Spaghetti squash with meat sauce

Name: Spaghetti squash with meat sauce
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 65 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 1 spaghetti squash; 1 tbsp olive oil; 1¼ tsp salt, divided; 1 lb 90/10 ground beef; ½ yellow onion, diced; 3 cloves garlic, minced; 2 tsp Italian seasoning; ¼ tsp red pepper flakes; 1 can crushed tomatoes; ¼ cup grated parmesan; 2 tbsp fresh basil, torn (optional)

Tender golden strands of roasted spaghetti squash under a hearty beef and tomato sauce, a light, cozy swap for pasta night.

65 min total
25 min hands-on
Follow-a-recipe easy
Serves 4
About $3.76 a serving
410 calories
Good the next day
Gluten-free

Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.

Ingredients

For 4 servings.

1 spaghetti squash
1 lb 90/10 ground beef
½ yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can crushed tomatoes
¼ cup grated parmesan
2 tbsp fresh basil, torn (optional)

From your pantry

1 tbsp olive oil
1¼ tsp salt, divided
2 tsp Italian seasoning
¼ tsp red pepper flakes

Each serving has about 410 calories, 30 g protein, 36 g carbs and 19 g fat, and costs about $3.76 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.

Missing something?

No 90/10 ground beef? 85/15 ground beef works.
No yellow onions? White onions or red onions work.
No crushed tomatoes? Diced tomatoes work.
No grated parmesan? Parmesan wedge works.

Steps

Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.

the oven to 400°F. Cut the squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds with a spoon.
Dolly’s tip: Spaghetti squash is hard. Slice off the stem end so it sits flat, then cut down through it slowly with a big knife.
Brush the cut sides with the oil, sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon salt, and cut side down on a 35 to 45 minutes, until a fork slides into the skin easily.
Timer: 40 min
About 20 minutes before it’s done, cook the beef and onion in a large over medium-high 7 to 8 minutes, breaking up the beef, until no pink is left.
Medium-high heatTimer: 7 min 30 sec
Food safety: Ground beef, pork and lamb are done at 160°F. When it’s cooked through there’s no pink left anywhere in the pan.
Stir in the garlic, Italian seasoning and pepper flakes for 30 seconds, then the crushed tomatoes and remaining 1 teaspoon salt. on low 15 minutes.
Low heatTimer: 15 min
Scrape the squash flesh with a fork, running it from end to end, to pull it into long strands.
Dolly’s tip: Hold the hot squash with a folded towel. The strands come away easily when it’s fully roasted.
Pile the strands into bowls, spoon the meat sauce over them, and top with parmesan and basil.