This Italian Spinach Baked Spaghetti Squash is budget-friendly and mother-in-law approved. It’s a delicious low-carb casserole, perfect for Trim Healthy Mama S meals. With a few small tweaks, make it low carb AND low fat for a filling Fuel Pull.
Sometimes, you need an easy, budget-friendly meal right?
For many people, that means reaching for the pasta. But, if you’re a Trim Healthy Mama follower or on a gluten-free diet that’s just not always an option. That’s why I heart spaghetti squash so much.
Spaghetti squash is so versatile, so good for you, and since it’s cheaper than gluten free pasta it’s also good for the budget. Add some dark, leafy green stuff and you’ve got a very healthy dish. This Italian Spinach Baked Spaghetti Squash is an easy, gluten-free, budget friendly dish that fits perfectly into your Trim Healthy Mama menu.
There’s a recipe in the Trim Healthy Mama cookbook called Lazy Lasagna that uses spinach instead of noodles. I absolutely love it, but my family not so much. Honestly, I was surprised because so many THMs were raving about how yummy it was and their families just gobbled it up. I even followed one THMs suggestion and pureed the spinach to make it less noticeable.
They noticed.
I have THAT family I guess. But I love them anyway.
Pasta for them, no pasta for you!
Spaghetti was on the menu last night, so I decided to make brown rice pasta for them and spaghetti squash for me. But then I thought about how yummy baked spaghetti is…and I have this delicious smoked provolone just begging to be melted over some Italian-y goodness.
I have a Mock Baked Spaghetti recipe using spaghetti squash but I was thinking of something different. Adding spinach to it, like the Lazy Lasagna recipe, sounded like just what my body was craving.
Learn how to cook a whole spaghetti squash here
This recipe came together quickly as I was preparing my family’s supper. I just set aside some ground venison and spaghetti sauce to use in my dish. While the water was coming to a boil for the pasta I popped the Italian Spinach Baked Spaghetti Squash in the oven.
I only had one cup of frozen, chopped spinach and it was very good with just that. If you really like spinach, you could certainly add more. If you have fresh spinach, you could either chop it and mix it into the spaghetti squash mixture or layer it on top before adding the meat and sauce.
You can add more meat if you like but for times when the meat needs to stretch a little farther you’ll still have a tasty, filling, and satisfying meal made as written. A big green, leafy salad, green beans, asparagus or your favorite plan-approved veggies will make a complete meal.
Low carb or low carb and low fat…it’s your choice!
As written, this is one of those yummy, satisfying S meals, but it could easily be adapted to fit Fuel Pull guidelines (low fat AND low carb) I plan on trying that in the future. Just make a few adjustments:
- Use very lean ground venison (with no added fat) ground turkey, beef, or chicken – 96-99% lean. Or drain then rinse higher-fat meats in hot water. For Fuel Pulls, keep the meat to no more than 3 ounces per serving
- Either omit the butter altogether or cut back to 1/2 tablespoon. Add a tablespoon or two of nutritional yeast if you have it for flavor and nutrition.
- I used “egg beaters” because I had them on hand and need it to get it used. For an S, a regular egg is fine. For a FP egg beaters work fine, or use egg whites
- Bake this without cheese on top, then sprinkle a bit of parmesan cheese on top of your serving
Let’s talk about water…
Spaghetti squash and spinach are both watery components. That’s part of what makes them good for you, in spite of the inconvenience. There was a small amount of water on the bottom of the dish, but using a slotted spatula and letting it drain a bit before putting it on my plate kept it from being too watery. And since the sauce is on TOP, it doesn’t get watered down and you don’t lose out on any flavor.
You could squeeze the spaghetti squash well to get out as much water as you can and thaw and squeeze the frozen spinach. I just didn’t feel like messing with that!
How to fit Italian Spinach Baked Spaghetti Squash into your healthy eating plan:
Trim Healthy Mamas know that an S style meal is low carb (up to 10 grams net) and a reasonable amount of healthy fats. Pair this with a big, green leafy salad dressed with olive oil and lemon juice, Balsamic Mustard Vinaigrette, or your favorite on-plan dressing. It is filling and satisfying!
If you’re going to try it Fuel Pull style, pair it with a big serving of steamed green beans (or your favorite Fuel Pull friendly veggies).
I found one serving to be plenty, but spaghetti squash is one of those veggies you can eat a lot of so a second helping would not be out of order necessarily. I really WANTED another helping, but with the big salad I had I was just too full.
This recipe is for four large servings in an 8″x8″ baking dish. For a 9″x13″ dish, just double the ingredients.
