Raven the Kitchen Witch's Spaghetti Squash Lasagna (Vegetarian)

Raven the Kitchen Witch's Spaghetti Squash Lasagna (Vegetarian)

            Happy Wednesday gang! Raven here, and today I'm going to share with you one of my favourite recipes to make when attempting to cut back on meat consumption or just for an all-around yummy dish. This is a standard Spaghetti Squash veggie lasagna, the recipe is not something I created but I did intuitively tweak it to my own tastes, and I think it will probably be something that evolves through the years. OK so without further adieu, the recipe (which I might add...I ate for dinner this evening)!

Prep Time: About an hour

Minutes to Cook: 120

Number of Servings: 4

Vegetarian Friendly

Ingredients

1 medium spaghetti squash

3 tsp extra virgin olive oil (O = I use organic)

1 cup diced onion

1 cup mushroom

2 tsp chopped garlic

1/2 tsp Italian seasoning (no salt added)

1 1/2 cup baby spinach (O)

1 1/2 cup marinara (O)

1 cup part skim ricotta cheese

3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (low moisture)

3 tbsp ground flax (O)

3 eggs

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Line one large baking sheet with parchment paper. Prep the spaghetti squash by slicing it in half lengthwise and scraping out the seeds with a spoon.  This part is kind of reminiscent of hollowing out a pumpkin to carve. Season the insides with sea salt or pink salt and pepper, if desired (I always desire), and arrange on baking sheet (cut side down). Place baking sheet in the preheated oven for 45-47 minutes or until spaghetti squash is tender and shreds easily with a fork. Remove from oven and set aside to cool. Leave oven on.

2. While this bakes, chop your veggies up and begin measuring ingredients. 

3. Once cooled a bit, use a large spoon or fork to scrape the spaghetti squash from it’s skin.  I prefer to use the squash in large chunks so I usually use a spoon and scrape evenly versus a fork to shred, though shreds can produce and equally stable lasagna if you moosh them together correctly.  You'll see what I mean if you shred it up and make this dish. Transfer to a clean kitchen towel or colander and gently squeeze the squash to remove any excess moisture.

4. Heat 3 tsp. olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 cup of the diced onions, 2 tsp chopped garlic, 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning, and 1 cup of the sliced mushrooms to the skillet; cook until the onion is translucent and mushrooms have softened (about 5 minutes). Add 1½ cup spinach to the skillet, cooking just until spinach has wilted (about 2 minutes). You can also add sea salt/pink salt and pepper to this mixture if you desire, and/or more garlic and other seasoning to taste. Remove the vegetables from heat and set aside. Add 1½ cup marinara sauce to the skillet and stir to combine.

5.  In a medium bowl, combine 1 cup ricotta cheese, 3 eggs, and 3 Tbsp. ground flax.

6.  Finally, measure and set aside ¾ cup shredded mozzarella cheese. Assemble lasagna in an 8”x8” baking dish by layering half of the spaghetti squash, followed by half of the ricotta cheese mixture, half of the vegetable mixture, and half of the mozzarella cheese; repeat layers with the remaining ingredients.

7.  Place the baking dish in the 425°F preheated oven for 45 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling and begins to turn golden brown. Set aside to cool and turn oven off.  Try to let the lasagna cool before placing in the fridge for food safety.

**A little tip - I bake for about 35 minutes with tinfoil on the top, THEN add the topping of mozzarella and bake uncovered for the rest of the time because it will brown the cheese without drying out the lasagna. One serving is 2 green, ½ purple, 1 red, 1 blue, ½ orange, 1 tsp.  Let me know if you try this recipe and like it, or how you tweaked it to make it taste the best to you! Shine on ~