil pesto
- 1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped
- 2 tablespoons Calabrian chili paste , (or 1-2 teaspoons chili flakes)
- 4-6 small spaghetti squash, tops cut off, or halved lengthwise, seeds removed
- 6 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- 1/4 teaspoon pure ground nutmeg
- 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup shredded provolone cheese
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- salt and black pepper
- 4 tablespoons salted butter, sliced
- 8 cloves garlic
- 12 fresh sage leaves
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 425° F.2. Combine the beef, onion, and Italian seasoning in a skillet set over medium heat. Cook for 8-10 minutes until browned. Mix in the marinara sauce, the pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, and chili paste. Simmer for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. 3. In a glass measuring cup, mix the cream cheese with 1/2 cup cream until creamy and combined. Add the remaining cream, thyme, nutmeg, and mozzarella. Season with salt and pepper.4. Place the squash on a sheet pan or inside a roasting pan. Stuff each with meat sauce, then add the cream sauce. Bake for 20-30 minutes, until the squash is tender. Remove from the oven and top each squash with provolone and parmesan. Arrange 2 tablespoons of cold butter, the garlic cloves, and sage around the squash. Return to the oven and bake 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown on top. 5. Remove the garlic from the pan. Chop the garlic and mix with 2 tablespoons soft butter and the sage. Spread the butter over the squash, then use a fork to scrape the squash into strands, mixing the cheese in with the squash. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Rich and very delicious! The whole family loved them.
Hey Josie,
Fantastic! Love to hear this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for making it! Have the best week:) xxT
Made this for Christmas dinner. Used hot Turkey sausage. Absolutely amazing! Will definitely make this again.
Thanks so much, Alexis! So glad to hear this recipe turned out well for you, I appreciate you making it! Happy Holidays! xx
DELICIOUS!!! This was just amazing! I loved the idea of using squash as the noodles and felt really like I was being healthy. LOL, even my anti-vegetable husband loved these. The flavors were rich, and we loved the kick from the Calabrian chili paste ( I used a bit more than stated). Thanks again for another great recipe!
Hey Michelle,
Wonderful! Thank you for making this recipe, I love to hear that it turned out well for you! Have the best day! xx
I’m super excited to try this fun recipe! I love cooking for guests a meal that presents beautifully, and this is just that. I was at a local market today and they had tons of these little baby spaghetti squash. I can’t wait to make this. Thanks as always for your great recipes.
Perfect!! I hope you love this recipe, Dana! Let me know how it turns out for you! xT
Tieghan, usually I would pre-roast the squash, then fill with topping. But yours roasts with the (all ready cooked) filler, it that right?
Hi Paul,
Yes, that is correct! The squash I used were pretty mini so that worked well for me. If you have larger squash you can roast before filling or cut them in half. I hope this helps! xT