I love a comforting meat sauce in the cold of winter- bolognese being my personal favorite, and while I love a hearty bowl of pasta, sometimes it’s nice to balance it out with some spaghetti squash- the hearty late-summer and fall squash that somehow lasts throughout the winter, getting slightly less sweet and more savory, over time- but just as delicious, baking and stuffing a spaghetti squash is one of our family’s favorite dinners. I make this bolognese quick and easy- with a few veggies for extra nutrients (and flavor), lots of spices and ground beef- it comes together in about 20 minutes.
The spaghetti squash, on the other hand, does need some time to cook if you cook it in the oven- but in a pinch, the Instant Pot works well to get those spaghetti-like strings! Make sure to cook it on the rack in the instant pot and bake it after to avoid some of that inevitable extra liquid that comes with pressure cooking. The nice thing about spaghetti squash? It keeps well in the fridge, so meal prep away and make this for an easy weeknight dinner!
p.s. Go with the parmesan/mozzarella mix. It isn’t as pretty, especially when you use pre-shredded parmesan, but the flavor wins!
Print
Spaghetti Squash Bolognese
- Cook Time: 1 hour 30 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
1 medium to large spaghetti squash
Bolognese:
2 tsp olive oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup shredded carrot
1 cup chopped fresh mushrooms
2 large cloves minced garlic
1 lb ground beef
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 jar marinara sauce
1/4 cup heavy cream or coconut cream (optional)
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella or parmesan cheese (or a mix)
Instructions
To prepare squash:
-
Preheat oven to 375.
-
Slice off bottom of spaghetti squash to allow for more control when slicing.
-
Slice in half and scoop out seeds. Spray or grease a glass or metal baking pan/sheet.
-
Place squash, cut-side down,on baking sheet or pan.
-
Roast in oven for 45 minutes-1 hour or cook on rack with 1 cup water in Instant Pot for 10 minutes.
To prepare bolognese:
- Cook spaghetti squash (see directions, above)- this can be done ahead of time! When ready to cook, preheat oven to 375.
- Heat oil to medium in a large high-sided sautee pan or braiser.
- Add onions and celery and cook until translucent. Stir in grated carrot and mushrooms and cook until starting to soften. Stir in garlic.
- Add beef and season with Italian seasoning and salt. Cook until beef is no longer pink.
- Stir in sauce and let simmer on low for 5 minutes. Stir in cream if using.
- Fill each squash half with bolognese mixture. Top each with 1/4 cup cheese. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until cheese is melted.
More Recipes using ground beef:
+ view comments . . .