Spaghetti Squash Meatball Boats

5 from 1 vote

Spaghetti Squash Meatball Boats

With a flavorful sauce, tender meatballs, and bubbly cheese, these spaghetti squash boats make for a deliciously comforting dinner!

Prep Time15

Cook Time1 15

Total Time1 30

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Author: Amber Goulden

Ingredients

For the Boats:

1 medium to large spaghetti squash
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese*
Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley for garnish

For the Meatballs:

1 pound ground beef
1/4 onion minced
3 cloves garlic finely minced
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley

For the Sauce:**

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
½ yellow onion diced
3 cloves garlic minced
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
2 teaspoons dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
2 bay leaves
½ teaspoon coarse sea salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ cup red wine

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Cut the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds with a spoon, and place the halves cut side up on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 45 to 60 minutes, until the strands of the squash easily pull away from the shells with a fork.
While the squash is cooking, make the meatballs: add the ground beef, onion, garlic, and seasonings to a large bowl, then work the mixture with your hands until the ingredients are fully incorporated.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper, then form the meatballs into 1-inch balls and place on the baking sheet. Bake at 400 F for 18 minutes. Note: you can bake the meatballs at the same time as the spaghetti squash, just make sure to place the meatballs on the rack above the squash.
While the meatballs bake, add the olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion and garlic and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes, until the onion is translucent and the garlic is fragrant.
Add the remaining ingredients to the pot and stir to combine. Bring to a boil to cook the alcohol off the wine, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 7 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and slightly reduced.
To assemble the boats: remove the spaghetti squash from its shell and toss the strands with the sauce, then scoop the spaghetti squash back into the shells on a rimmed baking sheet. Place the meatballs on top of the spaghetti squash, then sprinkle with the mozzarella cheese. Return to the oven to bake at 400 F for an additional 10 minutes, until the cheese is browned and bubbling.
Garnish with fresh parsley and serve!

Notes

To save time, you can easily replace the sauce in this recipe with your own favorite bottle of spaghetti sauce!
For dairy-free/Paleo/Whole 30: Omit the cheese in the recipe. Even if you are omitting the cheese, you should still bake your re-assembled spaghetti squash boats for 10 minutes to brown everything and allow the flavors to meld!
For low FODMAP: Omit the onion and garlic. You can replace it by adding a teaspoon of garlic olive oil to the meatballs and an additional teaspoon to the sauce. For onion flavor, take the top of three leeks (green part only) then slice them and add them to the sauce as it simmers. Remove the leek tops before eating.

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