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Taking the classic lasagna and making it just a touch healthier with these cute (cheesy) Roasted Garlic Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Boats. Seasonal spaghetti squash boats stuffed with a spicy chicken, tomato-based ragu sauce, and creamy cheesy béchamel sauce made with fresh ricotta and provolone cheeses. It’s all baked together until the sauce is bubbling hot and the cheese is melted and perfect. This is an easy, delicious, gluten-free, and slightly healthier way to enjoy the classic flavors of lasagna. Bonus? This is the perfect recipe for low key entertaining with friends all season long.
I’ve probably said this before, but I don’t think spaghetti squash gets nearly enough love. This time of year I tend to see a whole lot of pumpkin, some butternut squash, and sometimes acorn squash is occasionally thrown into the mix too. But spaghetti squash? Not so much.
I personally love spaghetti squash. My mom used to roast it in the oven and serve it simply with butter and salt. That’s my mom, noodles, butter, and salt. She could live off of that…and she would…if she didn’t have to eat my cooking every day.
Watch Me Make These Boats on Instagram:
Thanks to my mom, I’ve had a strong love for spaghetti squash since I was a kid. It’s one of the only vegetables I feel that can truly replace real deal pasta. I’m never bummed or left feeling unsatisfied after a spaghetti squash dinner. It’s always so delicious.
Enter these cute little spaghetti squash lasagna boats that I love so much. These are just like your classic lasagna only made low-carb.
Here are the details
Start with the garlic. If you’ve never roasted garlic before, I’m here to tell you that it’s truly amazing. Slow roasted garlic loses it’s intense garlic flavor and instead takes on a soft sweetness. It’s delicious and so simple to do…like so simple. Just drizzle an entire head of garlic with a little olive oil, wrap in foil, and roast in the oven until the garlic turns a pretty, golden color.
And that’s it. Then mash the garlic into a paste and stir it into the tomato sauce…
Which brings me to the next step! While the garlic roasts, make the sauce. I like to use spicy Italian chicken sausage for extra flavor, but you can also use ground chicken, ground turkey, or even ground beef. All will work great. Then just add tomatoes and herbs, and simmer for a bit to thicken the sauce up. Stir in the roasted garlic. And that’s that.
Tip: if you’re short on time, you can skip roasting the garlic, but I will say that the roasted garlic really adds such a nice flavor to the sauce.
Next, prep the spaghetti squash. I like to microwave the squash for a few minutes to make it easier to cut in half. I know all too well that cutting through spaghetti squash can be super dangerous. Microwaving the squash makes it so much easier to cut. Trust me on this.
Of course, if you don’t own a microwave, you can easily just skip the step. But I would pre-roast your squash in the oven for 15 minutes to start the cooking process.
Now, for the cheesy béchamel sauce. It’s a simple mixture of milk, fresh ricotta, fontina, and provolone cheeses. I added fresh basil and some nutmeg for warmth.
OK. Now you have all your layers, let’s assemble the spaghetti squash shell. Just layer the ragu sauce and the béchamel sauce inside the spaghetti squash. Top with cheese and bake until the squash is tender and the cheese is melted and bubbling up. One word to say here, YUM.
Top with fried sage and or fresh thyme. Not necessary, but I highly recommend. Why? Because it’s GOOD, and everything is better (and prettier) topped with herbs.
I really can’t begin to express just how good these lasagna boats are. They’ve been a favorite recipe of mine for years and I love making them every fall. They require a little cooking time, but they’re an easy, super-cozy dinner than you can throw together any night of the week. And? They are definitely special enough to serve guests for a smaller dinner party. Everyone loves getting a personalized lasagna boat.
Some serving suggestions for you
I recommend serving these with your favorite autumn side salad, this kale salad or this brussels sprout salad would both be great options.
Or? Just serve them on their own because remember, spaghetti squash is a vegetable! And it’s SO GOOD. Buttery, saucy, and a little cheesy. All the classic flavors of traditional lasagna, just on the lighter side.
Nothing not to love! Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
If you make these roasted garlic spaghetti squash lasagna boats be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
watch the how to video:
Roasted Garlic Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Boats
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 758 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 1 head garlic
- 3/4 pound ground spicy Italian chicken sausage or ground chicken
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped
- 1 can (28 ounce) crushed San Marzano tomatoes
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 medium spaghetti squash, halved and seeds removed
- 1/2 cup whole milk or heavy cream
- 1/4 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
- 1/8 teaspoon grated fresh nutmeg
- 1 1/2 cups shredded fontina cheese or mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup shredded provolone cheese
- kosher salt and black pepper
- fresh thyme and or fried sage leaves, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Slice off the top portion of the garlic head to expose some of the cloves. Place the garlic on a piece of foil. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and wrap in foil. Transfer to the oven and roast until cloves are lightly browned and tender, about 20 minutes. Let cool, then squeeze the garlic out into a bowl. Mash the cloves with a fork. 2. To make the meat sauce. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over high heat. When the oil shimmers, add the chicken sausage and brown all over, about 5 to 8 minutes. Add onion and cook another 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, add the tomatoes, 1 cup water, the bay leaf, oregano, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Simmer for 15 minutes or until the sauce thickens slightly. Remove the bay leaf, stir in the roasted garlic. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.3. Meanwhile, poke a few holes into the squash with a fork and place on a plate. Microwave 3 minutes. Let cool slightly, then cut in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds and discard. 4. In a medium bowl, mix together the milk, ricotta cheese, nutmeg, and basil. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in 1 cup fontina cheese and 1/2 cup provolone cheese. 5. Place the squash in a baking dish and season the cut sides with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the remaining fontina cheese into the bottom of each squash, then evenly divide meat sauce among the squash cavities. Now spoon the milk/cheese mix over the meat sauce. Top with the remaining provolone cheese. Cover the squash loosely with foil. 6. Transfer to the oven and bake 20 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking another 15-20 minutes or until the squash is tender and the cheese is golden brown on top. The squash will seem a little soupy, this is OK. 7. Let the squash sit 5 minutes, then use a fork to scrape the squash into strands, mixing the meat and cheese with the squash. Serve topped with thyme and sage.
