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The Sweetest Autumn Treats to Bake Up this Fall.
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Cheesy Mini Spaghetti Squash Lasagnas: winter spaghetti squash stuffed with spicy beef (or use chicken/pork) and tomato-based red sauce. A creamy cheesy béchamel sauce made with whole milk cream, cream cheese, herbs, and melty mozzarella cheese. The squash is baked until the sauce bubbles and the cheese is melted to perfection. Mix with sage and garlic butter just before serving. Totally delicious and, indeed, such a cozy fall/winter dinner to make. Serve to family and friends all season long!
My love of spaghetti squash runs deep. My mom started baking it when I was a kid. She’d just add butter, salt, and pepper and roast it in the oven. And when I say butter, I mean a good amount of salted butter. The two of us loved it.
When I started cooking for my family, it was around Thanksgiving time. I created our whole Thanksgiving menu that year! One of the main side dishes was roasted spaghetti squash. And now I can’t not serve spaghetti squash at Thanksgiving. It’s been on my menu ever since that year.
Certainly, one of my favorite ways to serve spaghetti squash is in the form of a lasagna—or lasagna-inspired, I should say.
I’ve made many variations, but I may love today’s best. It’s the simplest, yet truly delicious and cozy for all the chilly days ahead.
Here are the details
Ingredients
- ground beef (or use ground spicy Italian sausage for even more flavor)
- yellow onions
- marinara sauce
- Italian seasoning
- basil pesto
- sun-dried tomatoes in oil
- chili paste or chili flaked
- spaghetti squash, find mini ones if you can!
- cream cheese
- heavy cream, or use whole milk
- fresh thyme
- grated nutmeg
- mozzarella, provolone, and parmesan cheese
- salted butter
- garlic
- whole sage leaves
Kitchen tools
All you need is a skillet plus a sheet pan for roasting. Nothing fancy!
Step 1: make the sauce
I love using ground beef, or sometimes I’ll use a mix of ground beef and spicy Italian sausage. Brown the meat with the onion and Italian seasoning, then mix in a jar of your favorite marinara sauce.
Add basil pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, chili paste, or chili flakes. Use the chili flakes to your taste.
Now let the sauce simmer for a few minutes on the stove.
Step 2: make the cheese sauce
While the red sauce is simmering, mix up the cheese sauce. I make this with cream cheese, heavy cream, fresh thyme, freshly grated nutmeg, and mozzarella cheese.
The cream cheese ensures the sauce will bake nicely in the oven.
Step 3: stuff the squash
The squash I used were very small. I cut the tops off and then scooped out the seeds. If you’re using a medium-sized squash, half it for even cooking.
Stuff each squash with the red sauce, then add a layer of the cream sauce.
Step 4: bake
Bake the squash until tender. Once tender, remove them from the oven and top with the remaining cheeses.
Now, add butter to the pan. Then, add the garlic cloves and sage leaves.
Bake until the cheese is golden and the garlic is soft.
Mix the butter, garlic, and sage and spread the mix over the squash. Let it melt into the cheese, and serve!
Delicious! While these are baking, your house will smell like homemade lasagna – it’s going to be amazing. Everyone who walked into the studio the day I was testing this recipe said the same thing: ” Wow, it smells incredible in here.” It’s all about that combo of buttery spaghetti squash, basil pesto, and cheese. Too good!
Looking for other autumn squash recipes? Here are a few ideas:
4 Cheese Roasted Garlic Alfredo Stuffed Spaghetti Squash
Baked 4 Cheese Butternut Squash Rigatoni
Butternut Squash Pasta Carbonara with Rosemary Bacon
Creamed Spaghetti Squash with Browned Butter Walnuts
Roasted Garlic Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Boats
Lastly, if you make these Mini Spaghetti Squash Lasagnas, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And, of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Mini Spaghetti Squash Lasagnas
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 1085 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 jar (28 ounce) marinara sauce
- 3 tablespoons Italian seasoning
- 1/2 cup basil pesto
- 1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped
- 2 tablespoons Calabrian chili paste (or 1-2 teaspoons chili flakes)
- 4-6 small spaghetti squash, tops cut off, or halved lengthwise, seeds removed
- 6 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- 1/4 teaspoon pure ground nutmeg
- 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup shredded provolone cheese
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- salt and black pepper
- 4 tablespoons salted butter, sliced
- 8 cloves garlic
- 12 fresh sage leaves
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 425° F.2. Combine the beef, onion, and Italian seasoning in a skillet set over medium heat. Cook for 8-10 minutes until browned. Mix in the marinara sauce, the pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, and chili paste. Simmer for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. 3. In a glass measuring cup, mix the cream cheese with 1/2 cup cream until creamy and combined. Add the remaining cream, thyme, nutmeg, and mozzarella. Season with salt and pepper.4. Place the squash on a sheet pan or inside a roasting pan. Stuff each with meat sauce, then add the cream sauce. Bake for 20-30 minutes, until the squash is tender. Remove from the oven and top each squash with provolone and parmesan. Arrange 2 tablespoons of cold butter, the garlic cloves, and sage around the squash. Return to the oven and bake 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown on top. 5. Remove the garlic from the pan. Chop the garlic and mix with 2 tablespoons soft butter and the sage. Spread the butter over the squash, then use a fork to scrape the squash into strands, mixing the cheese in with the squash. Enjoy!
