If there’s one dish everybody all over the world adores, it’s pasta. Putting a lighter, healthier spin on traditional lasagna with these spaghetti squash lasagna boats! It’s roasted spaghetti squash stuffed with a meat sauce and creamy cheesy bechamel sauce made with fresh ricotta and provolone cheese, baked in its shell until bubbly.
Spaghetti squash is full of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Due to its low calorie and high fiber content, it can help weight loss and digestive health
Ingredients:
1 Large Spaghetti Squash
Meat Sauce:
125g/4.4oz Ground Beef
125g/4.4oz Ground Pork
1 Small Onion, finely diced
2 Cloves Garlic, crushed
1 Tin (400g/14oz) Crushed Tomatoes
1 Tbls Tomato Paste
1 Tsp Dried Oregano
1 Tbls Fresh Basil, chopped
1 Tsp Sugar
1/4 Tsp Piri Piri Seasoning (mixed chilli seasoning)
Ricotta Sauce:
250g/8.8oz Ricotta
1/2 Cup Heavy Cream
2 Tbls Fresh Basil, chopped
1/4 Tsp Ground Nutmeg
100g/3.5oz Shredded Fontina Cheese, divided
100g/3.5oz Shredded Provolone Cheese, divided
Salt & Pepper
Method:
Spaghetti Squash –
Preheat oven to 220C/425F.
With a sharp pointed knife poke wholes into the squash and along the line where you are going to cut it in half and place on a plate. Microwave 5 minutes. Let cool slightly, then cut in half and scoop out the seeds and threads. If you don’t have a microwave, slice it in half, clean the inside and place cut side down on a baking sheet. Pre-roast your squash for 15 minutes to start the cooking process, then continue with recipe.
Meat Sauce –
Fry the onions in a little olive oil until softened. Add crushed garlic and cook for just 1 more minute until fragrant. Add the ground beef and pork and cook until no longer pink. Add the tomato paste and crushed tomatoes, stir through then add the dried oregano, chopped basil, piri seasoning, sugar and season with salt and pepper. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.
Ricotta Sauce –
In a medium bowl, mix together the ricotta, heavy cream, nutmeg, basil and half of the fontina and provolone cheese. Season with salt and pepper.
Assemble –
Reduce oven temperature to 200C/400F.
Place the squash in a baking dish and season the cut sides up with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with remaining fontina cheese in the bottom of each squash, then evenly divide the meat sauce. Spoon the ricotta mixture over the meat sauce and top with remaining provolone cheese. Season the top with freshly ground pepper. Cover the squash loosely with foil (brush the foil with olive oil so it won’t stick to the cheese.)
Bake in oven for 45 minutes, remove the foil and continue baking for another 20-30 minutes or until the squash is tender and the cheese is golden brown on top.
Let the squash stand 5 minutes before serving.
Enjoy!
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