What: Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Casserole
Rating: 8
Non-quantifiable rating: Noodles? Who needs noodles?
My dad's phenomenal garden produced some phenomenal spaghetti squash this year. I went hunting for recipes that would showcase his squash, and came across this one by "76sarah" on
http://www.recipezaar.com/ and then, per usual, doctored the crap out of it. I almost ignored it, because it's technically lasagna but doesn't actually have any noodles in it. Since I'm an incurable carb addict, this was nearly a deal-breaker. However, I made it and I'm glad I did.
My husband raved about it so much that I made a bigger version for dinner for 12 in honor of my Alaskan brother, sister-in-law and niece coming into town for Twin Cities marathon. I made it vegetarian using Boca Italian Sausage, but the original recipe calls for meat and I'm assuming most of the world would prefer it that way. I also cut the fat way down by substituting the ricotta cheese for fat free cottage cheese, and no one could tell the difference. The major must-do is to find really good goat cheese - don't sub, don't skip - it makes all the difference! The way I made it came out to about 330 calories per 1/8 of a 9x13 pan which is a massive serving. So have three.
SPAGHETTI SQUASH LASAGNA CASSEROLE
Serves 8 (large portions)
INGREDIENTS
1 large spaghetti squash
4 oz. chevre (goat) cheese
15 oz. fat free cottage cheese
8 oz. mozzarella cheese (grated)
1 egg (or 1/4 cup of egg substitute)
1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese
2-28 oz. cans of whole tomatoes with basil (drained)
1lb. of ground Italian turkey sausage or Boca substitute
1 small onion, finely diced
4 large garlic cloves, minced
salt and pepper to taste (I used a LOT of pepper)
2 T. olive oil
DIRECTIONS
1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2) Prick squash all over with a fork and roast it in an oven (put it in a pan with a little water in the bottom) for an hour or so, or until it's soft when you press on it
3) Take it out and leave it on the counter until cool
4) Meanwhile, brown sausage in a large pot or dutch oven with 1 T olive oil, breaking it up into small pieces. When brown, add onion and half of garlic. Cook until onion is transparent and add tomatoes, breaking them up with a spoon. Partially cover and simmer over low heat for a couple of hours (make sure to give it at least 90 minutes, preferably 2 hours, so it can "think about itself"). Stir once in a while; add salt and pepper to taste.
5) When squash is cool, cut it in half and scoop out the seeds. Scoop the rest of the squash into a bowl and set aside (blend for a minute or so if necessary if it is too chunky). Add the rest of the garlic to the rest of the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. When the garlic becomes fragrant, add spaghetti squash and saute for a few minutes until the squash begins to brown. Add salt and pepper to taste.
6) Mix together ricotta, chevre, parmesan, egg, and half of the mozzarella.
7) Preheat oven to 375 degrees and pour a ladleful of sauce in the bottom of the lasagna pan to coat. Add squash. Top squash with the ricotta cheese mixture and top the whole thing off with the rest of the sauce and then the rest of the mozzarella. Bake for one hour until brown and bubbling all over. IMPORTANT: Let it rest for 10 minutes before serving.