Made these today! I wanted something new to make that wouldn’t take much chewing, as I have a severe jaw dislocation. These sounded interesting and soft.
For full disclosure, I had to adjust some things. I left out the meat and used the smallest spaghetti squash I could find, but they’re still a little bigger than the ones pictured.
They turned out tasty and novel. I would recommend them as a fun, interesting, and surprisingly easy dinner, especially if you’re having guests over- I don’t think they’re going to reheat amazingly well. Eating them is fun but messy. Not great for kids but I think they’d make adult guests or family delighted.
Mine needed longer to cook but the recommended cooking time cooks them to a nice, pasta-like consistency, I just need them softer.
Hey Atlas,
Fantastic! So glad to hear this dish turned out well for you, thanks for making it! Sorry to hear about your jaw, I hope it heals quickly! Happy Sunday! xT
Sounds really good but I’m confused. The pictures show little pumpkins but the recipe calls for spaghetti squash. Which is it?
Ignore comment. Looking more closely I can see they’re spaghetti squash. Ive never seen them look like that before.
Why did you leave a five star rating when asking a question? That is extremely misleading to other readers.
I wasn’t mislead at all… just because you have a question, does not mean you aren’t thrilled with the new knowledge. You are very bold to speak for others. I think you meant that “you” felt mislead and your feelings were hurt – that an entirely different platform than this – this one is simply highlighting and sharing delicious spaghetti squash lasagna 😋
Hey Amber,
You are going to use spaghetti squash for this recipe:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Hey Tieghan! I was googling the small wonder squash everyone commented was being used so I could follow the recipe more closely, but the ones I found were a much more vivid yellow. Do they darken to the orange during cooking or is it just the lighting? If not, can you recommend time to make these in regular sized squash? Only one store in my.metro area carries small ones!!
Hey Aimee,
Yes, if you are just using a regular sized spaghetti squash, you will want to halve it and then follow the recipe as written. I hope this helps! xT
I was at a local farm yesterday and purchased a bushel of various winter squash including the small spaghetti squash. I was thrilled to see your recipe and will be trying it very soon. Thanks for a “timely” recipe.
Hey Kathy,
That’s awesome! I hope you love this recipe, let me know how it turns out for you! xT
Those of you who believe that you are squash/pumpkin experts- google Spaghetti Squash Small Wonder. Gosh! Looks like the ones with this recipe. Take a minute to educate yourself so we don’t have to read your misleading and usually snarky know-it-all but wrong replies. Thanks!
To everyone’s confusion, I think these are technically spaghetti squash. They seem like a wonder hybrid squash, which means they are crossbred with a few other types of squash to be like a single serving. Still stringy/noodly but may be sweeter and taste more pumpkin like than a true spaghetti squash. So yeah, this a hybrid and not just a “small” spaghetti squash. So they’ll still work if you want to make a 1000+ calorie squash.
So excited to read in this post that you’re back in the studio! Can’t wait for reno pics! And to try this yummy recipe – I love using spaghetti squash to make recipes healthy.
Hi Lynn,
I am not back in the studio, it just so happened to be one of the testing days that I did for this recipe. I always test my recipes several times before sharing:) I hope you love this spaghetti squash dish! Let me know how it turns out! xT
Lynn, there is nothing healthy about this recipe. 1 1/2 C heavy cream, 6 oz cream cheese, 3 C cheese completely cancels out any health benefits of squash.
Tieghan! You really buried the lede haha- I didn’t realize you were back in your studio already! How was the renovation? I hope you will share pics!!
