My yellow lab loves to help in the garden. She chews on the weeds and helps me dig holes. She also loves to help pick vegetables.
Yes, you heard me correctly… My dog loves her veggies!
Last summer, it was my cucumber plant that she ambushed. This summer, she discovered squash… Yellow squash, spaghetti squash, pumpkins… She picks them all. Unfortunately, once she picks them, she smashes them all over the yard and eats the insides, leaving a trail of squash skins. Honestly, it’s pretty funny to watch. But, it can also be frustrating because she destroys my prized veggies from the garden.
Amazingly enough, we did manage to keep the furry garden helper away from about half of our spaghetti squash crop. I really like spaghetti squash, but it can be somewhat bland. So, I try to add lots of flavorful ingredients whenever I make it. This time around, I decided to stuff the squash with Italian chicken sausage, peppers, and onions. I almost skipped the photos of this one because I didn’t expect it to be blog-worthy. Fortunately, I ended up snapping a few pictures along the way, because this turned out to be one of my favorite spaghetti squash dishes to date (and I have made quite a few)!
Italian Stuffed Spaghetti Squash
- 1 medium spaghetti squash
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound fresh Italian chicken sausage
- 1/2 cup bell pepper, diced (green and yellow)
- 1/2 cup onion, diced
- 1/4 cup red cherry pepper, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup marinara sauce
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Cut the two ends off of the spaghetti squash, and cut in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and discard. Place the squash halves cut side down in a large glass baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave for 5 – 7 minutes, until soft. Remove from the microwave, and use a fork to scrape out the insides of the squash, forming spaghetti-like strands. Transfer the squash strands to a bowl, and return the squash halves to the glass baking dish.
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Remove the casings from the sausage, and brown in the skillet, breaking up the sausage as it cooks. Once the sausage is browned, add the peppers, onion, and garlic. Continue to cook for an additional 4-5 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
Add the reserved squash strands and the cup of marinara sauce. Stir to combine with the sausage mixture, and cook for a few minutes until the mixture comes together and there is no excess moisture in the pan.
Fill each of the squash halves with the sausage mixture, and top with the grated Parmesan cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, until the filling is hot and the cheese is melted and golden. Serve immediately.
Jen, those look dee-lish! I really enjoy spaghetti squash (& am laughing that your dog does too :). Next year I’m def going ot have to increase my garden from a herb garden with some tomato plants in pots to include lots more veggies!
Jen, OMG! This looks super yummalicious! I have to admit something. I have never tried Spaghetti Squash before. I need to make this immediately so I can say that I have tried it. I’ll tell you how it goes. :D
wow! This looks amazing! People have been raving abt spaghetti squash for years and yet I have neglected to try it. You’ve inspired me to give it a real try!
You’ve got one healthy dog there. Don’t think I’ve had spaghetti squash this summer. I hope there’s still some good ones left.
What a tasteful recipe!!
A must try! Great pictures too!
Those look so good and tasty, I love spaghetti squash, and found it was perfect for my toddler, since he’s a pasta addict. I will for sure try this recipe!
This stuffed squash looks and sounds fantastic! Love the sausage in the stuffing, yum!
I love spaghetti squash and your version looks delicious!
Glad you ended up telling us about it because it looks super tasty.
I love stuffed anything. Lemons, Oranges, Squash, Peppers…yummy
I’ve never tried spaghetti squash before – I’m always nervous to for some reason. But you’re helping me overcome my fear. :) This looks great!
I love fall and this is why. All the squash, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, yummy! I can’t wait to make a veggie stuffed version of this.
Great dog story. Spaghetti squash is so much fun — your recipe looks delicious, colorful and healthy. My kind of dish!
I can imagine how delicious this is! Spaghetti squash is so great with Italian flavors. This looks fantastic!
Can you believe that I thought that was a deep dish pizza when I first saw it! I bet it tastes just as good, but is 1000 times healthier! And it looks like you have quite a healthy dog!
This looks like a really yummy way to use some of the garden produce. I’m printing this one out :) Thanks.
absolutely love this creative idea of using the squash to cook spaghetti.
What a great combo! I’m inspired to try this recipe using turkey apple sausage.
So good! The only thing I did differently was I used hot italian pork sausage, absolutely yummo!!
We had a full size daschound and she would clean our garden out of carrots. We were amazed. This recipe looks delicious and I can’t wait to try it.