Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour, 5 mins
2 small spaghetti squash 1 tbsp olive oil salt and pepper 1 lb italian sausage 1 lb ground beef 1 medium sweet onion, diced 4 cloves garlic 6-oz can tomato paste 28 oz crushed tomatoes 2 tsp italian seasoning 2 tbsp chopped basil, divided 2 c ricotta cheese 2 c shredded mozzarella cheese ½ c parmesan cheese
PRO TIP! This casserole works best with "dry" squash noodles - that means roast, don't steam, for best results.
Brown Meat. Saute ground beef and italian sausage with diced onion until the meat is no longer pink and the onion is soft.
Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Then add the tomato paste and work into the meat mixture until evenly mixed.
Add tomatoes, italian seasoning, and salt. Give everything a good stir, then simmer 20 minutes.
Roast Squash. Roast the spaghetti squash until soft and caramelized around the edges. Remove the squash "noodles" with the tines of a fork.
Stir the spaghetti squash and half the chopped basil into the meat sauce.
Mix half the mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, and ricotta cheese in a bowl until well combined.
Layer the casserole. Arrange 1/3 of the meat/squash mixture in a casserole dish. Top with half the cheese mixture. Add another third of the meat mixture, then top with the rest of the cheese mixture.
Place the final third of the meat mixture on top, then sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella cheese.
Bake in a 400°F oven until the cheese melts and the casserole is bubbling (20-25 minutes).
Garnish liberally with chopped basil and serve warm.