Notes
If You Don’t Own a Microwave: Simply slice the squash in half, scrape out the seeds and place cut side down on a baking sheet. Pre-roast your squash for 15 minutes to start the cooking process, then continue the recipe as directed.
This post was originally published on September 30, 2019
This was very good. I used breakfast sausage instead of chicken (couldn’t find any), but it worked. They were huge, though, so next time I might plan for half a squash per person. It was also time intensive, but I made it on a Sunday when I had the time. Overall a delicious alternative to traditional lasagna.
Made this yum yum recipe & I AM IN HEAVEN! Thanks for the free trip to happiness! The hubby loved it too!
Thank you!
I am really looking forward to trying these, they look awsome. I love some of your recipes. Feeling inspired to cook. Thanks
Instead of layering this in individual squash, could you make this up as a casserole? I made this once and it was delicious.. I’m just wondering if I could just build it up all in one pan?
Hey Amber! I think that would be great! So glad you love this, thanks!!
Soooo delicious!! As a carb lover, I have to tell you, I was satisfIed!! And will definitely make again!
Thank you! So happy you loved it! 🙂
this is the second Time I’ve made this and I used Italian Turkey saucAge; and I didn’t do the bechemel sauce But it was great with my tweeks!! My family loved them !! This was my first time eating Spaghetti squash too!! This will become a staple In my menu book!!
I forgot to say the garlic was good, too! I don’t think it was roasted quite long enough (I pulled it out the same time I did the squash and since the squash was so done I thought the garlic would be also but I think it should have gone a little longer, but, it still had a GREAT flavor. I ate the casserole as soon as I popped it our of the oven but them later when I was putting away the leftovers I ate a little more and it tasted even better! All the flavors had melded together even more and it was delicious. It tasted exactly like lasagna. I couldn’t taste any flavor of the squash standing out (which is good for me bc I’m not a huge fan of plain squash) again, thank you!
So this was my first time making spaghetti squash…I have wanted to try it for a while but I’ve been intimidated by it but then I saw your recipe and it looked so good that I went straight to the store to buy the stuff I needed. I have also never roasted a whole garlic bulb before. So I checked the squash after about minus and it was so mushy that it caved in when I poked it with the fork. Then when I started scraping the sides there was so much liquid it was making puddles in the noodles. I totally saturated like 10 napkins soaking up liquid from just one half. Other than it cooking super fast and being so liquidy it tasted great! I ended up layering it in a casserole dish bc the sides of the squash just fell apart. Then I poured of more liquid once it was finished baking. I will say for someone who LOVES pasta (but is severely allergic to gluten) I will make this again! I didn’t use the cheese sauce bc I was afraid it was already too runny but I look forward to making it next time…1 more question…I am allergic to all cheese except mozzarella. Do you think the sauce would be good made with mozzarella. If not I can just layer extra mozzarella like I did tonight. Thanks for the recipe and the courage to tackle a veggie I was super intimidated by ☺
Made these last night and while they were not nearly as pretty as yours, they were delicious! I have a bunch left over. Would you recommend popping them in the oven to reheat?
So happy you loved these!! Yup, I think the oven would be great! 🙂
This was a wonderful meal. Very filling. Family really liked it. I’m gonna try all of them.
Thank you!!
So I am making these right now. They just. Oh my god they look so good. I’ve never had spaghetti squash but I’ve always wanted to and when I saw this recipe I just had to try it.
I tried this yesterday for dinner and I followed to the tee and it did not disappoint. OMG the flavors!!!. I took a picture but it did no justice but I will send to you anyway. Thank you for sharing this amazing tasty recipe.
YES!! Please do send it, I cannot wait to see! 🙂
Thanks so much, I am thrilled you loved this!
I had this tonight. Used ground Italian season turkey instead of chicken. It was out of this world.
SO happy you loved this, thank you!
looks good, how many calories?
Thanks! I am sorry, but I do not have the calories.
I’m so going to try this, would this work with a butternut squash? I’m not sure what a spaghetti squash is?
Hey Samantha, you can do this with butternut squash, but it will not be like pasta. Still good, but butternut squash does not form strands like spaghetti. Spaghetti squash is typically sold with butternut squash in the grocery store. It is normally oval and yellow in color. Hope that helps and let me know if you have any more questions!
Thanks!
Thanks for getting back to me, I’ll keep a look out for them next time I’m shopping.