It’s a little more work to make a spaghetti squash lasagna with meat casserole. But, this version of the classic dish is low carb and gluten free.
During my Thanksgiving meal grocery trip, I picked up the spaghetti squash. I knew it’d be perfect to use as a pasta replacement in a new low carb recipe to try after the holiday.
Although I wasn’t sure exactly what I’d make, I figured it would be something with an Italian red sauce. I ended up making this hearty spaghetti squash lasagna with meat casserole after the holiday leftovers were gone.
I usually cook spaghetti squash by slicing it in half and baking it in a pan with a little water until tender. The strands that come out of the cooked squash make a great pasta substitute.
A lot of people cook it whole since spaghetti squash can be rather tough to cut when raw. You can also cook a spaghetti squash in the crock pot slow cooker which is the method I found to be the easiest.
Another way to cook spaghetti squash is in the pressure cooker. I have an Instant Pot that I’ve used. For the fastest method, try the microwave. You put it in whole.
When I’m in a rush, I’ll use the microwave method to cook the squash. It the quickest way to get the strands when making this simple spaghetti squash lasagna.
For an easy dinner, I like to serve spaghetti squash with meat sauce and parmesan sprinkled on top. This time, I thought I’d try something more like lasagna.
It was a little more work, but I enjoyed having more cheese in the dish. The spaghetti squash lasagna with meat casserole leftovers were also great for easy after work dinners this week.
To make this yummy dish, I simply used my favorite lasagna recipe. But, instead of using the regular pasta noodles, I used spaghetti squash to make it low carb.
Your family is sure to love this spaghetti squash lasagna with meat casserole. In fact, it may become a new family favorite. Feel free to change it up with your own favorite sauce and cheese mixture.
Don’t forget to use a towel to squeeze out most of the water from the cooked spaghetti squash. Otherwise, your casserole may become runny.
Did you know that spaghetti squash is also called vegetable spaghetti? I just learned that fact on Spaghetti Squash article at Wikipedia!
What’s your favorite dish to make with this tasty winter squash?
Spaghetti Squash Lasagna with Meat Casserole Recipe
Spaghetti Squash Lasagna with Meat Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 small spaghetti squash cooked
- 1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
- 1 large egg
- 1 lbs ground beef browned (or sausage)
- 1 1/2 cups marinara sauce
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese
Instructions
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Scoop cooked squash out onto a clean kitchen towel. Squeeze out any excess water.
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Layer drained spaghetti squash strands on the bottom of a 9×9 baking pan.
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Mix ricotta and parmesan cheese with egg then spread mixture on top of squash.
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Layer meat over cheese mixture then pour sauce over.
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Top with mozzarella cheese.
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Bake at 350 degrees F for about 25 minutes.
Recipe Notes
Makes 8 servings
Net carbs per serving: about 5g
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Donna says
Can you freeze this or will the squash become to watery?
Lisa says
I’m not sure if spaghetti squash gets watery like other squash when frozen. You may need to absorb as much water out of it as possible before using.
Tonya says
I am making tonight. Gonna add fresh basil and oregano from my herb garden!
Lisa says
Sounds perfect!
Lisa Maraschiello says
I had a bunch of friends over for dinner. We are all watching our carbs. This was delicious and so easy!! Everyone loved it!! I also cooked the spaghetti squash in the Crock-Pot!! This made everything so much simpler. I have made several of your recipes now. They have all been wonderful!! Thank you for everything!! This was awesome!!
Lisa says
I used to cook the squash in the slow cooker until I got an Instant Pot which I find to be a little better.
Katie Pinheiro says
How do you cook it in an Instant Pot?
Lisa says
You could try the method described in the Instant Pot No Noodle Lasagna recipe. It’s at: https://lowcarbyum.com/instant-pot-no-noodle-lasagna-gluten-free/
Rae says
I’m going to make a couple of batches since we got a HUGE squash. I wrap the cooked squash in paper towels and a tea towel to get all of the water out. I let that sit awhile – overnight if the squash is particularly wet.
Question: Is the listing for the sodium high primarily because of the sauce? It’s extremely high. We have to cut that way back, and will use a no sodium added sauce. The cheese is high in sodium, of course, but can you identify the major source of sodium in your recipe?
Lisa says
I believe it was from the sausage and sauce. I’ve updated the recipe to use ground beef (as that’s what I usually use). The sodium level did come down.
Adrienne says
What size pan did you use?
Lisa says
I used an 8×8-inch.
Caty says
I just made this . Delicious!!!!
Sally says
I love it! You can also add spinach as an additional layer, though zucchini slices work as well. If frozen spinach is used, dry them out in a towel the same way the recipe describes doing with the spaghetti squash. YUMMY, and the spinach, whether you love it or not, is low flavor & high energy.
Audry says
has anyone made this the day before and cooked the next day? Does it hold up good?
Lisa says
I haven’t done that, but I’m thinking it should be fine to do.
Annie says
I’m a little late to the party, but this recipe looks amazing and I can’t wait to try it. I was just wondering if you had a link to show me how to cook spaghetti squash in a slow cooker? The link in the article just leads me to another (yummy) recipe. Thank you!
Lisa says
Here’s a link to the post on how to cook spaghetti squash in the slow cooker. https://lowcarbyum.com/slow-cooker-crock-pot-spaghetti-squash-recipe/
peasmom says
We don’t have spaghetti squash in this part of Southeast Asia. We only have pumpkin. Can I use that for substitute? 🙂 If not what would you suggest?
Lisa says
I’d suggest either low carb shiratake noodles or spiralized low carb vegetables.
Felicha says
I made this the other day. Very yummy and super easy. Thank you!
Lisa says
Glad it worked out for you! 😀
Pat wheeler says
These recipies look lovely. I am gluten free. So plenty to try.thankyou
Lisa says
My pleasure!
Shannon says
Thank you for the recipe! Making this evening for Sunday dinner. I’m kinda surprised at the “lean is healthier” comments on a supposed LCHF recipe website though. There is nothing wrong with fat as long as you keep your carbs low. Ground turkey… yuck.
Lisa says
Totally agree with you on the fat! And, it tastes so much better! That’s why it’s LCHF.
Mary says
I have done this with eggplant slices and also have used Zuchinni. Now you’ve made me hungry. Smoothies don’t hold your appetite when your drooling over this kind of dish. Thank you for sharing.
Lisa says
We can always say it’s healthy with the veggies snuck in, right?
Mary says
It is pretty healthy though! You could make it even better by using ground turkey and maybe a little less cheese.
Lisa says
Great suggestions. I actually made it using wild venison which is very lean. I’m a big cheese lover though.
Natalie says
Wow, this looks fantastic. I will definitely be trying this.
Valerie says
looks yummy, thanks for sharing. may have to try this for dinner tonight! 🙂