Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Boats

When I picked up Grace from college the week before Thanksgiving, I could tell she was worried that her time at home was going to be forever. But after buying her own car, working at lululemon, and a couple of visits with her very cute boyfriend–she’s heading back to school next week. While I always hate to see her go, a college campus is where she needs to be.

But I couldn’t let Grace leave us without making at least one of her healthy dinners. Last night, she treated us to the dairy-free, paleo spaghetti squash lasagna boats inspired by Rachl Mansfield that she says were easy to make. While the family griped a little about eating one of “Grace’s dinner,” they thought it was delicious! Grace doubled the recipe below for our family of 7.

What You Need

• 2 medium spaghetti squash
• 1 tablespoon avocado oil or olive oil
• 1 pound ground turkey, beef, or chicken 
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning 
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• Sea salt and black pepper to taste
• 8 ounces baby spinach
• 18 or 20-ounce jar pasta sauce (either works–we used Raos!)
• 2 cups almond milk ricotta cheese, divided
• Shredded almond cheese for topping

What You Do

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Using a fork, poke some holes in each spaghetti squash then slice each in half length wise (I usually microwave them for 2 minutes to soften them up and make it easier to slice).
3. Scoop out the flesh where the seeds are and set aside to roast if you’d like or discard.
4. Add the spaghetti squash to a lined baking sheet and roast in oven for about 35-40 minutes.
5. While the spaghetti squash bakes, in a large skillet, warm oil over medium heat and add the ground meat.
6. Using a fork or spatula, break down into smaller pieces and cook over medium heat until meat is fulled cooked (no pink is showing).
7. Add in the seasoning, red pepper, garlic and sea salt and black pepper and the baby spinach and cook over low heat for 3-5 minutes or until spinach is fully cooked.
8. Turn off heat and mix in the pasta sauce to the skillet.
9. Once the spaghetti squash is done, scoop out about 85% off the squash (don’t over scoop or the skin will be flimsy and the boats won’t hold!)
10. Add the squash noodles to the skillet and add in 1 cup of the almond milk ricotta and mix everything together.
11. Fill each spaghetti squash with the mixture, sprinkle the other 1 cup of almond milk ricotta on top of each and cook in oven for 10 minutes or until “cheese” looks melted. Top with shredded almond cheese.
12. I also like to broil for 1-2 minutes too to get the cheese bubbly.
13. Garnish with fresh basil and enjoy while warm!

Grace made a side of bruschetta to add a few carbs to the meal for my boys. But we all commented how we felt “full” after dinner, but not “heavy.” Yum! Thank you so much to Grace! And if you haven’t checked out Grace’s food account, you can follow her on Instagram @graceliveswell.

Happy Monday!

xo,

Photo of Grace and me by Jenn Marie Photography