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This Spaghetti Squash Lasagna with Chicken Sausage Bolognese is my copycat recipe of the restaurant, True Foods, recipe.  I’m sure a lot of you have been to True Foods (Oprah’s restaurant) and have your favorite thing you order.  This is one of my go to orders, along with the edamame ravioli. This recipe is filling and only about 450 calories a serving. You can make this vegetarian by leaving out the chicken sausage.

I made this the other night for my family and they loved it.  I’m serious!  My 13 year old who hates everything and is a total teenage ahole right now (I do still love him) said, “this is awesome mom”.  I did nearly fell out of my chair, but I just smiled and said, “thank you, sweetie” then got him a second helping.  OMG! So if the crabby teen likes it I promise you will all like this recipe.

Now this recipe is not fast, but its pretty straight forward.  It is mostly waiting for the timer to go off so this is a good recipe for a weekend or if you are around the house for a couple hours on a weekday. You can also make this ahead of time and just heat it in the oven when you are ready to eat.  I would not freeze this since there is so much water in the spaghetti squash, but it will save in the fridge for about 4 days.

I serve this with a side caesar salad-you can make your own or you can just open up a bottle of pre-made dressing and dinner is served!

There are a few steps with this recipe starting with cooking the spaghetti squash.  It could not be easier! The hardest part is cutting the damn squash open. Use a very sharp knife and cut the squash open length wise. Scoop out the seeds and toss.  Drizzle the squash with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Place the squash halve cut side down on a parchment or foil lined baking dish. Bake at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes or until very tender. Once the squash is cooked and cooled a little bit use a fork and scrape out the strands of squash.  It will look like spaghetti, hence the name.

The next step, while the squash is cooking is the prepare the bolognese.  This bolognese has a lot of veggies and uses sweet Italian chicken sausage. I got mine Central Market, but a Wegmans or Draegers will all have it fresh or you can buy Trader Joes, Aidells, Applegate or Al Fresco pre-packaged. You obviously can use hot as well if your family likes it spicy.

For the veggies you want to cut them into same size pieces just so they cook quickly since this is really a quick cook bolognese (you are not letting it simmer for hours, although you can and it will be even more delicious). Here is a picture of how I cut my carrots.  Your goals is to get the pieces flat on one side for easier cutting and for safety (trust me I have cut myself many times because of an unstable, round vegetable). Peel, cut in half, cut lengthwise so you have two flat pieces, cut the pieces in half lengthwise so we have 4 pieces then cut into small cubes.

Once all your veggies are cut you can start with the bolognese recipe and end up with a sauce that looks like this

When the sauce and squash is cooked you will combine the squash with the sauce and begin to layer into your baking dish with slices of mozzarella. I recommend using really good mozzarella such as Dallas Mozzarella Company which makes the most delicious cheese by hand, but if you can only find shredded mozzarella it will be just fine.

Enjoy! Send any questions or thoughts!

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Spaghetti Squash Lasagna with Chicken Sausage Bolognese

A healthy alternative to traditional lasagna. 

Servings 6

Ingredients

  • 1 spaghetti squash
  • 4 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 2 large carrots, diced
  • 2 stalks celery, diced
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 5 links sweet Italian chicken sausage, removed from casing
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 large can (28oz) crushed tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 3/4 lb. fresh mozzarella, sliced
  • 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

Squash

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

  2. Cut squash in half lengthwise. Drizzle with 2 Tablespoons oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. 

  3. Place cut side down on parchment or foil lined baking sheet. 

  4. Roast for 45-55 minutes or until very tender. 

  5. Once squash is cooked allow it to cool for a few minutes. Then shred the inside with a fork. 

Bolognese

  1. While squash is cooking begin the bolognese. 

  2. Heat remaining 2 Tablespoons oil in a large pot over medium high heat. 

  3. Saute vegetables, carrots, celery, bell pepper, onion until sightly tender, about 5-6 minutes. 

  4. Add red pepper flakes and sausage. Cook until sausage is no longer pink, about 8 minutes. 

  5. Add dried basil, dried oregano, garlic and tomatoes, water and salt. 

  6. Simmer for about 20 minutes and taste for seasoning. Depending on what brand of tomatoes you use you might need to add more salt. San Marzano tomatoes are not as acidic so require more salt. 

  7. Combine the shredded squash with the sauce (in the sauce pot). Mix well. 

  8. Spray a 9x13" baking dish with cooking spray. 

  9. Spread half of squash/sauce in the bottom of the dish. Top with half the mozzarella and Parmesan, the rest of the squash/sauce and then the rest of the cheeses. 

  10. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes or until bubbly. Let cool about 10 minutes. 

Needed Items