These Spaghetti Squash Boats with Spicy Sausage have all the same great flavors as normal spaghetti, but with half the calories and carbs! 

Spaghetti Squash Boats with Spicy Sausage | Eat Yourself Skinny

Ok guys, this is huge.

I love spaghetti as much as the next person, but ohh do I hate those carbs.  The first time I ever tried spaghetti squash I was sooo skeptical (and I tend to be super picky) – I mean how in the world would squash taste as good as pasta??  Well clearly vegetables have been surprising me lately and YES, this is another winner folks.  Creating the “noodles” from this squash is so incredibly easy.  Seriously – if you can boil water, you can make spaghetti squash.  Plain. and. simple.  All you have to do is cut the squash in half, scoop out the seeds, bake them {cut side down} for about 45 minutes in the oven then start scraping with a fork!

Boom spaghetti.

Squash has little to no taste so it’s amazing the different flavor combinations you can come up with!  I wanted to do something a little different than just a basic marinara that I’m used to having so I thought it’d be fun to make individual squash boats tossed with a creamy sauce and spicy sausage.  Turkey sausage that is.  Jennie-O has a DELICIOUS spicy ground turkey sausage that is lean and low in fat/calories, but really you could use any type of sausage you’d like!  This sauce is so flavorful and seriously so simple to make, the best part is you can make everything all in the same skillet.  Toss the spaghetti squash in with the sauce and turkey until completely coated and transfer everything into the squash boats.  Top with cheese, bake in the oven and enjoy!

Oh and did I mention, one whole cheesy boat is only 270 calories!  I think that alone makes this worth a try,  don’t ya think??

Spaghetti Squash Boats with Spicy Sausage | Eat Yourself Skinny

I seriously can’t believe it’s now officially Fall, I feel like summer flew by just like that!  Trust me I’m not complaining, I’m all about the pumpkin spiced lattes, cozy sweaters, boots with leggings and admiring all the pretty foliage, but when I left work yesterday it was over 80 degrees!  Mother nature what the heck is up??  All my scarves are out and ready to be worn, but this weather has me like ready to lay back out by the pool.

Well even though the heat is still pretty high for mid-September, I’m still excited about sharing Fall recipes!  Let me know what recipes YOU would like to see this season and I’d be happy to share!

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RECIPE

Spaghetti Squash Boats with Spicy Sausage

Yield: 4 Servings 1x

Ingredients

  • 2 ripe spaghetti squash
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 yellow onion, diced
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 lb. ground hot turkey sausage (I used Jennie-O)
  • 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 (10 oz) can Rotel tomatoes
  • 1/4 cup half and half
  • Pinch red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. pepper
  • 1/2 cup part skim Mozzarella cheese, shredded and divided
  • 2 Tbsp basil, thinly sliced

Instructions

  1. To make the spaghetti squash, preheat oven to 350 degrees F and cut squash right down the middle. Scoop out all the seeds and place cut side down on a baking sheet lightly sprayed with oil. DO NOT PIERCE WITH A FORK!! Many recipes say to do this, but we are using these cuts of squash later as bowls so you want them to remain intact.
  2. Bake squash in the oven for 45 minutes until tender.
  3. Meanwhile, drizzle oil into a large skillet and saute onion and garlic until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add turkey sausage and cook until crumbled and lightly brown, draining if necessary, then add chicken broth, tomatoes, half and half, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Bring everything to a boil then cover and allow flavors to simmer on low to medium heat until spaghetti squash is ready.
  4. Remove squash from the oven and scrape out all the strands of spaghetti using a fork. Add all the spaghetti squash to your skillet along with a 1/4 cup of cheese. Toss well until cheese is melted and squash is fully coated with sauce.
  5. Transfer squash mixture into your now scraped out squash bowls and top with the rest of your cheese. Place them back in the oven for about 3 to 4 minutes until cheese is melted and squash is heated through.
  6. Top with basil, serve and enjoy!

Notes

Serving Size: 1 squash boat • Calories: 278 • Fat: 13.5 g • Saturated Fat: 1.9 g • Carbs: 16.8 g • Fiber: 2.4 g • Protein: 21.9 g • Sugars: 8.9 g • WW Freestyle Points: 4

If you make this recipe, share a photo on Instagram and tag it #EatYourselfSkinny . I love seeing what you made!

Cheese Spaghetti Squash Boats with Spicy Sausage, a family favorite! | Eat Yourself Skinny

As a self-proclaimed foodie and fitness enthusiast, I have a passion for cooking and a huge desire to show that living a healthy lifestyle can actually be easy and fun!  Feel free to use the meal guide above to find your new favorite meal ideas or the dietary guides to the right to narrow things down even more!

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74 Comments

  1. Laura says:

    This was my first time making spaghetti squash and I LOVED this recipe! It was so filling and delicious. Even my steak and potatoes loving boyfriend loved it! I didn’t change the recipe a bit and thought it was amazing!

  2. lindsay r. says:

    Its a great dish but sooo soupy – way too much liquid and i even drained it before adding the half & half & chicken broth

  3. Jen Hey says:

    Thanks for the recipe idea! I put my own spin on this using Publix Chili Lime flavored sausage, using regular diced tomatoes and sharp cheddar cheese. It was delicious and presented nicely, too.

  4. anne says:

    These are amazing, we make regularly!

  5. Kim Witte says:

    The recipe looked so good I thought I’d try it right away for dinner that night. I used pork Italian sausage instead of Turkey and Aldis chopped tomatoes with garlic, basil, and oregano instead of Rotelis tomatoes since these are the ingredients I had on hand. It was so good I am going to make it for company.