Spaghetti Squash with Meat Sauce

This rich and flavorful spaghetti squash with meat sauce tastes like you've been cooking it for hours, but it's ready in less than an hour.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Diet Gluten Free

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 30

Total Time 45

Servings servings

Calories 407kcal

1 spaghetti squash small, 2 pounds
1 tablespoon avocado oil
1 pound lean ground beef 85/15
1 onion small, chopped; 4 ounces
½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt or ¼ teaspoon of any other salt, including Morton kosher salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
2 cups marinara sauce
2 tablespoons parsley chopped
2 tablespoons parmesan grated

Pierce the spaghetti squash in a few spots with a sharp knife. Microwave for 5 minutes; turn to the other side and microwave for 5 more minutes, until soft to the touch. Let it stand for 5 minutes to finish cooking.
1 spaghetti squash
Using a sharp knife, cut the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise. Allow it to cool for 5 minutes until easier to handle. Scoop out the pulp and seeds from the center, then rake a fork back and forth to remove strands of the flesh onto a serving bowl. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a large, deep saucepan over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes. Add the beef, onions, salt, and pepper. Cook, breaking up the beef as you cook, until the beef is no longer raw, for about 5 minutes.
1 tablespoon avocado oil, 1 pound lean ground beef, 1 onion, ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Stir in the marinara sauce. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes.
2 cups marinara sauce

Ladle the meat sauce over the squash noodles, top with parsley and parmesan, and serve.
2 tablespoons parsley, 2 tablespoons parmesan

Cooking spaghetti squash in the microwave can produce mushier results than roasting it in the oven. To minimize mushiness, it's important not to overcook the squash. If it does end up overcooked, simply place the squash halves, cut side down, on a clean towel for a few minutes. This will help absorb some of the extra liquid.
When cooking the ground beef and onions, you can add ½ cup of sliced mushrooms.
For a richer sauce, stir in ¼ cup of room-temperature heavy cream into the finished sauce.
Since I use a store-bought marinara sauce in this recipe, I make sure to use a high-quality sauce - it will obviously have a significant impact on the final result. My favorite is Rao's. Its list of ingredients is short, and it contains no added sugar. I especially like the spicy arrabbiata sauce.
You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat them covered in the microwave at 50% power or uncovered in a 350°F oven.