Hey Alyssa,
The renovations are not complete yet:) I am still working out of my barn. Let me know if you try this recipe, I hope you love it! xT
I don’t know if it is because your cooking in your home now instead of the studio, but I’ve noticed the quality of photos has really changed recently. A lot of shadows and maybe a filter too? It makes the food look unappetizing.
I don’t know why there are so many mean comments on here but I think this looks delicious and I can’t wait to try it out tonight!! 😍
Hi Steven,
Thanks for sharing your feedback, sorry you haven’t been enjoying the photos. I do like to play with the lighting and shadows in my photos, I think it’s fun and looks good, but to each their own! Have a happy day! xx
This sounds tasty but those do look like sugar/pie pumpkins vs spaghetti squash. I’ve used them as “bowls” for soups and stews, along with large pumpkins for “tureens.” Hope you can clarify!
Hey Becky,
Thank you so much! I promise you these are spaghetti squash:) The squash I used were very small. I cut the tops off and then scooped out the seeds. If you’re using a medium-sized squash, half it for even cooking. Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xT
Thanks for the reply, Tieghan! I’ll research that particular variety of spaghetti squash. Guess I’ve just never seen it. Such a cute, fun way to serve this!
Becky, if you look closely at the picture with one of the squashes cut and on its side, you tell it’s a spaghetti squash – you can see the string like flesh that’s typical of a spaghetti squash. I do agree that they look like pumpkins at first sight, but they are spaghetti squash.
Thanks, Ginervra, I do see that. I also looked up “baby” spaghetti squash and saw several pix of what Tieghan used.👍🏻
I’m sorry but this recipe is a mess. The steps are misleading and could and should be streamlined. But most important, HBH claims to provide “wholesome” recipes, and this sure isn’t:
6 oz. cream cheese
1 and 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 and 1/2 cups mozzarella
1 cup provolone
1/2 cup parmesan
4 Tbl. butter POURED over the top
Sure, nobody needs to eat like this daily, but your recent recipes don’t seem healthy whatsoever. What has happened to HBH and your claim of wholesome recipes?
Hey Alice! Hope you are having a great autumn day! I have read the recipe over many times. I am confident with how it is written. I am sorry you feel like it is a mess.
And if the recipe feels too heavy for you, by all means, no one is requiring you to make this. Just skip this one. Have a great end of the week!
What is the purpose of pouring melted butter on top of three cups of cheese? Seems like it’d be excessively greasy. Why not add the garlic and sage to the meat & sauce mixture?
Hey Nicky! Hope you are having a great autumn week! I love the added flavor the salty butter adds with the roasted garlic and crispy sage. If you feel like it’s too much, just mix the garlic in with the cream sauce or meat sauce. Either is great! Let me know if you have any other questions. Have the best end of the week! xx
This is a bit confusing – in your photos those are definitely not spaghetti squash. They look like pumpkins. And there are no lasagne noodles? Maybe you should rename the recipe to be more reflective of what it actually is??
I would recommend reading the entire recipe page before commenting so hastily, she explains all of this above.
Hi Alexis,
Thanks for sharing your feedback. Yes, these are spaghetti squash. The squash I used were very small. I cut the tops off and then scooped out the seeds. If you’re using a medium-sized squash, half it for even cooking. There are no lasagna noodles in this recipe:) Please let me know if I can help in any other way! xT
directions steps from 4-6 are confusing. once put cheese on are you baking for a bit before the butter garlic and sage? I am assuming the pull out is pull out of the oven. are steps 5 and 6 the same?
Karen I agree very very confusing. Also these look like mini pumpkins..NOT spag squash. Also some at cut top side some are cut sideways.
T I hope you clarify everything. thanks.
Hey Leslie,
Thanks for sharing your feedback, I hope the clarification that I gave helps with any confusion here. These are spaghetti squash, the squash I used were very small. I cut the tops off and then scooped out the seeds. If you’re using a medium-sized squash, half it for even cooking. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
Hey Karen! Hope you are having a great week! I am sorry for any confusion here. First you bake the squash with the meat sauce and then cream sauce. Bake for 20-30 minutes, until the squash feels fork tender. Then, add the provolone and parmesan cheese. Arrange a few cold butter slices around the squash. Add the garlic and sage to the sheet pan as well. Bake everything another 10-15 minutes, to get the cheese on top melty!!
Now give the garlic and sage a chop and add it with softened butter. Spread the butter over the squash and use a fork to pull the squash into strands.
And enjoy! Does this make more sense now? Hopefully it does! Let me know any other questions. Happy to help! xxT