This sweet sausage sauce tossed in shredded spaghetti squash, and topped with creamy ricotta, is knock your socks off good!
Did you guys take advantage of all the major sales in the past week?! I definitely knocked out some Christmas shopping. But I have this huge problem, (& I know I’m not alone in this), my shopping kind of goes like this “something for my husband, something for me. one thing for my friend, three things for me..” catch my drift? How do you NOT shop for yourself?!
I buy lots of things for myself, then I just tell my husband he can wrap it up and give it to me for Christmas, but thennnn I want to use it right away. I’m super impatient, clearly. But! As much as I love shopping for myself, I looove buying gifts and giving them to people. Getting someone something special, or something they wouldn’t normally buy for themselves, is such a great feeling. This really is my most favorite time of year.
It’s officially Decmember 1st, which meanssss only 25 days until Christmas (duh). We usually don’t decorated for Christmas until the day after thanksgiving, however this year I got the itch really early, (& I really wanted to prolong the season, it goes way to quickly!) and we ended up doing it the weekend after Halloween. and I LOVE IT! Don’t you just love your house decorated this time of year? It’s like your house gets to play dress up to!
So after a food filled weekend, I figured maybe a little bit of a lighter dinner would do us all some good! I mean, we’ve still got to eat in between all the cookies and cakes this season!
I love spaghetti squash as a substitute for pasta, and thank heavens, my kids love it too! It’s such a great way to get in some extra veggies. Plus a sausage meat sauce, my absolute favorite kind! And guys, this one is goooood. It’s standing-over-the-stove-eating-it-with-a-spoon, good. The tossed with shredded spaghetti squash, and finished with some bubbling melted cheese, and you’ve got a serious knock your socks off dinner! Enjoy!
This sweet sausage sauce tossed in shredded spaghetti squash, and topped with creamy ricotta, is knock your socks off good!
Ingredients
- 2 TB olive oil, divided
- 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 19 ounces sweet sausage, casings removed
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 28 ounces crushed tomatoes
- 1/4-1/2 cup freshly shredded parmesan
- 1-2 cups ricotta cheese
- 1 spaghetti squash, cut in half, seeds removed
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400°. Place spaghetti squash, cut side up, on a baking sheet. Rub with 1TB olive oil, and sprinkle with some salt and pepper. Bake for 45-50 minutes, until fork tender. Remove from oven and set aside to slightly cool.
- While the squash is in the oven, heat the remaining olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, add the onion, garlic cloves, and sweet sausage. As the sausage cooks, continue to break it up using a wooden spoon really well, until it looks like ground meat.
- Once the meat is fully cooked, stir in the oregano, red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, and salt. Make room in the center of the skillet by pushing the contents to the edges, and add the balsamic vinegar. Let it bubble up for about 30 seconds before stirring everything together.
- Stir in the crushed tomatoes and bring everything to a simmer. Simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the squash is removed from the oven.
- Heat oven to 350°, using a fork, shred the spaghetti squash and transfer into a large baking dish. Pour the sauce over the squash, and stir everything together evenly. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Drop large spoonful's of ricotta across the top, then pop in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, until the ricotta starts to turn a golden brown and the sauce is bubbling. Serve and enjoy!