Spaghetti Squash Pizza Lasagna Bake
Layered spaghetti squash casserole with seasoned ground beef, pepperoni, and marinara sauce, topped with ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan. Roasted squash strands replace traditional pasta in this lower-carb take on pizza lasagna, baked until cheese melts and flavors meld.
Ingredients
- 1 cups spaghetti squash, roasted, cut
- 1 lb ground beef, browned, drained
- 5 slices pepperoni or salami, chopped
- 2 ¼ cups tomato sauce or puree
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled, minced
- ½ tbsp Italian seasonings
- 1 tsp olive oil
- ¼ tsp sea salt(optional)
- ½ cup whole ricotta
- 10 slices pepperoni or salami
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese
- 1 ½ tbsp parmesan cheese
Instructions
- 1
Preheat oven to 350F. Poke holes all over spaghetti squash with a sharp knife or metal skewer. Place on shallow baking sheet and bake, turning halfway through, until tender.
- 2
Remove squash from oven and cool for 15 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 400F.
- 3
In medium saucepan over medium heat, combine tomato sauce, browned ground beef, chopped pepperoni, minced garlic, Italian seasonings, olive oil, and sea salt. Bring to low boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer.
- 4
Cut cooled squash in half and scoop out seeds. Scrape squash strands with large spoon into bowl.
- 5
Remove marinara from heat and cool slightly. Oil 13 x 9 inch casserole dish. Layer half of squash noodles on bottom, pour half of marinara sauce over top, and spoon ricotta clumps across sauce.
- 6
Layer remaining squash noodles on top, pour remaining marinara over noodles, arrange pepperoni slices on top, and sprinkle mozzarella and parmesan.
- 7
Bake until cheese melts and browns. Remove from oven, cool, and serve.
Tips
Ensure tomato sauce contains only tomato as ingredient for clean flavor.
Use gluten-free, uncured, nitrate-free pepperoni or salami if dietary restriction applies.
Cooling squash before handling makes seeding and scraping easier and safer.
Good to Know
Cover and refrigerate up to 4 days. Reheat in oven at 350F until warmed through.
Prepare through layering step, cover, and refrigerate up to 8 hours before baking. Add 5-10 minutes to baking time if starting from cold.
Cool 5-10 minutes before serving to allow layers to set and cheese to firm slightly.
Common Mistakes
Do not skip cooling squash after roasting to avoid burns and ensure proper handling.
Do not bake squash uncovered or skip poking holes to prevent explosion.
Do not boil marinara at high heat to avoid sauce burning and flavor loss.
Do not skip draining ground beef to avoid greasy, separated sauce.