Meatball Stuffed Spaghetti Squash is one of my favorite spaghetti squash recipes.
In-season (therefore inexpensive) squash, homemade turkey meatballs, marinara sauce, and melted mozzarella cheese. I also add charred red bell peppers, but that's just me.
Honestly, this stuffed spaghetti squash is so much fun because it's a take on two things in one: spaghetti-and-meatballs and a meatball sub.
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How to Make Gluten Free Italian Turkey Meatballs:
Ground turkey is my go-to for meatballs since it's full of flavor without all of the grease. Feel free to substitute the meatballs for your favorite recipe, or even use already made frozen meatballs.
- Combine the ground turkey, seasonings, and Parmesan cheese in a large mixing bowl. Stir until evenly distributed. Add in the egg and breadcrumbs; stir until just combined.
- Measure 2 tbsp. of the mixture per meatball. Roll it into a ball using the palms of your hands. Place on a nonstick or greased baking sheet as you make each meatball. This is just a place for them to rest since rolling meatballs can be time-consuming.
- Heat a cast iron skillet or nonstick pan on the stove-top over medium. Add a pat of butter. Brown meatballs in a pan on each side. Tip: Work in batches as not to crowd the pan.
- Preheat oven to 400 F. Place all meatballs back in the pan or on a clean cookie sheet. Bake until completely cooked through, a meat thermometer should read 165. *You will be baking the meatballs at the same time as the spaghetti squash halves are baking.*
To cut down on steps, you can skip browning the meatballs and just bake them if you want. Just note that the meatballs won't have a pretty golden exterior or texture.
How to Roast Spaghetti Squash:
Roasting spaghetti squash is actually really simple.
By far, the hardest part is cutting the dang thing open. The good news? It's not as tough as cutting into a butternut squash. Please be careful when cutting the spaghetti squash in half - use a sharpened knife. never dull, and always apply pressure to the knife in a direction going away from yourself.
Keep reading for some helpful tips on cutting and roasting a spaghetti squash.
How to Cut Open a Spaghetti Squash:
- Cut off the stem and the bottom of the squash so that both sides are flat.
- Place the squash on one of the flat ends so that it's standing up vertically. It should not be wobbly.
- Slice in half using a sharp knife. Your knife should be slicing from the tallest end of the squash down to the cutting board.
- Once cut in half, scoop out the seeds with a spoon.
How to Roast a Spaghetti Squash:
- Preheat the oven to 400 F. Prepare a large sheet pan with parchment paper or nonstick cooking spray; set aside.
- Cut the spaghetti squash in half length-wise and scrape the seeds out with a spoon. Liberally drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Place the squash halves cut-side down on the prepared sheet pan.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until fork tender. Avoid piercing the outside rind of the spaghetti squash as this will become our "bowl" that holds the meatball sub fillings.
- Remove the squash from the oven and flip the halves right-side up. Use a fork to fluff the inside of the squash, forming a bed of "spaghetti".
To Assemble the Meatball Stuffed Spaghetti Squash:
- Spoon the marinara sauce into each spaghetti squash half.
- (Optional) Place the charred red bell peppers on top of the sauce.
- Pile on top the meatballs, adding an even amount to each spaghetti squash half.
- Spoon over additional marinara sauce, coating the meatballs.
- Place slices of fresh mozzarella over top of the meatballs.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes until everything is warmed through and the cheese is melted.
- Remove from oven and garnish with fresh chopped parsley for color.
- Enjoy!
Yum!
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Meatball Stuffed Spaghetti Squash
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Equipment
Ingredients
For the Italian Turkey Meatballs:
- 1 lb ground turkey
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoon gluten free unseasoned breadcrumbs I use 4C Foods
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoon freshly chopped parsley
- 2 tsp Italian seasonings
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- (optional) dash of seasonal or seasoned salt
For the Spaghetti Squash:
- 2 medium-sized spaghetti squash (halved, equals 4 halves/servings)
- 1 (optional) red bell pepper sliced
- 1 can pizza sauce or marinara sauce
- 16 oz. fresh mozzarella sliced
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- salt and pepper
- (optional) fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
For the Spaghetti Squash:
- Preheat the oven to 400 F. Prepare a large sheet pan with parchment paper or nonstick cooking spray; set aside.
- Cut the spaghetti squash in half length-wise and scrape the seeds out with a spoon. Liberally drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Place the squash halves cut-side down on the prepared sheet pan.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until fork tender. Avoid piercing the outside rind of the spaghetti squash as this will become our "bowl" that holds the meatball sub fillings.
For the Italian Turkey Meatballs:
- Meanwhile, combine the ground turkey, seasonings, and Parmesan cheese in a large mixing bowl. Stir until evenly distributed. Add in the egg and breadcrumbs, and stir until just combined.
- Roll into meatballs (about 2 tablespoon per meatball) using the palms of your hands. As you roll the meatballs, space them apart on a piece of parchment paper to rest.
- Heat a cast iron skillet or non-stick frying pan on the stove-top over medium heat along with a tablespoon of cooking oil. Once shiny and hot, add the meatballs. You may need to do this in batches to prevent crowding the pan. Brown on all sides, about 4 minutes a side. Remove to a plate, and repeat with any remaining batches. Set aside.
- (Optional) Char a red bell pepper in a pan over the hot burner on the stove-top. Set aside.
To Assemble the Stuffed Spaghetti Squash:
- Remove the squash from the oven and flip the halves right-side up. Use a fork to fluff the inside of the squash, forming a bed of "spaghetti".
- Spoon the marinara sauce into each spaghetti squash half.
- (Optional) Place the charred red bell peppers on top of the sauce.
- Pile on top the meatballs, adding an even amount to each spaghetti squash half.
- Spoon over additional marinara sauce, coating the meatballs.
- Place slices of fresh mozzarella over top of the meatballs.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes until everything is warmed through and the cheese is melted.
- Remove from oven and garnish with fresh chopped parsley for color.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Cut off the stem and the bottom of the squash so that both sides are flat.
- Place the squash on one of the flat ends so that it's standing up vertically. It should not be wobbly.
- Slice in half length-wise using a sharp knife. Your knife should be slicing from the tallest end of the squash down to the cutting board.
- Once cut in half, scoop out the seeds with a spoon.
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