If you are trying to eat lighter — especially low-carb or gluten-free — spaghetti squash is a terrific alternative. This dish is reminiscent of a baked Italian sausage spaghetti dish, with a fresh take.
A complete and printable version of the recipe is available at the bottom of this post.
The sauce for this is so simple, and comes from a cooking class that we took in Italy this summer, at Monteverdi Tuscany, aka “paradise.” This resort in Tuscany may be the best place I’ve ever been. But that’s a subject for another blog post.
Crucial ingredient for the sauce
The sauce, a regional specialty in Tuscany, and is called “aglione sauce.” Our chef in the cooking school stressed that it is crucial to use really good quality tomato puree. She said the best ones are from Italy, and are bottled. I couldn’t find them at my neighborhood Kroger or Meijer’s, so I went to Jungle Jim’s International Market, a food wonderland we have here in Cincinnati. (Please see Jungle Jim’s International Market: a FUN gourmet adventure.). Here are some of the purees I found at Jungle Jim’s:
Since the sauce is so simple and delicious, I recommend checking out a gourmet or international market to get Italian tomato puree.
Cook your spaghetti squash
Start with your spaghetti squash. You can use two small or medium ones, or one large on. Cut the stem off, to make one end flat. Turn it on its end, and cut in half. You will need a sharp knife, and it can be hard to cut.
Once cut, scoop out the seeds and pulp in the middle:
Looks like a cantaloupe, doesn’t it? You’re not going to believe the way that tough squash meat turns into a yummy noodley dish.
Brush the inside of the squash with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the halves face-down on a cooking sheet covered in parchment paper.
Bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes.
Make your sauce
While the squash is cooking, make your sauce. I learned in the cooking class that when infusing olive oil with garlic, it is important to start with the garlic in room-temperature oil, rather than adding to hot oil. Starting with room-temperature oil allows the garlic to fully infuse the oil, without allowing the garlic to become burnt or bitter.
When the garlic starts to become golden brown, add the puree. Turn down your heat, or you will be hit with a tomato splatter.
Season with salt and pepper, and simmer, covered, for 45 minutes.
Prep the sausage
Brown your sausage, and drain if necessary. I used turkey sweet Italian sausage, but spicy would be good too, and pork Italian sausage would also be terrific.
The squash has turned into “spaghetti”!
When the squash is cool, lift the “noodles” up out of the shell with a fork.
If you want to really impress your guests, you can put the squash back into the shell, and assemble and cook the dish in the shells. After cooking, they will be hard, almost like eggshells. But I generally keep it easy (being an intrinsically lazy gal), and put the squash “noodles” into an 11″ x 14″ casserole dish.
Add the sausage
Spread your browned sausage on top of the squash.
Add the sauce
After your sauce has simmered and thickened, spoon out the garlic cloves. Then ladle over the squash/sausage mixture, and spread it evenly.
Cheese, please
Thinly slice fresh mozzarella and place on top.
Warm it up
Bake at 400 degrees for about 20-30 minutes, until heated through and bubbly. (In the picture, I should should have taken it out a few minutes earlier, so the cheese didn’t turn brown. But it was still awesome!) Let it rest for at least 10 minutes, or it can be a little watery.
If you want, you can sprinkle with some pecorino or parmesan cheese. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 2 small or medium spaghetti squashes, or 1 large spaghetti squash
- Extra virgin olive oil for brushing squash
- Salt
- Pepper
- 3 T EVOO
- 5 peeled garlic cloves
- 24 oz. good Italian tomato puree
- 16 ounces turkey Italian sausage
- 8 ounces (more or less) fresh mozzarella
- Optional: pecorino or parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Cut the stem ends off the squashes. Stand a squash on the flat end, and cut in half. You will need a sharp knife, and it will be difficult to cut through.
- Using a strong spoon or ice cream scoop, clean out the pulp and seed from the center of the squashes.
- Lightly brush the inside of the squashes with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Place squashes face down on a cooking sheet covered in parchment paper, and roast at 400 degrees for 45 minutes. Let cool.
- While squashes are cooking, place 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a sauce pan, and add 5 garlic cloves to the room-temperature oil. Slowly heat, until the garlic is turning golden brown. Add the tomato puree (turn down the heat, or it will splatter). Season with salt and pepper. Simmer, covered, for 45 minutes.
- When squash is cool, use a fork to remove the "noodles" from the shells. Retain the shells if you want to use them to reheat and serve.
- If you are not heating and serving in the shells, spray an 11" x 14" casserole dish with cooking spray, and place the squash noodles in it. Season with salt to taste.
- If serving in the squash shells, place the squash back in the shell.
- Brown the turkey Italian sausage. Drain.
- Spread the sausage over the spaghetti squash.
- Ladle sauce over the sausage.
- Thinly slice the fresh mozzarella, and place on top of the sauce.
- Warm in a 400 degrees oven for 20-30 minutes, until bubbly and heated through. Let sit for at least 10 minutes before cutting.
- Optional: sprinkle with grated parmesan or pecorino cheese.
For more low-carb recipes, please see:
