Ground Turkey Spaghetti Squash Boats
These ground turkey spaghetti squash boats are packed with protein and fiber for a healthy and delicious meal that will keep you full for hours.
The turkey meat sauce in my regular high protein turkey spaghetti is my favorite. But I’ve been obsessed with spaghetti squash lately…so I decided to combine them.
Let me just say, if you have a hard time feeling full you need to try these. The spaghetti squash is full of fiber and the turkey is packed with protein, making you feel the fullest for the longest. Each serving is also huge which helps.
And it’s honestly just as delicious as regular spaghetti. So even if you don’t care at all about what’s in it, it will still taste amazing ;)
What You’ll Need
Equipment
- Sheet pan
- Large deep skillet/pan
Ingredients
- Spaghetti squash: Look for smaller ones. Around 2lbs each (I use a kitchen scale for most accurate measurements).
- Olive oil
- Salt + pepper
- Lean ground turkey: I use 99% lean.
- Tomato paste
- Marinara sauce: A 24 oz jar. I use this one.
- Petite diced tomatoes: A 14.5 oz can.
- Italian seasonings: Dried oregano, dried basil, ground thyme, red pepper flakes.
- Parmesan cheese
- Fresh basil: Optional, for topping.
How To Make Them
- Roast the squash: Preheat the oven to 400F and line a baking sheet with parchment. Cut the squash in half lengthwise and remove the seeds. Add a small drizzle of olive oil and pinch of salt and pepper. Place face down on the baking sheet, poke a few times with a fork, then bake for about 30 minutes (I use small squash in this recipe – if yours are larger, you may need to bake for longer, around 40-45 minutes).
- Cook the turkey: While the squash are baking, make the turkey meat sauce. Heat a large deep skillet on medium high heat, then add some olive oil and the ground turkey. Cook the turkey, breaking apart into small pieces until fully cooked. Season with salt and pepper.
- Make the sauce: To the turkey, add the tomato paste, diced tomatoes, marinara sauce and Italian seasonings. Stir everything together well, reduce heat to low, cover and let gently simmer. Try to let it simmer for at least 10 minutes – if you have time, give it 20 or 25. Gives the flavors time to develop.
- Shred the squash: Once the squash are done baking, let them cool slightly, then turn over and shred with two forks to create the “spaghetti”.
- Add the sauce & cheese: Add the sauce to each spaghetti squash boat, then top with fresh grated parmesan and optional basil. Enjoy immediately!
Tips
- Cutting the squash: To help with cutting the squash, poke it all over with a fork and microwave for about 2-3 minutes. Let it cool slightly before cutting.
- Bake time: I use small squash in this recipe and 30 minutes is usually the perfect baking time. If your squash are larger, you might need closer to 40-45 minutes. Baking time will vary a little from squash to squash as well. You’ll know they are done if they shred easily into strands.
- Serving: You can serve these as boats, or simply remove the spaghetti squash strands from the squash and serve on a plate with the sauce as you would regular spaghetti.
Storing
I store the sauce and spaghetti squash separately if I can. Keep them in airtight containers in the fridge up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave in 30 second increments until desired warmth (make sure to cover the sauce so you don’t make a mess of your microwave).
Similar Recipes
As always, be sure to leave a comment and review if you try these ground turkey spaghetti squash boats! They are naturally gluten free (if you use the same marinara sauce I do), and can easily be made dairy free with no cheese or a dairy free cheese substitute. Hope you love!
Ground Turkey Spaghetti Squash Boats
Ingredients
- 2 small spaghetti squash (~2 lbs each)
- 2 tsp olive oil (9 g)
- pinch salt and pepper
- 1 oz parmesan cheese (28 g) freshly grated
- fresh basil optional
Turkey meat sauce
- 1 lb 99% lean ground turkey
- 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- pinch pepper
- 2 tbsp tomato paste (33 g)
- 1 24oz jar marinara sauce
- 1 14.5oz can petite diced tomatoes
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp ground thyme
- pinch red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F and line a half baking sheet with parchment. Cut the squash in half lengthwise and remove the seeds. Drizzle with olive oil and season with a small pinch of salt and pepper. Place face down on the baking sheet, poke a few times with a fork and bake for 30 minutes.
- For the sauce, heat a large deep skillet on medium high heat, then add the olive oil and turkey. Cook the turkey, breaking apart into small pieces, until fully cooked. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add the tomato paste, marinara sauce, diced tomatoes, basil, oregano, thyme and red pepper flakes. Stir everything together, cover, and let gently simmer on low heat for at least 10 minutes (20 if you have time).
- After the squash are done baking, let cool slightly, then flip over and shred with two forks to create the "spaghetti". Top them with the meat sauce, parmesan cheese and fresh basil, if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
- Bake time: This will vary from squash to squash and also depending on your oven. 30 min is usually perfect for me for small squash. If yours are larger, you may need closer to 40-45 min.
- Serving: If you prefer, you can serve this like regular spaghetti by transferring the spaghetti squash strands to a plate.
Nutrition
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