A classic comfort food dinner lightened up and low carb for a delicious dinner! Spaghetti Squash and Meatballs has all of the flavors from traditional spaghetti and meatballs, but lighter and healthier. This is an easy recipe with baked spaghetti squash, frozen meatballs, and your favorite pasta sauce. The only other thing you need is so cheese to go on top.
I enjoy making meals with the same flavors like my favorite comfort food recipes, but with swaps to make them lighter and healthier. In this case, we swap pasta for spaghetti squash and turkey meatballs for pork and beef meatballs.
When I make this spaghetti squash with turkey meatballs, I don’t even miss the pasta, and I like that I don’t get that horrible food coma after eating it.
It does take time to roast the spaghetti squash, but it’s not hard to do, and it tastes great once it’s cooked and combined with the meatballs and sauce. All in all, you only need four ingredients to make this recipe, plus a little olive oil and cooking spray.
Table of Contents
Ingredients
- Large spaghetti squash
- Your favorite jarred pasta sauce
- Frozen turkey meatballs
- Grated Parmesan cheese
- Olive oil
- Cooking spray
How to Roast Spaghetti Squash
Cover a large baking sheet with foil, coat it with cooking spray, and preheat the oven to 400°F.
While the oven heats, prepare the squash for roasting. First, slice off the ends and then slice it half lengthwise.
Scoop all the seeds out using a large spoon and discard them. Rub olive oil on the two halves, season them with salt and pepper and then place them, flesh side down on the baking sheet.
Pierce the squash with a fork and then bake it for 30 to 40 minutes or until it’s tender. It’s done when you can easily shred the flesh with a fork. Cool the squash for a few minutes, and then use a fork to shred it.
How to Make Spaghetti Squash and Turkey Meatballs
Heat the meatballs following the package instructions and also warm up the pasta sauce. I usually warm them in the microwave, or you can warm them up on the stove in a pan.
Place the spaghetti squash on serving plates and top it with the hot meatballs and sauce. Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the top.
Recipe FAQ
How long does baked spaghetti squash last? You can roast it ahead of time and then keep it in the refrigerator. As long as it’s stored in an airtight container, it will keep for up to a week. This makes it a good option for meal prepping!
How long to cook spaghetti squash? It will depend on how big your spaghetti squash is and the oven temperature. It should only take 30 to 40 minutes for large spaghetti squash to bake at 400°F.
How long does leftover spaghetti squash and meatballs last? Leftovers will keep well for two to three days in the refrigerator.
Recipe Tips
For this recipe, we like to use Rao’s Homemade pasta sauce to make it really easy. But, of course, you can also use your favorite homemade recipe or try our easy pasta sauce.
We also like the frozen meatballs because they’re easy to warm up, but we also like to make our homemade turkey meatballs when we have more time. You can also use your favorite beef or pork meatballs for this recipe. The next time you get a craving for spaghetti and meatballs, try this lighter spaghetti squash and meatballs instead. You’ll satisfy the craving without all the extra calories and carbs and not feel like you need a nap after dinner! Enjoy!
More Healthier Recipes You’ll Enjoy
Spaghetti Squash and Meatballs Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 large spaghetti squash
- 1-2 cups pasta sauce we used Rao’s marinara sauce
- 1 pound frozen turkey meatballs
- ½ cup parmesan cheese grated
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- Cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut the ends off the squash and then cut in half lengthwise. Using a large spoon scoop out all the seeds in the center. Split the olive oil between the two halves and spread around with your hands. Add just a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Spray cooking spray on a large cooking sheet covered with aluminum foil. Place the two halves of the squash face down on the sheet. Poke a few holes in the squash with a fork. Roast for 30-40 minutes. Check with a fork. It should be tender and easy to shred with the fork. Let cool for a few minutes and then use the fork to shred the inside of the squash (it will look like spaghetti). Place on a separate plate.
- Heat meatballs in the microwave per package instructions.
- Heat pasta sauce in microwave in a microwave safe cup (do 30 seconds at a time and stir). Check and do another 30 seconds until hot.
- On a plate place spaghetti squash and put meatballs on top. Put pasta sauce over the top and add parmesan cheese. Enjoy!!
Recipe Notes
Recipe Nutrition
You only need four ingredients to make this Spaghetti Squash and Meatballs dinner recipe. It’s easy to make, full of delicious flavors and low carb!
Thank you so much for starting to add more low carb recipes. It is also nice you add all the nutritional info. I love your recipes.