Baked Spaghetti Squash and Cheese
Cheesy baked spaghetti squash and baby spinach – a comforting, cheesy dish, without the guilt. Perfect for Meatless Mondays or any day of the week! I was craving something cheesy, without all the carbs from macaroni and came up with this. I basically swapped the pasta from my Skinny Macaroni and Cheese recipe with spaghetti squash and was really impressed with the results. No, spaghetti squash does not taste like pasta, it's slightly sweeter and of course a vegetable rather than a grain, but we all loved this dish. Even my husband gave it a thumbs up – I think we all found our favorite way to eat this squash. It can be prepared ahead, then baked just before ready to serve. I reheated leftovers in the microwave for lunch the next day and it was just as good as when I first made it. If you are looking for a dish that is gluten-free, low-carb, vegetarian and comforting, give this a try. Serve this as a main dish, or as a side dish. I think this would even freeze and reheat well, if anyone tries this let me know!
Cheesy baked spaghetti squash and baby spinach – a comforting, cheesy dish, without the guilt. Perfect for Meatless Mondays or any day of the week! I was craving something cheesy, without all the carbs from macaroni and came up with this. I basically swapped the pasta from my Skinny Macaroni and Cheese recipe with spaghetti squash and was really impressed with the results. No, spaghetti squash does not taste like pasta, it's slightly sweeter and of course a vegetable rather than a grain, but we all loved this dish. Even my husband gave it a thumbs up – I think we all found our favorite way to eat this squash. It can be prepared ahead, then baked just before ready to serve. I reheated leftovers in the microwave for lunch the next day and it was just as good as when I first made it. If you are looking for a dish that is gluten-free, low-carb, vegetarian and comforting, give this a try. Serve this as a main dish, or as a side dish. I think this would even freeze and reheat well, if anyone tries this let me know!
- Carbohydrate 9.61678750000052 g
- Cholesterol 7.32901785901157 mg
- Fat 2.8253616080546 g
- Fiber 0.136000003814697 g
- Protein 3.35181339286453 g
- Saturated Fat 1.50190000047502 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (152g)
- Sodium 217.113296135963 mg
- Sugar 9.48078749618582 g
- Trans Fat 0.222523750054951 g
- Calories 76 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
- Cut the squash in half lengthwise; remove and discard seeds. Place squash on a baking sheet. Bake until tender, about 1 hour. Separate the strands of squash with a fork and place in a medium bowl; discard shells. Maintain the oven temperature.
- Heat butter and oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and cook about 2 minutes. Stir in flour. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring continually 3 - 4 minutes.
- Add milk and chicken broth and continue whisking, raising heat to medium-high until it comes to a boil and becomes smooth and thick,about 2 minutes stirring; season with salt and pepper.
- Once it becomes thick, remove from heat, add cheddar cheese and mix well until cheese is melted. Adjust salt and pepper to taste, add cooked spaghetti squash and baby spinach, pour into a baking dish and sprinkle parmesan cheese on top. Bake until bubbly and golden 25 to 30 minutes.
Golden bubbles crown a surface of sharp cheddar and parmesan, sealing in tender strands of roasted squash and wilted greens beneath a crisp crust. This casserole builds on traditional baked pasta methods by substituting winter squash for semolina noodles, yielding a lighter structure while retaining a rich dairy sauce. Caching a vegetable base inside a thick roux stretches expensive dairy further, stretching a block of reduced-fat cheddar across multiple portions without sacrificing creaminess.
Success hinges entirely on managing the roux during the flour-cooking phase. Raw flour tastes pasty and fails to thicken liquids properly, so whisking the butter, oil, and flour mixture over low heat for three to four minutes is mandatory. This brief cooking window toasts the starch gently, eliminating the raw flavor before cold milk and chicken broth enter the pan. Whisk vigorously as the dairy hits the warm pot to prevent lumps from forming in the base.
Roasting the squash halves cut-side down at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for one hour concentrates its natural sweetness by evaporating excess moisture. Undercooked squash remains crunchy and watery, which ruins the texture of the finished bake by releasing liquid into the cheese sauce. Scrape the interior strands out with a fork only after the flesh yields completely to gentle pressure. Raw onions translucent in butter add savory depth to the sauce before the cheese melts off the heat.
Baking the assembled dish for twenty-five to thirty minutes creates proper heat distribution throughout the center of the casserole. Leftovers store safely in refrigerator containers for up to four days and reheat efficiently in a microwave without breaking the dairy emulsion. Portion costs remain low because spaghetti squash yields high volume per pound compared to specialty gluten-free pasta alternatives.
