Spaghetti Squash Casserole

There are squash recipes everywhere right now and I'm ashamed to say, I just started using squash this year...summer squash, that is. Needless to say, I have no idea what I'm doing with winter squash! After collecting recipes from other foodie bloggers, I finally decided to try one.....and tweak it, of course...it's just who I am....

I found the base recipe for this casserole at Angie's Healthy Living Blog. It seemed really easy to season and bake but I wanted a one dish meal. Hence, my spaghetti squash casserole that could easily fool the kids into thinking they are eating traditional spaghetti pie. To see Angie's original recipe, click here.

Just in case you're new to squash too, I've tried to capture some details in pictures.

1 spaghetti squash
1 onion
4 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
3 1/2 cups or 1 28oz jar of spaghetti sauce
2 cups mozzarella
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Cut the spaghetti squash in half length wise, remove the seeds and membranes. Drizzle about 1 tablespoon of olive oil over the two halves. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Dice the onions and garlic and place in a small bowl. Pour about 1 tablespoon of olive oil on the onions and garlic and toss to coat. Add salt and pepper. Evenly distribute the onions and garlic onto the squash halves. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning and about 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for about 1 hour or until it is fork tender. For newbies like me – I had a large squash so mine took about 15 minutes more. Also, the skins have a little give when done but do not get tender. Check the meat itself to determine tenderness.

Remove from the oven and use a fork to pull out the spaghetti-like strands, onion and garlic. Place in a large baking dish. Top the squash with 1/2 of the cheese and all of the spaghetti sauce. Stir lightly to mix. Top with remaining cheese and bake for 20 minutes.

FYI

I used this baby to clean the membranes and seeds out quickly.

This recipe linked up at:
Favorite Things Friday, Feature Yourself Friday, Fight Back Fridays, The Grocery Cart Challenge, Vegetarian Foodie Fridays, Food On Fridays, Friday Firsts, What's Cookin' In The Kitchen Friday, Saturday Swap