Spaghetti Squash Pizza Boats | Easy Meal Prep Dinner
Baked Spaghetti Squash Pizza Boats – Cheesy, Easy Weeknight Dinner!
Now you can have low carb pizza AND pasta all-in-one—with these spaghetti squash pizza boats! Crave-able pizza flavors, on top of a deliciously wholesome veggie. (I guess, technically, spaghetti squash is a fruit…but, you get the point.)
A Pizza-fy-ing Frenzy!
Okay, pizza is the ultimate “unhealthy” food, am I right?! NO! That is an incorrect statement! You can pizza-fy almost anything fairly easily! That is, you can add pizza flavors to just about anything, with very little added effort.
Really, you just need the pizza essentials: tomato sauce and cheese. Then, the rest is up to you and your creativity! These spaghetti squash pizza boats are no exception! After all, the best thing about pizza: it’s customizable! You pick YOUR pizza, you add YOUR favorite toppings. And, you leave out what you don’t like. That all applies here, too!
When designing your personalized spaghetti squash pizza boats, decide which toppings you want to include. You can cook them beforehand if you prefer, but they will get baked in the oven. So, don’t feel like you need to add more work to your prep if you don’t want to!
Spaghetti Squash Pizza Boats Save the Day!
Spaghetti squash: a true love of mine since beginning my healthy eating journey. When I heard pasta substitute, my heart skipped a few beats! Now, I must admit, spaghetti squash does not exactly taste like pasta… BUT, it does resemble spaghetti with its shredded texture, which makes for a fun aesthetic experience.
And, it only has 7g carbohydrates (with about 2g of those being fiber!) and only 30 calories per cup. Not bad compared to pasta! Plus, even whole wheat pasta doesn’t offer as many nutrients for the calorie density it provides. PLUS, it’s a squash, so it has a natural sweetness that lends itself perfectly for a savory topping experience: pizza. With these spaghetti squash pizza boats, you get the best of TWO carbo-licious classics! But, without the refined grains and gluten.
Meal Prep Dinners, Made Easy
In addition to being utterly delicious, spaghetti squash also work super well for meal prep. I like to bake up a few squash at the beginning of the week, take out the insides, and then store the boats (halves) for later. Then, you can just easily reheat them in the microwave. Or, add fillings/toppings and heat it in the oven for a cheesy, easy weeknight dinner!
Obviously, these spaghetti squash pizza boats are one awesome option worth trying. But, you can really dress up your boats however you like! And, you can enjoy them both warm OR cold. A great meal prep lunch option if you can’t reheat during the day!
Spaghetti Squash Pizza Boats
Ingredients
Spaghetti Squash Pizza Boats
- 1 spaghetti squash
- 1 cup pasta sauce
- ⅓ cup mozzarella cheese
Toppings
- sliced mushrooms
- diced green bell pepper
- red onion slices
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C)
- Poke holes in squash with a fork and microwave 5 minutes to soften up the squash. Score all the way around the squash lengthwise with a knife, marking the line of the cut.
- Cut squash in half lengthwise, scrape out seeds
- Brush with olive oil, season with salt & pepper.
- Place cut-side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment and bake for about 40 minutes, until tender enough to scrape strands. Should be easily pierced with a fork. (Not TOO cooked through since you’ll cook more later.) Time will vary depending on the size of squash.
- Can store in the fridge for a few days before making your boat, or prep to eat immediately.
- When cool enough and ready to eat, scrape/shred the squash.
- Reduce heat to 350°F (180°C)
- Place each squash boat face-up on a baking sheet lined with parchment.
- Add ½ cup pasta sauce to each spaghetti squash boat. Split up ⅓ cup of mozzarella between each boat. Mix with the squash shreds.
- Top each boat with additional ⅓ cup of mozzarella cheese and flaked parmesan cheese. Sprinkle additional toppings onto each boat.
- Bake for 15 minutes, then broil if needed to get the cheese golden brown (for 4-6 minutes). Be sure to monitor the squash boats while they’re broiling!
2 Comments on “Spaghetti Squash Pizza Boats | Easy Meal Prep Dinner”
Sounds wonderful!! I’ll have to try this on weight watchers :). I love spaghetti squash so I usually poke a hole in it and cook it in the microwave about ten minutes. That gets it half way done. Then I finish by roasting it cut side down in the oven because it has better flavor!!
Great tips! Glad you enjoy the recipe 🙂