Spaghetti Squash Boats with cream cheese and spinach stuffed inside make a delicious side dish cut down or a full-blown low-carb vegetarian meal for one.
Want to get creative?
Add chicken breasts, beef, ground turkey, or sausage to your boat for a filling and perfectly healthy dinner tonight.
Why you will love making Spaghetti Squash Boats!
This tasty spaghetti squash will make you appreciate veggies like never before. An easy, cheesy, and creamy side dish, you will LOVE this recipe.
I get in a rut where I am roasting carrots or broccoli, so I get excited when I can incorporate more interesting veggies like squash.
Of course, a dish like this takes a bit more prep, but for a few times a month or even a holiday meal, its definitely worth it.
A great alternative to pasta, the spaghetti squash halves stand in for your favorite recipes that take traditional pasta. This turns almost any pasta dish into a healthy meal!
Simple Ingredients
- raw spaghetti squash
- vegetable oil
- minced garlic
- cream cheese
- cottage cheese
- chopped fresh spinach
- shredded Parmesan or Asiago cheese
- shredded mozzarella cheese
- kosher salt and black pepper
How to soften Spaghetti Squash for cutting.
Before starting this recipe, you might need to soften your entire spaghetti squash.
This is one tough veggie, and trying to cut it for baking before it softened a bit, won’t work well. This is the best way I found to work with spaghetti squash for this recipe is listed below.
Soften the squash in the microwave by poking it with a fork and placing it in the microwave for 6 minutes.
The squash WILL BE HOT when you try to remove it! BE CAREFUL!
How to make Roasted Spaghetti Squash Boats.
- Soften the Squash before you get started. Preheat the oven to 350.
- Cut squash in half lengthwise with a sharp knife.
- Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and discard them (try not to take much flesh with you, just the spaghetti squash seeds).
- Spray the flesh side of the squash with cooking spray or brush with oil. Place squash cut-sides flesh side down in a large baking dish (or baking sheet) and bake for 20 minutes or until soft and tender.
- Remove roasted squash halves from the oven.
- Loosen the spaghetti squash strands with a fork and set the flesh side up in the baking dish.
Cream Cheese and Spinach Stuffing
- In a skillet, add oil, minced garlic and cream cheese.
- Heat mixture on low heat, frequently stirring until all cheese is melted.
- Stir in cottage cheese and raw spinach and heat until warm, about 2 minutes.
- Stir in grated or shredded Parmesan cheese last.
- Divide the spinach cheese mixture in half and spread onto each half of the roasted spaghetti squash.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Sprinkle 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese onto each cooked squash boat.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the center is hot and the cheese is bubbly.
- Broil for 2 minutes until cheese begins to brown.
- Serve creamy spaghetti squash immediately while hot and melty.
Perfect Spaghetti Squash Boat Recipe Tips
Make your spaghetti squash boats a meal. Feel free to add a protein like pre-cooked steak, ground beef, breakfast sausage, or bits of grilled chicken.
Weight Watchers Nutritional Notes: 2 Points per serving for six servings IF using fat free on ALL cheese options.
Can you freeze spaghetti squash?
Let the squash cool completely, then scrape out the spaghetti-like strands of squash.
Place the squash in a single layer on a baking sheet, freeze until solid, then transfer to a freezer safe container or freeze-safe bag. The baked spaghetti squash will keep for up to 6 months in the freezer.
How many carbs are in spaghetti squash?
One cup of cooked spaghetti squash contains approximately 10 grams of carbohydrates. Additional carbs are added depending on how it’s prepared.
What are some healthy spaghetti squash boat flavors?
There are so many more flavors than just cream cheese and spinach! Try your favorite topping or one of these extra flavor ideas to customize this recipe all your own.
- Pesto and vegetables
- Buffalo Chicken
- Mediterranean
- Mexican
- Creamy garlic shrimp
- Bacon and egg
- Pepper flakes
- Chicken Alfredo
Winter Squash Varieties
Winter squashes include acorn squash, butternut squash, spaghetti squash, delicata squash, turban squash, kabocha squash, and pumpkins.
Acorn squash has a sweet and nutty flavor; its flesh is yellow-orange with dark green skin.
Butternut squash has a sweet, buttery flavor, and its flesh is bright orange.
Spaghetti squash has a mild flavor, and its flesh separates into long strands that resemble spaghetti.
Delicata squash has a sweet and nutty flavor, and its flesh is yellow-orange.
Turban squash has a sweet, nutty flavor, and its flesh is yellow-orange with a distinctive turban-shaped top.
Kabocha squash has a sweet, nutty flavor, and its flesh is yellow-orange with a dry texture.
Pumpkins have a sweet, earthy flavor, and their flesh is deep orange.
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Spaghetti Squash Boats with Cream Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 spaghetti squash
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 4 ounce cream cheese cubed
- 1/2 cup cottage cheese
- 2 cups chopped fresh spinach leaves
- 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan or Asiago cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- salt and black pepper
Instructions
Soften the Squash
- Soften the squash in the microwave, by poking with a fork and placing in microwave for 6 minutes.
- Squash WILL BE HOT when you try to remove it! BE CAREFUL!
How to Bake Spaghetti Squash Boats.
- Before you get started, preheat oven to 350.
- Cut softened squash in half lengthwise.
- Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and discard them (try not to take much flesh with you, just the seeds).
- Spray flesh side of squash with cooking spray or brush with oil.
- Place flesh side down in a large baking dish or on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes or until soft and tender.
- Remove squash halves from the oven.
- Loosen the spaghetti squash strands with a fork and set flesh side up in baking dish.
Cream Cheese and Spinach Stuffing
- In a skillet, add cooking oil, minced garlic, and cream cheese.
- Heat mixture on low heat, stirring frequently until all cheese is melted.
- Stir in cottage cheese, and raw spinach and heat until warm, about 2 minutes.
- Stir in shredded Parmesan cheese last.
- Divide the spinach cheese mixture in half and spread onto each half of the cooked squash.
- Season well with salt and pepper.
- Sprinkle 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese onto each squash boat.
- Bake stuffed squash boats for 20-25 minutes or until the center is hot and the cheese topping is bubbly.
- Broil for additional 2 minutes until the cheese just begins to brown.
- Serve squash boats immediately while hot and melty.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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