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Ingredients
- medium spaghetti squash
- salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
- tablespoon sgrated Parmesan cheese
- tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- teaspoon olive oil
- 1/2 large onion, minced
- clove sgarlic, minced
- pound bulk Italian sausage
- (14 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- tablespoon schopped fresh basil
- cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
- Cut squash in half lengthwise with a large kitchen knife. Scoop out seeds and membrane. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Place in a baking dish, cut side down.
- Bake in the preheated oven until soft, about 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for about 10 minutes. Keep the oven on.
- Meanwhile, begin preparing sauce. Combine ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, and parsley in a medium bowl. Mix well.
- Heat oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic in the hot oil until onion is soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add sausage and cook and stir until browned, 5 to 7 minutes, breaking up meat into small pieces as it cooks. Add tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Simmer over low heat for 25 minutes; stir in basil and simmer for 5 minutes more.
- Remove flesh from the cooled squash by scraping with a fork, creating spaghetti strands. Reserve the shells. Drain the squash strands in a paper towel lined colander to soak up excess liquid.
- Toss squash strands with the tomato sauce mixture. Spoon into the 6 squash shells. Top with 1 to 2 tablespoons of the ricotta cheese mixture and 2 tablespoons mozzarella cheese. Place in the baking dish.
- Roast in the preheated oven until heated through and cheese is melted, about 30 minutes.
Tips
Want to make ahead and freeze? Follow the directions up to the last baking. After the boats are put together, flash-freeze on a cookie sheet for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Then place boats in a freezer bag (I like to do 2 boats in a gallon-size freezer bag) for a quick weeknight meal. Just put them in the refrigerator when you leave for work and bake for 30 to 45 minutes or until warm.