
Free: Healthy Freezer Meals Recipe Ebook
Get It NowThis post may contain affiliate links, which help keep this content free. (Full disclosure)
Stuffed spaghetti squash lasagna is one of my favorite easy ways to make a comforting pasta meal that won’t weigh you down! Similar to my eggplant lasagna and lasagna stuffed peppers, these spaghetti squash boats get smothered in meat sauce and cheese for bold flavor with a hearty dose of veggies — but they also have a beautiful presentation by serving them in the shells. If you like spaghetti squash, don’t forget to try my spaghetti squash casserole or my spaghetti squash pad Thai next.
What Is Stuffed Spaghetti Squash?
Stuffed spaghetti squash recipes take a halved spaghetti squash and load it with fillings — usually some combination of cooked meats, sauces, and cheese. Since this squash naturally creates pasta-like strands, it’s the perfect base for lasagna flavors!
Why You’ll Love This Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Recipe
- Layers of meaty, cheesy flavors
- Hearty pasta texture with rich tomato sauce
- Basic grocery store ingredients
- Done in under 1 hour
- Naturally low carb, keto, gluten free, and loaded with veggies

Ingredients & Substitutions
This section explains how to choose the best ingredients for meat stuffed spaghetti squash, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below.
Spaghetti Squash:
- Spaghetti Squash – Choose a medium spaghetti squash (about 4-6 pounds) with a firm exterior and minimal nicks. A large spaghetti squash would work as well.
- Olive Oil – I use extra virgin olive oil, but any cooking oil you prefer will work.
- Sea Salt
Meat Layer:
- Olive Oil – For browning the meat. Other cooking oils, such as avocado oil, would also work.
- Garlic – Fresh garlic tastes excellent, but you can also use jarred minced garlic.
- Ground Beef – I typically use grass-fed 85/15 ground beef, but you can also substitute ground turkey, Italian sausage (with casings removed), or any ground meat you prefer.
- Marinara Sauce – Use a jarred marinara to save time, or make sugar-free marinara sauce with crushed tomatoes and a few other simple ingredients.
- Italian Seasoning – Get a pre-made mix at the store, or make homemade Italian seasoning.
- Sea Salt & Black Pepper
Cheese Layers:
- Ricotta Cheese – A classic choice for lasagna! Any variety (whole milk, skim, etc.) will work. Cottage cheese would work as a substitute in a pinch.
- Parmesan Cheese – Use a grated variety to add more body to the cheese layers, but shredded also works.
- Olive Oil – Make the cheese mixture easier to combine with the squash.
- Sea Salt
- Mozzarella Cheese – For sprinkling on top of the spaghetti squash lasagna boats.

How To Make Spaghetti Squash Lasagna
This section shows how to make healthy stuffed spaghetti squash lasagna, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique, to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.
- Roast squash. Bake spaghetti squash like this. (You can do this on a baking sheet or in a baking dish.) Proceed to step 2 while squash bakes.
- Saute garlic. Heat oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant.


- Cook meat sauce. Add ground beef, season with salt and pepper, and cook until browned (a meat chopper makes this fast!). Stir in marinara and Italian seasoning and simmer until thickened slightly.
- Prep cheese mixture. In a large bowl, stir together ricotta, parmesan, and oil. Set aside.

TIP: Use a large bowl for this step.
You’ll need one big enough to mix in the cooked spaghetti squash.


- Combine. Remove spaghetti squash from the oven and use a fork to release the noodles. Transfer strands to cheese mixture and mix to combine. Season with salt to taste.


- Assemble. Stuff squash mixture back into empty shells. Top with a layer of beef mixture.


- Bake. Sprinkle shredded mozzarella onto the squash shells. Bake until the cheese is melted and golden. If you like garnish, with fresh basil or parsley.


Storage Instructions
- Store: Keep each spaghetti squash boat covered in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Meal prep: Prepare squash, sauce, and cheese layers separately and assemble when ready to serve. Alternatively, make the entire recipe and store individual portions in glass containers.
- Reheat: Heat leftovers in a 350 degree F oven, or in the microwave, until warm.
- Freeze: You can freeze this stuffed spaghetti squash recipe, but remove it from the “boat” first. Transfer spaghetti squash stuffing to a freezer safe container and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.

