You can still enjoy your favorite comfort foods, but with a lightened up spin on them. Skip the noodles and make this Turkey and Spinach Spaghetti Squash Lasagna instead!

With all the holiday parties, cookies, candies, drinks and more, sometimes you crave a healthier dinner so you can feel better about eating those 3 cookies or 4 truffles. Just because a meal is healthier doesn’t mean it has to taste that way or make you feel like you are being deprived of your favorite comfort foods.

Cold weather tends to make us crave those foods that are heavier and fill us up. Maybe it’s human instinct to have these cravings this time of year, like how animals stock up on food to get them through the winter. Then again maybe it’s because we don’t have to worry about how we look in our tank tops, swimsuits, and sundresses.

Whatever the reason is, I know I’m not alone in the comfort food cravings this time of year. Today I took one of my favorite comfort foods and made it taste just as decadent, but in a lighter and figure friendly way. Today is all about getting that lasagna fix with this Turkey and Spinach Spaghetti Squash Lasagna!

Spaghetti squash is a great alternative to pasta, especially this time of year since squash is in season. On top of slashing calories and carbs with this substitution, you’re also adding another serving of vegetables into your daily diet. The more servings of vegetables and fiber we add the more they counteract the Christmas cookies, right?

The spaghetti squash lasagna has many of the same flavors you expect from traditional lasagna. Marinara sauce, ricotta cheese, mozzarella, plus a heathy dose of spinach and Italian turkey sausage for flavor and protein. The lasagna is easy to make and you don’t have to mess with cooking noodles or all that layering in your casserole dish.

I used some of my easy marinara sauce that I had frozen in the freezer from another meal and defrosted it along with some frozen spinach. After wringing out the excess liquid from the spinach I mixed it in with the sauce along with the cooked turkey sausage. The sauce mixture is then tossed together with the spaghetti squash strands then piled back into the squash skins for serving. The next part is my favorite…the cheese!

Dollops of part skim ricotta and shredded mozzarella are added on top of the squash, then it’s placed under the broiler until the cheese is melted and bubbly. This spaghetti squash lasagna gives you all the flavor or traditional lasagna and is the perfect way to enjoy a classic comfort food without all the calories and carbs!

Turkey and Spinach Spaghetti Squash Lasagna

Yield: 2-4 servings

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

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Ingredients

• 1 medium sized spaghetti squash
• 2 cups marinara sauce
• 1 mild Italian turkey sausage
• 1 cup frozen spinach, defrosted and excess liquid squeezed out.
• 1/3 cup part skim ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
• Flat leaf parsley for topping (optional)

Instructions

Spaghetti Squash

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line baking sheet with foil.
2. Cut the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise, spray the inside with cooking spray and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3. Place the squash cut side down on the baking sheet and roast until tender, about 30-40 minutes.
4. Let the squash cool for about 10 minutes before scooping out the strands with a fork and placing them in a bowl.
5. Reserve the squash skins placing them cut side up back on the foil lined baking sheet.
6. Use you hands to squeeze out excess liquid from the spaghetti squash strands.

Turkey and Spinach Sauce

1. Heat a small skillet over medium high heat and spray with cooking spray.
2. Remove the turkey sausage from it's casing, crumble and cook it in the skillet until it is cooked all the way through.
3. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the marinara sauce, cooked turkey sausage, and defrosted spinach and heat through.
4. Combine the sauce mixture with the spaghetti squash and toss together until the squash is coated in the sauce.

Assembling

1. Scoop the squash and sauce mixture back into the squash skins and top with dollops of ricotta and shredded mozzarella cheese.
2. Broil the spaghetti squash lasagna until the cheese is melted and golden.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 2 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 464 Total Fat: 13g Saturated Fat: 4g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 7g Cholesterol: 58mg Sodium: 1833mg Carbohydrates: 58g Fiber: 16g Sugar: 26g Protein: 33g

More Spaghetti Squash Recipes:

Spicy Tomato Garlic Shrimp with Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti Squash with Feta and Herbs

Spaghetti Squash Greek Salad