Spaghetti Squash Lasagna
This spaghetti squash lasagna tastes like cheesy comfort food but without all the calories and carbs
This spaghetti squash lasagna tastes like cheesy comfort food but without all the calories and carbs
- Carbohydrate 3.1611 g
- Cholesterol 19.065 mg
- Fat 4.86465 g
- Fiber 0 g
- Protein 7.00485 g
- Saturated Fat 3.030105 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (62g)
- Sodium 76.875 mg
- Sugar 3.1611 g
- Trans Fat 0.251535 g
- Calories 85 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat the oven to 400.
- Carefully slice your spaghetti squash in half. (Be careful!)
- Scoop out the seeds and flip them cut side down on a large microwave safe plate.
- Add a little water to the bottom of the plate (to create steam) and microwave on high for 10 minutes.
- In a small casserole dish (mine was 6 X 8) add a thin layer of tomato sauce to the bottom.
- Combine the rest of the tomato sauce with the ricotta cheese.
- Once the spaghetti squash is done in the microwave, scoop out the insides with a folk. (It'll make little "strands") but be careful, it'll be hot!
- Then layer in spaghetti squash over the sauce.
- Top with sauce and repeat with spaghetti squash.
- Cover the whole pan with mozzarella cheese and cover with aluminum foil.
- Bake at 400 for about 20 minutes.
- Turn to broil for an additional 2-3 minutes, or until the top becomes brown and bubbly.
- Roughly chop the fresh basil and sprinkle over top!
Why is water pooling at the bottom of the casserole dish? Replacing wheat pasta with a vegetable gourd alters the moisture dynamics of traditional baking entirely because spaghetti squash is roughly ninety percent water by weight. When raw squash is heated, cellular walls rupture and release free liquid that will ruin a ricotta layer if left unchecked. Microwaving the squash cut-side down with a small pool of water on the plate accelerates cooking through steaming while gelatinizing the internal starches, but draining the resulting strands in a colander before assembly prevents a watery casserole. Blending part-skim ricotta directly into the marinara sauce creates a uniform binder that coats each vegetable strand evenly, compensating for the lack of gluten which normally traps moisture in traditional wheat lasagna sheets. Part-skim mozzarella melts differently than whole-milk varieties due to lower fat content and higher moisture retention, meaning it requires careful monitoring under the broiler at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for two to three minutes to achieve browned bubbling without burning. Tearing fresh basil rather than slicing it prevents enzymatic bruising that turns vibrant green leaves into dark, bitter ribbons against the hot cheese surface. Overcooking the squash is the most frequent error committed by home cooks, turning the distinct strand-like texture into mush before the baking dish ever reaches the oven. Proper execution relies on respecting the unique structural properties of the squash while applying standard Italian casserole layering techniques.
