Recipe: Creamy Turkey Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

October 18, 2024RecipesRecipes: Fall & WinterRecipes: Holiday

As fall rolls into winter and temperatures start to cool, many of us crave creamy, warm, comforting foods. We also have many festivities that include meals and, oftentimes, corresponding leftovers. To help pull all these things together, we created a Creamy Turkey Stuffed Spaghetti Squash to meet our mealtime needs while also reducing food waste by using up leftover turkey!

Creamy Turkey Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 medium spaghetti squash
• 2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 block feta, 8oz
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 4 oz  baby portabella mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• 4 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 bag baby spinach, 6oz
• 2 C cooked turkey, chopped
• 1 C marinara sauce
• 1/2 tsp dried basil, divided
• 1/2 C shredded mozzarella, divided

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Slice the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and remove the seeds.  Place the spaghetti squash halves on a baking sheet, cut side up.  Drizzle each half with 1 Tbsp olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3. Cut the block of feta in half and place one half in each of the spaghetti squash wells.  Add one crushed garlic clove to each spaghetti squash well.
4. Place the spaghetti squash in the preheated oven and bake for about an hour or until the squash is tender and the feta cheese is fully melted.
5. While the spaghetti squash bakes, heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat.   Add the butter to the heated pan and allow it to melt.
6. Once butter is melted, add the mushrooms, green onion, and tomatoes. Cook until the tomatoes have burst open, about 5 minutes.
7. After the tomatoes have burst, add the spinach to the sauté pan and mix well, cooking until wilted, likely another 2 minutes.
8. Add the turkey and marinara sauce to the pan, stirring well. Allow the mixture to sit and meld while the spaghetti squash finishes cooking.
9. Once the spaghetti squash is cooked, remove it from the oven.  Carefully scoop out the contents from the spaghetti squash (using a large fork to shred into strands) and add to the spinach and tomato mixture. Stir well until well incorporated.
10. Add 1/2 of the mixture from the pan to each spaghetti squash shell.  Sprinkle each spaghetti squash with half of the dried basil.  Top each spaghetti squash with about 1/4 C of shredded mozzarella.
11. Set oven to broil.  Place the spaghetti squash back in the oven and broil for 2 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbling.
12. Take the spaghetti squash out of the oven, let it cool for about 5 minutes, then serve and enjoy!

Swaps:

• For the cooked turkey: shredded rotisserie chicken, cooked ground turkey, cooked ground beef
• For the mozzarella: plant-based shredded cheese, cheese of choice