Are you ready? Let’s make some magic happen…
Italian Spinach Baked Spaghetti Squash | THM S or FP
This delicious low carb, gluten free and THM friendly Italian Spinach Baked Spaghetti Squash is satisfying and budget friendly! It's a scrumptious S, but make a few changes and you've got a tasty Fuel Pull entree.
Ingredients
For the "crust"
- 4 c cooked and shredded spaghetti squash (about half a large squash)
- 1 egg (for S version) OR 1/4 c egg beaters OR 1/4 c egg whites (for FP version)
- 2 Tbs smoked shredded provolone or cheese of choice
- 1 Tbs butter
- 1 tsp mineral salt, like pink Himalayan
- 1 clove garlic, pressed or minced
- 1 c frozen, chopped spinach[br]
For the topping:
- 1/2 c cooked ground meat (96-99% lean for FP version), seasoned as desired
- 1 c no sugar added marinara or spaghetti sauce
- 1 heaping cup shredded smoked provolone or cheese of choice
- Garlic powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Combine spaghetti squash, egg (or egg beaters/egg whites for FP version), 2 Tbs cheese, garlic, salt and butter (melt butter if your squash is cold). Mix well, then add spinach and mix until well incorporated.
- Pat into a greased 8"x8" baking dish
- Spread sauce over the top
- Sprinkle meat evenly over the sauce
- Cover with 1 c shredded cheese
- Lightly sprinkle cheese with garlic powder
- Bake in preheated oven 30-40 minutes or until heated through and bubbly and cheese is lightly browned
- Double ingredients for a 9"x13" dish
Notes
Trim Healthy Mama Notes
TO MAKE FUEL PULL STYLE
Use very lean ground venison (with no added fat) ground turkey, beef, or chicken – 96-99% lean. Or drain then rinse higher-fat meats in hot water. For Fuel Pulls, keep the meat to no more than 3 ounces per serving
Either omit the butter altogether or cut back to 1/2 tablespoon. Add a tablespoon or two of nutritional yeast if you have it for flavor and nutrition.
I used “egg beaters” because I had them on hand and need it to get it used. For an S, a regular egg is fine. For a FP egg beaters work fine, or use egg whites
Bake this without cheese on top, then sprinkle a bit of parmesan cheese on top of your serving
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1/4 recipeAmount Per Serving: Calories: 0Cholesterol: 0mgSodium: 0mgCarbohydrates: 0gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 0g
techlazy.com says
This is brilliant! I just had spaghetti squash at a restaurant last night – and I couldn’t think of how they cooked it so well! This must be how! So glad to have read this – perfect timing!
dawnyoder says
Thanks Mary! I was always afraid to try spaghetti squash, but so glad I did. It’s a wonderful food that adapts to so many flavors and styles of cooking. Glad This crossed your path at the right time. Thanks so much for stopping by!
Ada says
I keep trying to figure how this is an S and not an XO? It has 15 g carbs according to this recipe. Unless I’m missing something. Please advise
dawnyoder says
Hi Ada, that’s a great question!
One question I have for you, have you read the book? Spaghetti squash is one of the “non starchy” veggies we are encouraged to be liberal with in our S and FP meals. It is not a starchy E fuel source, like sweet potatoes or other squashes such as acorn or butternut. Although acorn and butternut can be eaten in an S setting if kept to a 1/2 cup or less serving. You’ll find spaghetti squash specifically listed in the FP friendly foods in the Fuel Pull chapter. FP friendly foods are fine for S meals.
Another question, did you subtract the fiber from the total carb count? I haven’t run this through a nutrition calculator so I don’t know offhand how much fiber is in spaghetti squash, that may bring the NET carb count (which is what you want to focus on when considering carbs) down to S and FP range.
Remember, too, that the beauty of THM is not counting every single calorie and gram. When we plug in the numbers to a nutrition calculator, it doesn’t distinguish between starchy carbs and other carbs. There are carbs in tomatoes, but they are considered non-starchy and those carbs would not qualify as an E fuel source.
Hope this helps clear up the confusion! Thanks for asking, others will benefit from your question too 🙂
Ada says
Thank you! I have read them but it’s been a while. And I just have a hard time letting go of exact numbers. We are making this tonight and I can’t wait to try it!
dawnyoder says
My pleasure! I understand how hard it is to let go lol! Hope you enjoy it 🙂
Michelle K says
My husband and I absolutely loved this dish.
Dawn Yoder says
Thanks Michelle! So glad you both enjoyed it, thanks for letting me know!