saucy spaghetti squash
Ingredients
Olive oil
1 spaghetti squash
Salt
Black pepper
Garam masala (optional)
1 tsp cayenne (adjust based on your heat preference)
1 onion, sliced thinly lengthwise
3 bell peppers, chopped into small pieces
One head of garlic (if you already have roasted garlic handy, you'll be using 3 cloves)
1 jar of your favorite pasta sauce
3 chicken sausages (something basil/tomato/garlic-y would work well here), sliced in half lengthwise and cut into pieces about 1/2 inch thick
1 cup Italian blend shredded cheese (optional)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Prepare your squash
Using a large knife, slice spaghetti squash in half lengthwise (from stem end to base).
Remove the seeds and discard (or set aside to roast them later!).
On the inside of each squash half, rub about 1 tablespoon oil and a sprinkle each of salt, black pepper, and garam masala.
Place squash on baking sheet lined with foil or parchment paper, cut side down.
Prepare your garlic
Slice off top of head of garlic.
Drizzle garlic with olive oil and wrap in foil.
Place on same baking sheet as squash.
Roast squash and garlic
Place baking sheet in oven and bake until squash is very soft and the inside is easily pierced with a fork, about one hour.
When squash is done baking, remove baking sheet from oven and set aside to cool.
Once it is cool enough to touch, use a fork to remove the flesh of the spaghetti squash from the skin. Set aside until step #
Separate three cloves of garlic from your head of roasted garlic, and smash the garlic. Set smashed garlic aside until step #. Save the rest of your roasted garlic for other food adventures.
While squash and garlic are baking, caramelize the onions
Add 1 tablespoon of oil to a skillet or cast iron pan on medium low heat.
Cook the onion, stirring occasionally for 20-40 minutes until it is caramelized: it should look limp and dark brown. If the onions begin to sear or burn, turn down the heat.
Set caramelized onions aside.
While onions are cooking, prepare your sauce
Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to a medium saucepan set to medium high heat.
Once pan has heated up, add peppers and sausage. Cook, stirring frequently, until peppers and sausage are slightly seared and heated through, about 5 minutes.
Add pasta sauce to pan with peppers and sausage. Reduce heat to medium low and bring to a simmer.
Add caramelized onion and roasted garlic and stir it to incorporate it into the sauce.
Add 1/2 tsp salt and cayenne. After simmering for 10 minutes, remove from heat.
Assemble your bake
Pour your sauce into a large casserole dish.
Add the spaghetti squash and mix well to combine.
Sprinkle cheese on top.
Bake in oven for 20 minutes, until red sauce is bubbly and cheese has melted.
About this recipe
I am generally not a fan of carb substitutes. Like, if I want to eat spaghetti, don't you dare serve me spaghetti squash and say it's the same thing. But I needed to use the spaghetti squash from my CSA so I threw this dish together. Y'all. It is DELICIOUS. I mean, everything on this website is delicious 😘 but I was not expecting to be so hype about this spaghetti squash dish! The end result is saucy and warming and flavorful and comforting without being heavy—everything I want on a chilly November day!
This meal does have a lot of components, but I have tried to minimize the number of dishes required to make it. I'd recommend making it when you want to spend a leisurely afternoon cooking an unfussy meal. Most of the steps can be done ahead of time, so it would also work as a weeknight dish if you do some prep work over the weekend.
