Healthy Waists, Healthy Wallets: Sausage and Greens Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

Fall can be the cruelest month in North Texas.

We all want to be enjoying warm, spiced drinks while wearing our cozy sweaters and boots, but we’re gulping ice water and wearing as little as possible to avoid spontaneous combustion. We want hearty soups and stews that bubble away on the stovetop, making the whole house smell delicious, but it’s just too hot for soups and stews.

I came up with this recipe to try to bring some flavors of fall into a healthy meal for my family. It’s a way I can get some vegetables into them, while making a meal for four for under $20. Fortunately, they like it. I hope you will, too.

Spaghetti Squash with Sausage and Greens

Ingredients

For the squash

1 large spaghetti squash, halved and seeded
1 tablespoon olive oil (if roasting, see below)
salt and freshly ground pepper

For the stuffing

1 package Jimmy Dean All Natural Breakfast Sausage (this stuff is great – far less fat than the regular stuff with lots of flavor)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
1 10-ounce bag greens (spinach, collards, country blend – I prefer the country blend for more flavor)
¼ teaspoon each dried thyme, ground sage, and dried rosemary
¼ to ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 6-ounce bag shredded Parmesan & Romano (divided use)

Directions

To prepare the squash

If roasting the squash, preheat the oven to 400°. Rub the cut surfaces of the squash with the olive oil and season with the salt and pepper. Place the squash, cut sides down, on a foil or parchment paper-lined baking sheet and roast for approximately 30 minutes or until the squash is soft enough to be pierced with a fork.

If microwaving the squash (I mean, who wants to heat up the kitchen with the oven?), season the cut surfaces of the squash with salt and pepper and place, cut side down, on a microwave safe dish or plate. Add about ½ an inch of water to the bottom of the dish or plate to help steam the squash. Microwave on high for approximately 12 minutes, or until the squash is soft enough to be pierce with a fork. (Microwaves vary in cooking power, so start checking at about 8 minutes.)

For the stuffing

While the squash is cooking, prepare the stuffing.

In a large skillet or sauté pan over medium-low heat, brown the sausage. Once it’s crumbled and no pink remains, add the olive oil and onions to the sausage and sauté until the onions are translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for about a minute.

Add the greens, the herbs, and the salt and pepper to the sausage mixture. Stir to combine and cover the pan to allow the greens to wilt. Once the greens are wilted, remove from the heat.

To assemble

Regardless of how you’ve cooked the squash, allow it to cool until it is able to be handled.

If you’ve microwaved the squash, be sure to preheat the oven to 400°.

Just before you stuff the squash, stir in half the cheese into the stuffing mix. Place the squash halves, cut side up, on a foil or parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Divide the stuffing between each squash half and top with the remaining cheese. Bake the squash halves for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until the stuffing is warmed through and the cheese is melted. Serves 4.