They say inner beauty is what counts, right? In that case, these spaghetti squash boats are seriously beautiful creatures. Just think about it: ooey-gooey oh so cheesy bechamel sauce. Meaty, delicious tomato sauce. And spaghetti squash to mop up the goodness? Un-freaken-believeable. I wish I could take credit for this genius recipe – but I can’t. These delectable nuggets are courtesy of Half-Baked Harvest, and for that I am ever grateful!
My sous chef and I had my parents over for dinner last night and I was grappling with what I wanted to make. I came across this recipe partially skeptical but mostly inspired. Who would think that spaghetti squash could begin to compare to lasagna noodles? Now, I’m a big fan of spaghetti squash – don’t get me wrong. But I had my doubts. And friends, this turned out better than lasagna. Yes, that’s a powerful statement. And I have these delicious puppies as proof. I try and steer clear of most breads and starches (unless we’re talking sweet potatoes here, obviously) and this was such an indulgent dinner it’s difficult to believe that it’s low in carbs, too! I’m not going to tell you the recipe comes together at the snap of a finger because it doesn’t. Think Sunday dinner-type dish. It’s going to take some time and love but I promise it’s going to love you right back.
Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Boats with Roasted Garlic:
- 3 Spaghetti Squash, halved lengthwise with seeds spooned out
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 head garlic
- 1 pounds spicy italian sausage
- 4 slices applewood smoked bacon
- 1/2 a sweet onion, finely chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
- 3 tablespoons fresh basil
- 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 1/4 cup milk + extra for thinning (I used 2%)
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- 3/4 cup provolone cheese, shredded
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- Fresh basil, for garnish
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Then, let’s start by slicing the spaghetti squash lengthwise and removing the seeds from the center. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Then, slice the top off of the head of garlic and discard any extra skin. Put a touch of olive over top and a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
Place the spaghetti squash halves and garlic head on the tin foil covered baking sheets. Tent the garlic head with additional tin foil.
Once preheated, place your baking sheets in the oven for 45 minutes – your spaghetti squash will be almost-cooked through when removed (because we are going to stick it back in the oven in after constructing our gorgeous boats). Now, this gives us a perfect window to prep the delicious insides.
Ah, bacon. In a large skillet saute up until crisp and beautiful.
Reserve one tablespoon of the bacon fat. While the bacon cooks, finely chop your onion, basil and thyme.
Set the basil aside. Remove the bacon from heat after beutifully crisped. Then, remove the italian sausage from its casings and add to saute pan until cooked through creating chunks along the way.
In a separate stock pot add your reserved bacon fat, diced onion, thyme and bay leaf.
Once the sausage has cooked through, add it to the stock pot.
After the onions are nicely sauteed, add the crushed tomatoes, followed by the bacon and basil.
Season to taste with salt and pepper. Now look at that, the meat sauce is done! Moving right along…
Now onto the bechamel sauce: in a separate sauce pan heat the butter. Once melted, add the flour and whisk quickly until all of the lumps are removed and the butter and flour are completely incorporated.
Then, slowly add the milk while continuously whisking. Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper. Let cook for about 5 minutes or until thick whisking occasionally.
Add your provolone cheese and turn heat to low (you want the cheese to stay melted without burning the bottom). If your sauce becomes too thick simply add additional milk.
Alright. Once 45 minutes have passed (which they probably have by now) remove the garlic and spaghetti squash from the oven. Reduce the oven heat to 350 degrees.
Let the spaghetti squash cool slightly. In the meantime, remove the garlic from the skin. It should slide right out with a little help. Mash up and add to your meat sauce.
Once the spaghetti squash is cool enough to handle, scrape out the insides with a fork, creating your “spaghetti”.
Place the spaghetti squash in a separate bowl.
Then, let’s begin this construction project. We are going to layer in this order: Meat sauce, bechamel, spaghetti squash, meat sauce, bechamel and top with mozzarella cheese.
Then, with the oven at 350, bake the lasagna boats for 30 minutes until bubbly and gorgeous.
Top with basil for garnish and dig into this beautiful lasagna boat! I’d tell you to enjoy, but it’s truly inevitable. Savor each bite of cheesy, gooey, tomato-y, meaty goodness!
Ah, yes. We all know what’s coming: the w-i-n-e. For this beauty we chose to have the 2012 oak ridge zinfandel. I mean, this wine is out of this world. Yep, just like this lasagna boat. An out of this world dish with an out of this world wine? You guessed it: it’s out of this world.
Just kidding, but seriously. It is a robust, rich, smoky and gorgeous. It pairs perfectly with this spicy meat sauce. So, so good.
Dig in!
