Cheesy Spaghetti Squash Casserole

I had a recipe for a 4-cheese baked spaghetti squash that I really liked, but it was hard to eat. It was baked in the shell of the squash, and then mixed together after baking. I wanted to try it as a casserole, and after a few tries, this is what I came up with.

• Preparation Time: 35 mins
• Cooking Time: 1 hr 15 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 50 mins
• Calories: 517 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups shredded Cheddar cheese
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 ½ cups grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 pound ground pork sausage
• 1 ½ teaspoons dried basil
• 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
• nonstick cooking spray
• 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided, or as needed
• 1 (16 ounce) package sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1 ½ cups whipping cream
• 1 medium jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground thyme
• 2 tablespoons chicken soup base (such as Better than Bouillon®)
• ¼ teaspoon garlic pepper seasoning
• 1 ½ teaspoons fennel seeds
• 1 (3 pound) spaghetti squash, halved and seeded
• 1 pound unsweetened or original Almond Breeze almond milk
• 1 bulb garlic, cloves peeled and minced

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Step 2

Brush the squash flesh with 1 tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle 1/8 teaspoon garlic-pepper over top; rub the edges and insides to make sure it's distributed evenly. Place on a baking sheet.

Step 3

Bake in the preheated oven until tender when pierced with a fork, 45 to 60 minutes.

Step 4

Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large cast iron pan over low heat. Add mushrooms, onion, and jalapeno and cook, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes. Add garlic and cook for about 10 more minutes. Move everything to the outside edges of the pan; add sausage, fennel seeds, salt, and pepper to the center. Cook and stir until pork is browned, crumbly, and no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Fold in the broccoli and remove from the heat.

Step 5

Remove squash from the oven and set aside to cool a bit. Leave the oven on.

Step 6

Mix chicken base, oregano, thyme, and basil together in a large bowl. Add Parmesan cheese and mix thoroughly. Add Cheddar and mozzarella and mix until well combined; it may be a little clumpy, but as long as it's only small clumps, that's okay.

Step 7

Shred squash flesh onto a sheet pan; use an oven mitt to hold it if it's still too hot. Toss with remaining garlic-pepper and season with salt and pepper if you want to. (Just remember the chicken base has a fair amount of salt in it already.)

Step 8

Spray an 11x13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray. Spread 1/2 of the shredded squash evenly over the bottom of the dish and top with 1/2 of the pork-vegetable mixture. Repeat for a second layer. Pour cream over the entire dish.

Step 9

Bake, uncovered, in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.