What To Serve With Spaghetti Squash Boats
When you serve spaghetti squash stuffed, it tends to be a filling meal all on its own! But if you like, you can pair it with these easy sides:
- Chopped Salads – Try this dish with Italian marinated artichoke salad, Greek salad, Caprese salad, or chopped Mediterranean salad.
- Pan Cooked Veggies – Serve this meal with sauteed mushrooms or sauteed eggplant.
- Baked Veggies – Pair squash with baked ratatouille, cheesy yellow squash casserole, or oven roasted green beans.
More Healthy Pasta Recipes
Missing pasta? Get all the comforting flavor with real ingredients using these easy recipes.
Tools To Make Spaghetti Squash Lasagna
- Meat Chopper – Makes breaking up any type of ground meat a breeze.
- Baking Sheet – Two spaghetti squash halves fit perfectly on the pan!
Stuffed Spaghetti Squash Boats
Stuffed Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Boats
Stuffed spaghetti squash lasagna boats are cheesy, healthy comfort food with simple ingredients and prep. Easy, healthy, and low carb!
Recipe Video
Tap on the image below to watch the video.Like this video? Subscribe to my YouTube cooking channel for healthy recipes weekly! (Click the bell icon to be notified when I post a new video.)
Ingredients
Tap underlined ingredients to see where to get them. Please turn Safari reader mode OFF to view ingredients.
Spaghetti Squash
Meat Layer
Cheese Layers
Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.
Spaghetti squash
Meat Layer
-
Meanwhile, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the ground beef. Season with sea salt and black pepper. Cook until browned (about 10 minutes), breaking apart the meat with a spoon or spatula.
-
Stir in marinara sauce and Italian seasoning. Reduce heat to a gentle simmer. Simmer for about 10 minutes. If it's done before the squash is ready, cover to keep warm.
Ricotta Parmesan Cheese Layer
-
Meanwhile, stir together the ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, and a tablespoon olive oil in a large bowl. (The bowl should be large enough to add the spaghetti squash strands later.) Set aside.
Assembly
-
When the spaghetti squash is done cooking, take it out of the oven, but leave it on at 425 degrees F (218 degrees C).
-
Cut the squash in half lengthwise (if you cooked it whole and it is not cut yet). Place open side up onto the baking pan and use a fork to release strands.
-
Transfer the spaghetti squash strands into the large bowl with the ricotta and parmesan cheeses. Mix together. Season with sea salt to taste.
-
Stuff the spaghetti squash mixture back into the empty shells on the baking pan. Top with beef marinara mixture. Sprinkle shredded mozzarella on top. (If desired, you can create several thinner layers of each mixture, but I usually keep it simple with just one of each layer.)
-
Return the lasagna spaghetti squash boats to the oven for about 10 minutes, until the cheese melts.
Last Step: Leave A Rating!
Share your recipe picture by tagging @wholesomeyum and hashtag it #wholesomeyum on Instagram – I’d love to see it!
Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1 1/4 cups
Cook time above assumes the faster way of cooking the spaghetti squash (cut in half), and cooking the ground beef in parallel.
Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.
Want to save this recipe?
Create a free account to save your favorite recipes!
Sign Up To Save Recipes© Copyright Maya Krampf for Wholesome Yum. Please DO NOT SCREENSHOT OR COPY/PASTE recipes to social media or websites. We’d LOVE for you to share a link with photo instead. 🙂

101 Comments
Mari
0Absolutely amazing! Tweaked it bit. I’ll be making this on repeat!!
Trish
0Excellent recipe I tweaked it a bit, added mushrooms and red pepper to it, and my own Marinara sauce, but really good.
Suekittysue
0This was amazing! I will definitely make this again!
Mary Sutherland
0Fantastic recipe! Didn’t have ricotta so substituted goat cheese….omg
eve
0I love many of your recipes and this one is no exception! Very very good! Sadly, all the pop ups made it extremely difficult and time consuming to leave a review so I probably won’t review your other recipes.
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Eve, Thanks for your feedback. Ads keep the Wholesome Yum website running and allow me to develop recipes that readers like you can access absolutely free. However, you may be interested in Wholesome Yum Plus, which includes an ad-free version of the website, along with other perks.
Maxine
0How do you serve this? Cut up the squash or scoop out and serve?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Maxine, You can scoop it out of the shell and serve.
Donna
0I made it with turkey Italian sausage. I ended up using a cup of marinara because I used a little more meat. I followed the recipe exactly other than those two things. Turned out so delicious. It’s hard to believe it was low carb! So good. I’ll definitely make it again. Thanks!
Kellie H
0OMG….I can’t even tell you how much we loved this recipe. So easy, fresh and healthy but tasted like a cheat day meal.
Julia
0It’s spaghetti squash boat time of the year!!! Love this guilt free dish! Super easy to make and very satisfying!
Journa Liz Ramirez
0One of my favorite comfort food! I loved the cheesy flavor. I’m definitely making this again.
Laura
0Wait! Does this recipe serve 6?! With one spaghetti squash? That doesn’t make sense or I’m mistaken and this is a tiny side dish.
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Laura, Each serving is 1 1/4 cups of spaghetti squash.
Dotty
0I make this every 2 weeks or so. It’s a favorite. I use keto tomato sauce and it wonderful. I will sometimes sneak in so spinach under the sauce and it doesn’t hurt it at all. Thanks for the recipe!
Julie Severin
0Absolutely delicious! I did not have ricotta cheese or parmesan cheese. So, I improvised by using what I had on hand. I used whole milk cottage cheese, and asiago cheese.
Michille Stocket
0Delicious!! I will make it again.
LaDonna
0Awesome recipe!!!
Simon
0One of our favorites. Easy, delicious, and healthy. Thank you.
Willowa
0Very good and healthy
Gena Bader
0Amazing! Made it with vegetarian crumbles for me ( meat for the hubs) other than that followed recipe exactly. So satisfying and filling. Definitely making it again. Your recipes are so good and easy too. Thank you!
Autumn Dancer
0Great recipe. Easy to follow and a big hit with the hubby!
Barbara
0Can you freeze these ?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Barbara, Yes, this recipe freezes well. Scoop the strands and toppings into a freezer-safe container and it will keep for 2-3 months.
Linda Rice
0I like cooking spaghetti squash, but this recipe takes it to a whole new level!! And it’s not as complicated as it sounded on first reading.
Michelle Pepin
0Absolutely amazing recipe. Instead of using the recipe’s sauce, I used leftover homemade spaghetti sauce. Creamy, meaty, tasty! Hubby said it was so good and to make it again.
Miley
0Amazing! Just as good as pasta
Ms Gwen
0This was a great meal. We loved it & are now adding into our ‘comfort’ food rotation. Yummy & Delicious!!!!