Spaghetti Squash-sagna

We are still eating the spaghetti squash from our garden this past summer.  I stashed a few of them in a large brown bag in my garage one day (trying to make space on my countertops) and totally forgot about them until this past weekend.  Amazingly, they are all still good, even after a few months.

So, when I was looking for a veggie-rich dish to make for dinner tonight, I decided to make a lasagna-like casserole using the spaghetti squash strands (thus the name squash-sagna).  I was in one of those “clean out the fridge and freezer” moods, so I used some frozen pasta sauce that I made over the summer.  I had added mushrooms and bell peppers to make a thick, nutritious sauce.  It seemed like a lot of work at the time, but I was glad to have it on hand!  If you don’t have sauce in your freezer, any chunky prepared tomato sauce will do.

This is one of those recipes where the amounts of each ingredient are fairly flexible.  I had a fairly large spaghetti squash and adjusted the ingredients to fill a 9 by 13 inch baking dish.  You could easily use a smaller dish or add more layers based on what you have on hand.

Spaghetti Squash-sagna

• 1 large spaghetti squash
• 1/2 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 cups fresh spinach, chopped
• 4 cups chunky tomato sauce
• 6 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1 ounce parmigiano-reggiano cheese, freshly grated

Preheat the oven to 375°.  Spray a 9 by 13 inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.

Cut the ends off the spaghetti squash and cut in half lengthwise. Scoop out seeds and lay cut side down on a microwaveable plate or dish.  Cover with plastic wrap and microwave for 8-10 minutes, until slightly soft but not mushy.

Meanwhile, brown the sausage in a skillet over medium heat.  Once the sausage is cooked through, add the onions and garlic.  Saute until the onions are soft and translucent.  Add the spinach and saute for just a minute or two, until the spinach has wilted into the sausage mixture.  Remove from the heat.

Use a fork to scoop out the spaghetti-like strands from the squash.  Line the bottom of the prepared baking dish with a layer of squash, using about half of the squash.  Top with half of the tomato sauce.

Spread the sausage mixture in a layer over the tomato sauce.  Sprinkle with half of the mozzarella and parmigiano-reggiano cheeses.

Continue to add layers, using the rest of the spaghetti squash, tomato sauce, and finally cheeses.

Bake uncovered for 30 minutes and then broil for 2-3 minutes, until the top is golden and the cheese is bubbly.  Allow to rest for about 10-15 minutes before serving.