Roasted Garlic Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Boats
Embrace the flavors of Italy with this delectable Roasted Garlic Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Boats recipe. This hearty and satisfying dish combines the finest ingredients to create a culinary masterpiece that will tantalize your taste buds.
Embrace the flavors of Italy with this delectable Roasted Garlic Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Boats recipe. This hearty and satisfying dish combines the finest ingredients to create a culinary masterpiece that will tantalize your taste buds.
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 4-6 small spaghetti squash halved lengthwise and seeds scooped out
- 1 head garlic
- 1 pounds spicy italian chicken sausage (or 1 pound ground chicken or half ground chicken half sausage)
- 4 ounces pancetta finely chopped
- 1/2 sweet onion finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme (1/2 teaspoon dried)
- 1 teaspoon fresh sage (1/2 teaspoon dried)
- 1 tablespoon fresh basil (2 teaspoons dried)
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 1/4 cup milk (i used 2%)
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- 3/4 cup provolone cheese shredded
- fried sage or fresh basil for garnish
- Carbohydrate 14.7037293075541 g
- Cholesterol 101.961221544446 mg
- Fat 36.7539760622787 g
- Fiber 0.666676823404355 g
- Protein 29.315072418663 g
- Saturated Fat 19.4456947321599 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (338g)
- Sodium 1300.28265822055 mg
- Sugar 14.0370524841497 g
- Trans Fat 2.79864925001991 g
- Calories 506 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Chop off the top portion of the garlic head to reveal cloves. Peel any excess paper/skin off from the bulb of garlic. Pour about a teaspoon of olive oil on top the garlic cloves and cover with foil. Roast in a baking dish for 45 minutes, or until golden brown and soft. Allow to cool and then squeeze garlic out of the paper skin into a small bowl and mash well with a fork, set aside.
- At the same time roast the squash. Slice the squash lengthwise and rub a drizzle of oil all over the cut side of both squash halves and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Place cut side down on a baking sheet and bake about 30 to 45 minutes, or until the squash is just tender enough to scrape into strands. You want it to be barely tender, it will continue cooking later. Remove from the oven and scrape the squash into strands.
- Reduce the oven to 350 degrees F.
- While the squash bakes make the sauce. In a large skillet, cook 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the pancetta over medium heat, stirring, until the pancetta is lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the onion, bay leaf, thyme and sage and cook, stirring until the veggies are softened, about 5 minutes. Push to the veggies to the side of the pan. Increase the heat to medium-high. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the center of the pan and crumble in the chicken sausage and cook without stirring for 3 minutes. Break up the meat and continue to cook, stirring occasionally until well browned, about 3 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes, basil and 1 cup water to the skillet. Simmer, stirring occasionally until thickened, about 15-20 minutes. Once the sauce has thicken a bit, discard the bay leaf and season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and stir in the mashed garlic.
- Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, whisking constantly, for 1 minute. Whisk in the milk in a steady stream and simmer for 2 minutes, whisking throughout. Remove from the heat, stir in all of the provolone and season with nutmeg, salt and pepper. Let cool, stirring occasionally to prevent a skin from forming.
- To assemble the boats, remove a little of the squash strands from each boat. Then place a layer of the meat sauce on top of the remaining strands, then a layer of the cheese sauce, then layer the removed squash strands on top of the cheese and divide the remaining meat sauce among the boats. Lastly, top with the remaining cheese sauce and shredded mozzarella cheese. Place the squash on a baking sheet and bake for 20-30 minutes at 350, or until the squash are warm throughout and the cheese is browning. Remove from the oven and let sit 5 minutes. Garnish with fresh sage, fried sage or basil. EAT!
Undercooking spaghetti squash is the primary error that turns a tender vegetable into a watery, crunchy disappointment. When prepping the squash halves, rubbing them with olive oil and placing them cut-side down traps moisture inside, steaming the flesh while the oven heat caramelizes the outer rim at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 to 45 minutes. Rushing this stage prevents the starches from softening enough to form natural noodle-like strands. Testing doneness requires no thermometer; simply press a fork tine into the thickest part of the wall, and if it meets slight resistance before sliding through, the squash is ready to be scraped. Pulling the squash out at this exact firm-tender stage is critical because the vegetable will undergo a second round of baking later.
Achieving structural integrity in vegetable-based boats depends entirely on moisture control during both the roasting and simmering phases. Crushed tomatoes and rendered pancetta fat can easily turn soggy if the meat sauce is not allowed to simmer for the full 15 to 20 minutes required to reduce excess liquid. Whisking flour into melted butter for exactly one minute creates a foundational blond roux that thickens the milk and provolone béchamel without tasting raw or pasty. Leaving behind a thin barrier of squash strands at the bottom of each excavated shell acts as a sponge, absorbing residual oils before the heavy layers of meat sauce, cheese sauce, and mozzarella go on top.
Building these boats involves alternating dense layers of spicy chicken sausage, herbs, and two distinct sauces within the hollowed cavity of the squash. Squeezing a whole roasted head of garlic yields a sweet, paste-like concentrate that completely transforms the robust tomato ragu when stirred in off the heat. Layering the removed squash strands back over the cheese sauce before adding the remaining meat ensures the interior remains cohesive rather than separating into greasy pools. Balancing the sharp provolone in the béchamel with the mild mozzarella on top prevents the crust from becoming overly heavy or rubbery as it browns.
Baking the assembled boats at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 to 30 minutes warms the interior completely while melting the cheeses into a golden crust. Allowing the pan to rest undisturbed for five minutes after it leaves the oven lets the internal proteins set so the individual portions hold their shape upon serving. Garnishing with fresh basil or fried sage adds a fragrant, herbaceous contrast to the rich, slow-cooked pork and poultry filling. Properly executed, this dish merges the comforting mechanics of a traditional baked pasta with the lighter texture of autumn squash.
