We are in between Thanksgiving and Christmas and there have been lots of indulgences. Monday night seemed like a good day to skip the meat and eat a healthy veggie forward meal. I combined spaghetti squash, kale, marinara, and some cheese into a yummy lasagna type casserole. It had all the comforting flavors of a cozy winter meal without all of the excess. Definitely one we will be keeping in rotation.
What you need:
1 large spaghetti squash
1 1/2 cups of chopped kale (no stems)
2 cups of marinara sauce (I prefer Rao’s Homemade)
1 cup of cottage or ricotta cheese ( I think Good Culture Cottage cheese is sooo good, almost always have it in the house)
1 cup of shredded Italian Cheese Blend (Parmesan, Fontina, Asiago, Mozzarella)
1 tbsp of Italian Seasoning
1 egg
olive oil
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and slice your spaghetti squash in half, scoop out the seeds and rub the interior with a bit of olive oil. Place flesh side down onto a baking sheet and bake for about 35-40 minutes or until you can pierce the outside really easily with a fork and it feels soft. Pull out of the oven and let cool a bit. When the squash is soft enough to handle, scoop out all of the flesh and place on a colander over top of the sink or rimmed baking sheet. Squeeze as much of the excess liquid out of it as you can. In a large bowl mix the spaghetti squash with your chopped kale and marinara sauce.
In a separate bowl mix together your cottage or ricotta cheese, one egg, 1/2 the tbsp of Italian seasoning and 1/2 the Italian cheese blend. Take a casserole dish and layer half of the squash mixture on the bottom. Spoon the cottage cheese mixture on top and spread out evenly. Place the remaining squash mixture on the top and the rest of the Italian cheese blend on top of that. Sprinkle the remaining Italian seasoning on top and return to your 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes until bubbling and the cheese is beginning to brown on top. I do not add any salt and pepper to this dish because I find the cheese and marinara have enough salt on their own, its not necessary. Let sit for about 5-10 minutes and serve with a slotted spoon.
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