My Go-To Spaghetti Squash “Pasta” Bake

I’m always looking for ways to add more vegetables to my meals. I am truly one of those people that the more vegetables I eat, the better I feel, as a rule. This spaghetti squash bake checks all those boxes — and it’s become one of my favorite weeknight dinners.

I’m also gluten-free (unfortunately, I have been for 20 years!). But even if I weren’t, I would still love this dish, as you can eat a lot of it without the heavy feeling that pasta can leave you with.

When it comes to spaghetti squash, they used to dry up on my counter before I would cook them. Why? I’m terrified of them. Those things are rock-hard, and I’ve come too close to losing a finger too many times (if even in my mind). So instead, I’ve learned to cook spaghetti squash whole. The trick is to poke about 20 small slits into the skin with a paring knife before it goes in the oven. If you skip this step, you risk a squash-explosion situation.

Trust me. Make those slits!

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Pop that squash in a 400-degree oven for an hour. The beauty of this approach? You can come home from work, pick the kids up from school, toss it in the oven, and go about your evening. No biggie.
After an hour, take it out and let it sit for 15 minutes, then slice it open. The seeds scoop out easily when the squash is cooked.

Then, use a fork to pull out those beautiful squash threads. Place them in a large, shallow, oven-safe bowl and season with seasoning salt (I’m partial to Lawry’s) and black pepper.

While the squash is cooling, brown some ground beef and warm up your favorite arrabbiata sauce. I use Rao’s because it’s got great flavor without any weird ingredients. Layer the sauce over the squash, add the ground beef, and top with mozzarella — fresh or shredded, your choice.

Back in the oven it goes for five to 10 minutes, just until the cheese melts and starts to brown.

The final touch? Chopped Castelvetrano olives and green onions. The olives add this briny, buttery flavor that cuts through the richness, and the green onions give it freshness.

It’so delicious, you’ll never miss the pasta.

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My Go-To Spaghetti Squash “Pasta” Bake

Roast a whole spaghetti squash (after poking slits in the skin), then layer the threads with seasoned ground beef, arrabbiata sauce, and melted mozzarella. Top with Castelvetrano olives and green onions for a satisfying, veggie-forward dinner.

5 from 2 votes

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Servings 4

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 spaghetti squash
• 12 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 jar Rao's Arrabbiata Sauce
• 20 Castelvetrano olives
• green onions
• seasoning salt + black pepper

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Poke about 20 small slits into the spaghetti squash skin with a paring knife. Place whole squash on a baking sheet and roast for 1 hour.
• Remove squash from oven and let sit for 15 minutes. Slice open, remove seeds, and use a fork to pull out the squash threads into a large, shallow, oven-safe bowl.
• Season squash with seasoning salt and black pepper. Mix well.
• While squash cools, brown 1 lb ground beef in a skillet over medium-high heat. Drain excess fat.
• Warm Rao's arrabbiata sauce in a separate pan or microwave.
• Layer the arrabbiata sauce over the seasoned squash, then add the cooked ground beef. Top with 12 oz mozzarella cheese (fresh or shredded).
• Return to 400°F oven for 5-10 minutes, until cheese is melted and starting to brown.
• Chop about 20 Castelvetrano olives and slice green onions. Garnish the baked dish with olives and green onions before serving.

Notes

My kids are grown and my husband doesn’t love this recipe, but he likes it okay. All to say, I will make this and eat on it for days. So, don’t think this is only a family meal. It’s a great one to divide up into four meals for the week!

Tried this recipe?Rate it above to let us know how it was!

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If you love big flavor on the fly, mixed with high protein and high fiber, check out our 20 Lazy Girl High Protein Recipes.