Spaghetti Squash Pizza Casserole
Put this delicious spaghetti squash pizza casserole on your next menu. You can add any of your favorite pizza toppings to the spaghetti squash base to customize it like you would a traditional pizza. This gluten free, dairy free dish is the ultimate comfort food, yet it’s loaded with veggies.
Spaghetti squash doesn’t have a ton of flavor on its own, but it’s an excellent base vegetable for this casserole dish because it takes on the flavor of what you cook it with, which in this case are the flavors of pizza.
This recipe tastes similar to a supreme pizza, but can easily be made into another kind by switching out the vegetables or type of meat. Plus, it makes great leftovers. To ensure it’s something the whole family will love, you can even make individual spaghetti squash pizza boats with different toppings.
Key Ingredients
- Olive oil – to saute the pepper and mushrooms.
- Pizza sauce – either homemade or store-bought.
- Yellow onion & garlic – these add extra flavor to the sausage mixture.
- Ground Italian sausage – for added flavor and protein to make this dish filling.
- Bell pepper – I used green, but you can use any color or a combination of bell peppers.
- Mushrooms – for more texture and flavor. Also a popular pizza ingredient.
- Eggs – added to bind the meat sauce to your spaghetti squash since there’s no cheese. It also gives the casserole more structure and helps thicken the sauce.
How to Make Spaghetti Squash Pizza Casserole
Roast spaghetti squash. Place the spaghetti squash halves cut down side on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake at 400ÂşF/200ÂşC for 25-30 minutes. The skin should give slightly when you press on it. Flip the halves over to let the steam escape for a few minutes before scooping out the seeds. Use a fork to scrape the squash half to create the spaghetti-like strands. Transfer the spaghetti squash noodles to an 8×8 baking dish. Reduce heat to 350ÂşF.
Saute the vegetables. Heat a little olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add in the cubed bell pepper and mushrooms. Cook until softened. Season with a pinch of salt and black pepper. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Brown the meat. Add another drizzle of olive oil and the diced onion and garlic. Cook for a few minutes before adding in the ground sausage. Cook until no longer pink and the sausage is broken down. Remove from the heat. Add the sautéed mushrooms and peppers and mushrooms back into the pan along with the pizza sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Mix. Transfer the sausage mixture to the baking dish with the spaghetti squash. Mix until everything is thoroughly combined. Add in the whisked eggs and mix until you can no longer see them, then smooth the top.
Bake. Bake until a crust has formed on the top. Top with fresh basil or minced parsley before serving.
Make It Your Way: Substitutions & Variations
Please remember that recipes are just a starting point.
How can you make this pizza spaghetti squash casserole using what you already have? Here are some ideas…
- No spaghetti squash? – use 3/4 – 1 pound of cooked pasta noodles of choice.
- No pizza sauce? – make tomato paste pizza sauce or use marinara sauce tomato sauce with Italian seasoning added.
- No ground Italian sausage? – use ground beef, ground chicken, ground turkey, or even diced cooked chicken.
- Make it vegetarian – leave out the ground meat and add extra vegetables.
- Not dairy-free? – add shredded mozzarella cheese on top in the last 10 minutes of cooking.
- Add-ins – pepperoni or turkey pepperoni, red pepper flakes, artichoke hearts, vegan cheese, black olives, etc.
- Variations – use a different kind of sauce such as roasted red pepper pesto or zucchini pesto.
How to Safely Cut a Spaghetti Squash
Step 1. Using a sharp knife, cut a thin slice off each end. This allows you to have flat surfaces to steady the squash when you’re ready to cut it in half.
Step 2. Place one of the flat sides down on the cutting board so the squash is upright. Place the knife in the middle of the squash at the top and slice down until you hit the other end. Now you have two halves and both your hands. Whew, you made it!
More Italian-Inspired Recipes
- Vegan Croutons
- Bolognese Pizza
- Baked Italian Bison Meatballs
- Italian Green Bean Salad
- Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Risotto
Spaghetti Squash Pizza Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 medium spaghetti squash (about 2.25 pounds), sliced in half lengthwise see the blog post for how to safely cut a spaghetti squash
- olive oil
- 1 small bell pepper of choice cut into medium-sized cubes
- 1 cup sliced mushrooms
- ½ yellow onion diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 pound Italian ground sausage
- 1 â…“ cup pizza sauce or marinara sauce
- 3 large eggs beaten
- kosher salt to taste
- freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- fresh basil or parsley optional for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400ÂşF/200ÂşC. Place the spaghetti squash halves cut down side on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake for 25-30 minutes. The skin should give slightly when you press on it. Flip the halves over to let the steam escape for a few minutes before scooping out the seeds.
- Use a fork to scrape the squash half to create the spaghetti-like strands. Transfer the spaghetti squash noodles to an 8×8 baking dish. Reduce heat to 350ÂşF/180ÂşC.
- Heat a little olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add in the cubed bell pepper and mushrooms. Cook until softened. Season with a pinch of kosher salt and black pepper. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Add another drizzle of olive oil and the diced onion and garlic. Cook for a few minutes before adding in the ground sausage. Cook until no longer pink and the sausage is broken down. Remove from the heat. Add the sautéed mushrooms and peppers and mushrooms back into the pan along with the pizza sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Transfer the sausage mixture to the baking dish with the spaghetti squash. Mix until everything is thoroughly combined. Add in the whisked eggs and mix until you can no longer see them, then smooth the top.
- Bake for 1 hour or until a crust has formed on the top. Top with fresh basil or minced parsley before serving.