This Spaghetti Squash Pizza Casserole is easy to make and true comfort food. Loaded with veggies, protein and flavor…it is going to become a dinner staple. Gluten free + veggie-loaded.
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How to cook spaghetti squash
There are so many great ways to cook a spaghetti squash. This is something I usually like to do ahead of time to make this Spaghetti Squash Pizza Casserole come together even faster. Some methods that work great for cooking your squash are:
How to drain spaghetti squash
Spaghetti squash naturally holds quite a bit of water. When cooked, that water is released. When you add spaghetti squash to a dish, you must be sure to remove as much of that natural liquid as possible before hand….otherwise you may find leave an unappetizing puddle on your plate.
I have found that draining the excess liquid from cooked spaghetti squash to be super helpful when incorporating it into a recipe. And luckily, it is really simple to do.
- Wrap it in a towel. Use a clean dish towel or a few layers of paper towels for easy clean up. Simply dump the cooked spaghetti squash in the middle of the towel, wrap it up and press down hard. Flip. And repeat. Once you have squeezed out as much moisture as you can, let the squash hang out in the towel for 5-10 minutes to naturally drain some more.
- Put it in a strainer and press out the liquid with a spoon. This is the method I typically use. Just place cooked squash noodles in the strainer and place the strainer over a large bowl or your sink. Press down with a wooden spoon and watch the liquid drain. Stir and repeat. Do this until you have gotten out as much liquid as you can or you want.
Tips
- Be sure to squeeze out your cooked spaghetti squash. See above for tips on how to best do this. But skipping this step may result in a soggy casserole…which is just no fun for anyone.
Suggested adaptations
- Use your favorite ground meat. I used ground chicken, but whatever you have on head will do.
- Add whatever pizza toppings you love! You can really make this your own by adding in things like sliced black olives, sausage, sautéed mushrooms or whatever your favorite way to pizza is!
- Make it vegetarian. Skip the meat all together and maybe add a few extra veggies into the mix before baking!
Other spaghetti squash recipes you are going to love
- Ranch Chicken Spaghetti Squash Casserole
- Chicken & Spaghetti Squash Bites
- Veggie-Loaded Spaghetti Squash Bake
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Spaghetti Squash Pizza Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 medium spaghetti squash, cooked and drained see cooking suggestions and draining method above
- 2 tsp coconut or avocado oil + extra for greasing
- 1 pound ground chicken or turkey
- 1/2 medium yellow onion chopped
- 1 tsp salt or to taste
- 2 cloves garlic minced, or to taste
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese divided
- 1 1/2 cups tomato sauce I suggest looking for one with no added sugar.
- 15-20 pepperonis I suggest using nitrate free ones.
- fresh basil for garnish optional
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350℉.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high. Add the chicken/turkey, onion, garlic and salt. Cook, breaking apart the meat, until meat is browned and the onions
are tender. This should take about 8 minutes. Remove the meat from the heat and set aside. - Place drained squash into a large bowl. Add cooked meat to the bowl. Add sauce, 1 1/2 cup of cheese and Italian seasoning. Stir to combine.
- Pour squash mixture into a lightly greased casserole dish.
- Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and top with remaining cheese and pepperoni. Return to oven and cook for 5-7 minutes or until the cheese is melted and starting to turn a golden brown.
- Remove from oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes. Garnish with chopped basil, if desired. Enjoy warm!
Nutrition
The nutritional information is provided as an estimate only and may vary based on the product type, servings and other factors. If you are following a diet, please consult with a professional nutritionist or your doctor. Stay healthy!
Yes! So good! I never could love spaghetti squash as a noodle replacement, but this I can love!
Yay! I am so glad. Yeah, I am right there with you. I try to love it like pasta…but I don’t. But I do like it in other ways!
This was SO tasty! I even enjoyed the leftovers cold for lunch. 😬
Yay! I’m so glad you enjoyed!
Was delicious! Will double this recipe next time.
SO glad you enjoyed! And doubling is a great idea. Leftovers are magical