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Baked Spaghetti Squash with Turkey Meatballs, Spinach & Mozzarella
Spaghetti squash is not pretending to be pasta here. Roasted hard until the edges caramelize, it goes nutty and keeps a slight bite under the sauce. The sauce is built from a can of tomatoes in ten minutes, which is the only reliable way to know what is in it. Almond flour binds the meatballs.
Total Time
1 hour 15 mins
Baked Spaghetti Squash with Turkey Meatballs, Spinach & Mozzarella
Recipe Card
Baked Spaghetti Squash with Turkey Meatballs, Spinach & Mozzarella
Method: Baked·Cuisine: Italian-American
Total Time
1 hour 15 mins
Best Season
Fall and winter
Ingredients
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1 large spaghetti squash (about 3 lb)
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2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
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1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, divided
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1/2 medium yellow onion, finely diced
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4 garlic cloves, minced
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2 tablespoons tomato paste
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1 can (15 oz) crushed tomatoes, no salt added
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1 teaspoon dried oregano
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1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
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1 lb ground turkey, 93% lean
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1 large egg
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1/4 cup almond flour
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1/4 cup grated Parmesan
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2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
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5 oz baby spinach (about 5 packed cups)
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1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella (about 4 oz)
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For serving: torn basil and extra red pepper flakes
Instructions
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1
Heat the oven to 425°F. Halve the squash lengthwise, scrape out the seeds, rub the cut sides with 1 tablespoon of the oil and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt, and lay them cut-side down on a sheet pan. Roast 35 to 40 minutes, until a knife slides into the skin with no resistance and the cut edges have browned. Let it cool until you can hold it, then drag a fork through to pull out the strands.
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2
While the squash roasts, warm the remaining tablespoon of oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook the onion 5 minutes, until translucent, then add the garlic and tomato paste and stir constantly for 90 seconds, until the paste darkens from bright red to brick and stops smelling raw. That step is where the sauce gets its depth, and it is the one people skip.
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3
Add the crushed tomatoes, oregano, red pepper flakes and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Simmer 10 to 12 minutes, until it thickens enough to coat a spoon. Stir in the spinach in handfuls until wilted.
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4
Mix the turkey, egg, almond flour, Parmesan and parsley with your hands until just combined, stopping as soon as it holds together; worked any longer, the meatballs turn dense. Roll 16 balls about 1 1/4 inches across and brown them in a dry nonstick skillet over medium-high, 5 to 6 minutes total, turning until seared on several sides. They will not be cooked through.
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5
Squeeze the squash strands gently in a clean towel to shed the excess water, then spread them in a 9x13 dish. Spoon over half the sauce, nestle in the meatballs, add the rest of the sauce and scatter the mozzarella across the top. Bake 20 minutes, until the cheese is molten and browning in patches and a meatball cut in half shows no pink. Finish with basil.
Meal Prep Tip
Keeps 4 days and reheats well at 350°F. Squash sheds water as it sits, so pour off any liquid that pools before reheating, and expect the second-day texture to be a little softer than the first.
Make It Yours
Dairy-free
Skip the mozzarella and Parmesan and add 3 tablespoons of nutritional yeast to the meatball mix. Costs about 9 g of protein and 275 mg of sodium per serving, and you lose the browned top, so finish under the broiler with a drizzle of oil.
Nut-free
Use 1/4 cup of rolled oats pulsed fine in place of the almond flour. Adds roughly 4 g net carbs per serving and binds slightly more firmly, so go easy when you mix.
Plant-based
Swap the turkey for 1 lb of cooked brown lentils bound with 2 tablespoons of ground flax and a little more almond flour. Protein lands near 22 g per serving rather than 38 g, and fiber climbs by about 6 g.
Faster
Microwave the halved squash cut-side down in an inch of water for 12 minutes instead of roasting. You lose the caramelized edges and the strands come out wetter, so squeeze them harder before assembling.
Lower-sodium
Use unsalted Parmesan-style cheese and cut the added salt to 1/4 teaspoon total. Saves around 200 mg per serving; add a splash of red wine vinegar to the sauce so it still tastes seasoned.
Heartier
Serve over the squash with a slice of seeded bread to mop the sauce, or stretch the meatballs to 1 1/4 lb of turkey. The extra meat adds about 55 calories and 7 g of protein per serving with no carbohydrate.
Nutrition
Per serving — estimate, excluding the basil and extra pepper flakes for serving. Sugars are naturally occurring, from the squash and tomatoes; none is added.
Calories
500
Net Carbs
19g
Total Carbs
26g
Fiber
7g
Total Sugars
11g
Added Sugar
0g
Protein
38g
Fat
26g
Saturated Fat
6g
Sodium
650mg
Nutrition pending review by our registered dietitian — estimate only. Not medical advice.
Keywords
DinnerHigh ProteinBakedSpaghetti SquashHigh FiberMediterranean
Besides Sugar
Besides Sugar: Added Sugar Hides in Savory Jars
Most supermarket pasta sauces carry added sugar, often 6 to 12 grams a half cup, and none of it announces itself in a savory dish. Building the sauce from tomato paste and crushed tomatoes takes about twelve minutes and takes that variable off the table entirely. There is no added sugar in this pan at all.
About Prediabetes Mastermind
Prediabetes Mastermind builds practical, science-backed tools for reversing and managing prediabetes — meal frameworks, recipes, and plans verified by a registered dietitian. We treat prediabetes as a condition worth taking seriously, and we focus on what you can do, not what to fear.
These recipes and their nutrition figures are pending review by our registered dietitian. Nutritional information is an estimate and not medical advice; consult your healthcare provider about your individual plan, especially if you take glucose-lowering medication.
