Description
This Italian Sausage Spaghetti Squash Skillet is a hearty and healthy low-carb meal featuring roasted spaghetti squash, flavorful Italian sausage, sautéed vegetables, and a creamy Parmesan sauce. Perfect for a comforting weeknight dinner, it combines tender roasted squash strands with spicy sausage and rich tomato cream sauce, garnished with fresh parsley.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Roasted Spaghetti Squash
- 1 medium spaghetti squash
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- Salt, to taste
- Pepper, to taste
Sausage Spaghetti Squash Skillet
- 1 1/2 pounds sausage, cut into 1/2 inch thick rounds or slices
- 2 red bell peppers, diced
- 1 onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
- Fresh parsley, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat and prepare squash: Preheat your oven to 350°F. Cut the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and remove the seeds. Place the halves cut side up on a sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Roast the spaghetti squash: Roast the squash in the oven for 45-60 minutes or until tender when pierced with a fork. Once done, use a fork to scrape out the strands that resemble spaghetti noodles and set aside.
- Cook the sausage: While squash roasts, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage slices and cook until browned and heated through, about 5-10 minutes. Remove the sausage and tent it with foil to keep warm.
- Sauté vegetables: If needed, add a drizzle of olive oil to the skillet. Add the diced red bell peppers and onion with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, for 3-5 minutes until the vegetables soften.
- Add garlic: Stir the minced garlic into the vegetables and cook for an additional 30 seconds, allowing the garlic to become fragrant.
- Make the sauce: Stir in the Italian seasoning, tomato paste, and heavy cream into the skillet. Increase the heat slightly and cook for 1-2 minutes until the cream is hot and bubbly, stirring frequently to combine.
- Incorporate cheese: Turn off the heat and stir in the Parmesan cheese until it melts and forms a creamy sauce.
- Combine all components: Return the cooked sausage to the skillet. Add the scraped spaghetti squash strands and toss everything together to evenly coat with the creamy sauce. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if needed.
- Garnish and serve: Optionally garnish with fresh parsley before serving warm.
Notes
- To save time, the spaghetti squash can be roasted ahead of time and reheated when needed.
- For quicker cooking, microwave the whole squash pierced several times on high for 8-12 minutes until tender. Then halve, seed, and scrape out strands.
- Add crushed red pepper flakes for a spicy kick or mix in leafy greens like spinach or kale for added nutrition.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator and consume within 3 to 5 days for best quality.
- Nutritional values are estimates and may vary depending on ingredient brands and portion sizes.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving (approximately 1/6 of recipe)
- Calories: 410
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 720 mg
- Fat: 28 g
- Saturated Fat: 11 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 14 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 12 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 22 g
- Cholesterol: 90 mg
