This Spaghetti Squash Pizza Casserole is the perfect low carb comfort food that is delicious, super filling and made with seasoned ground beef, melty cheese and your favorite marinara!
You guys are seriously going to LOVE this spaghetti squash pizza casserole! When eating low carb, I find that the foods people tend to crave the most are pizza and pasta. Well this recipe satisfies those cravings, without all the carbs (and guilt)! This is true comfort food at its finest and a meal even my picky toddler loves. Roasted spaghetti squash that is scraped out of the shell resembles (in my opinion) angel hair pasta and the great thing is that spaghetti squash on its own lacks a lot of flavor so you can pretty much add it to any dish or sauce and it works great!
I’ve always loved using spaghetti squash in the place of pasta and since pizza is one of my husband’s favorite guilty pleasures, I thought this would be the perfect combo for a delicious weeknight meal. This an easy dish to throw together using just a few simple ingredients and I’m certain your family will love it!
INGREDIENTS YOU’LL NEED
- Spaghetti Squash
- Ground beef or turkey (you could use ground chicken too or keep this meatless!)
- Marinara sauce (or I like to use Rao’s)
- Onion
- Garlic
- Italian herbs
- Mozzarella cheese
- Pepperonis
- Red pepper flakes (optional)
I kept this recipe pretty simple and classic, but you could also add in other veggies such as chopped bell pepper or mushrooms, and have fun by adding all your favorite pizza toppings! My husband loves olives, but I’m not a fan so I left them out 😉 I also like to top this with fresh basil or parsley!
HOW TO MAKE SPAGHETTI SQUASH PIZZA CASSEROLE
- Roast spaghetti squash. To roast the squash, cut the squash in half lengthwise (making sure to use a good knife) and scoop out all the seeds. Brush with just a little bit of olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, then place both halves cut side down on a baking sheet. Bake in the oven at 375 degrees F for about 35 to 40 minutes.
- Make your meat sauce. While the squash is roasting, sauté the onion and garlic in a large skillet with a little olive oil then add the ground beef and cook until crumbled and browned. Stir in the seasonings, salt and pepper, then pour in the marinara and mix until everything is combined. Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce heat and let the sauce simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Shred spaghetti squash. Remove squash from the oven and let cool for a few minutes until it’s easier to handle. Using a fork, scrape out all the insides of the squash and add to the sauce that’s simmering on the stove. Toss with the meat sauce and cook for about 3 minutes, just so all those flavors can heat through.
- Assemble pizza casserole. Transfer the spaghetti squash and meat sauce to a 9×13 casserole dish lightly coated with nonstick spray. Top with shredded mozzarella cheese, arrange pepperonis and sprinkle with additional Italian seasoning (and red pepper flakes if you like a little spice!)
- Bake and enjoy! Pop the pizza casserole in the oven (uncovered) and bake at 375 degrees F for about 25 minutes. Serve and enjoy!
MORE SPAGHETTI SQUASH RECIPES
- Baked Spaghetti Squash Casserole
- Sun Dried Tomato Spaghetti Squash Boats
- Lemon and Herb Spaghetti Squash with Shrimp
- Spaghetti Squash Boats with Spicy Sausage
Hope you all enjoy this delicious Spaghetti Squash Pizza Casserole and if you love this recipe as much as we do, please leave me a five-star rating below and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using the hashtag #eatyourselfskinny! I love seeing all your delicious recreations!
RECIPE
Spaghetti Squash Pizza Casserole
This Spaghetti Squash Pizza Casserole is the perfect low carb comfort food that is delicious, super filling and made with seasoned ground beef, melty cheese and your favorite marinara!
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hour 5 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 mins
Ingredients
- 1 medium spaghetti squash
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 lb lean ground beef (or ground turkey)
- 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 cups favorite marinara
- 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 15 to 20 pepperonis (I used turkey pepperoni)
- Optional toppings: fresh basil, fresh parsley and red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Cut the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and scoop out all the seeds. Brush with just a little olive oil (about a teaspoon) and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place both halves of the squash cut side down on a prepared baking sheet and bake in the oven for 35 to 40 minutes.
- While the squash is roasting, drizzle oil into a large pan over medium heat and sauté the onion and garlic until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add ground beef and cook until meat is browned and crumbled, draining if necessary.
- Stir in seasonings and salt/pepper, then pour in the marinara and mix well until everything is combined. Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce the heat and let the sauce simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Remove the squash from the oven and let cool for a few minutes until it’s easier to handle then using a fork, scrape out all the insides and add to the sauce that’s simmering on the stove.
- Toss spaghetti squash with meat sauce and cook for about 3 more minutes, just so all those flavors can heat through.
- Transfer spaghetti squash and meat sauce to a 9×13 casserole dish lightly coated with nonstick spray. Top with shredded mozzarella cheese, layer pepperonis and sprinkle with additional Italian seasoning (and red pepper flakes), if desired.
- Bake the pizza casserole in the oven, uncovered for about 25 minutes until hot and bubbly. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
*Here’s my recipe for the best marinara sauce!
Nutrition Facts:
- Serving Size: 1/6th of recipe
- Calories: 244
- Sugar: 6.5 g
- Sodium: 668.5 mg
- Fat: 11.9 g
- Saturated Fat: 3.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 13.4 g
- Fiber: 2.7 g
- Protein: 23.9 g
* Please note that all nutrition information are just estimates. Values will vary among brands, so we encourage you to calculate these on your own for most accurate results.
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