Recipe: Italian Sausage Spaghetti Squash Boats

We had these Italian Sausage Spaghetti Squash Boats for dinner this week and we totally loved them! This was a great meal for us, because it's fairly healthy, grain free and suits our tastes. Of course, it would be a tiny bit easier to just serve the spaghetti squash in a bowl, rather than spoon it all back into the shells, but it wouldn't look nearly as beautiful that way!

Now, I have to be honest and tell you that my boys do not eat this. They will each eat a deconstructed version of it, but not the meal as a whole.

Italian Sausage Spaghetti Squash Boats

INGREDIENTS
2 ripe spaghetti squash
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. ground Italian chicken sausage
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 (10 oz) can diced tomatoes
¼ cup low-fat milk
Pinch red pepper flakes
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper
1 cup Mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

INSTRUCTIONS

1. First, prepare the spaghetti squash. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Slice each squash length wise, scoop out the seeds etc. and place face down on a baking sheet. Bake squash in the oven for 45 minutes until tender.
2. While the squash cooks you can start on the filling. Drizzle the olive oil into a large pan over medium-high heat. Cook the onions and garlic until fragrant. Add chicken sausage and cook until crumbled and lightly brown, draining if necessary, then add chicken broth, tomatoes, milk, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Bring everything to a boil then cover and allow flavors to simmer on low to medium heat until spaghetti squash is ready.
3. Remove squash from the oven and scrape out all the strands of spaghetti using a fork. Add all the spaghetti squash to your skillet along with a 1/2 cup of cheese. Toss well until cheese is melted and squash is fully coated with sauce.
4. Transfer squash mixture into your now scraped out squash bowls and top with the rest of your cheese. Place them back in the oven for about 3 to 4 minutes until cheese is melted and squash is heated through.
5. Top with pasley, serve and enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Eat Yourself Skinny

Have you tried any new recipes lately that your family has loved? Please share them with me in the comments below!