Spaghetti Squash Lasagna in the Crock Pot

I'm kicking off the month's challenge with a DELISH recipe!  This one is adapted from a favorite recipe site, Skinnytaste.com.  I, er, added a little more cheese than she calls for in her recipe, so that's mostly what I mean when I say "adapted".  :)  I also converted it into a crock pot recipe.

To start, gather up your goodies:



First you'll need to cook your spaghetti squash.

To cook your squash, set your oven to preheat at 350.  Slice open your squash and scoop out the seeds.



Sprinkle it with some sea salt and a little pepper:



Pop it in the oven and cook away!  I cook anywhere from an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes.  I don't like my spaghetti squash to be crunchy at all.  In the end, it'll look something like this:



Use a fork to scrape out all the "spaghetti" strands.  You'll need it all for this recipe.



Next, let's discuss our sauce.



So I took a lazy shortcut this week and I don't love it, but after looking at the ingredients, I allowed myself to cheat a little.



That's pretty dang good for sauce in a jar.  No preservatives, nothing I don't know or can't pronounce.  And it was only $2.25. So I went for it and broke my rule of 5 ingredients to make this meal a little easier.  Sometimes convenience can win out!  I like making it because I think it tastes better (I'm not big on lots of spices in my sauces and this was too much) and I like to be able to use something like pure maple syrup over sugar just to make it a wee bit healthier, but you win some and you lose some.  If you are feeling more domestic than me, use your own marinara sauce.  I used the whole jar, the original recipe from Skinnytaste calls for 2 cups.

Now pour half of your jar (or a cup) of marinara sauce on the bottom of your crock pot.



Next, I added all the spaghetti squash on top of the marinara sauce (I'm using a 6 qt crock pot, for reference).



Then half of my ricotta cheese (I used a 15 oz container, so I added about 7.5 oz on top of the spaghetti squash).



And 3/4 of my mozzarella cheese.  I used an 8 oz bag, so I added about 6 oz in this layer.



Next, pour the rest of your marinara sauce on top.



And finally, the other half of your ricotta cheese (7.5 oz) and mozzarella cheese (2 oz), and 8 tsp of parmesan cheese:



I set my crock pot to low and cooked it for 2.5 hours, then switched it over to warm for another 1.5 until it was dinner time.  I honestly don't know how this would turn out if you are gone all day and leave it to cook the entire day, so tread with caution!  I could see it getting really mushy, but then again, if you have a programmable crockpot maybe just keeping it on warm for the last half of the day would be okay?



My verdict?  OH MY GOSH, YUM.  Two things: I love spaghetti squash and I despise ground beef or sausage in my lasagna.  I can't eat meat lasagna.  So this thing was right up my alley!  My son hated it (but then again he hates everything if it doesn't have banana on it or almond butter and jelly in it) and my husband wasn't the biggest fan.  He really doesn't like spaghetti squash, but I was hoping the marinara sauce would cover up the flavor enough that he wouldn't notice.  Not so much.  But he did at least eat at all.  :)

Spaghetti Squash Lasagna in the Crock Pot

Recipe Type: Entree, Crock Pot

Cuisine: Italian

Author: Chelsea

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 3 hours

Total time: 3 hours 15 mins

Serves: 4-6

A delicious spin on traditional lasagna that works great for grain-free diets!

Ingredients

• 1 jar or 2 cups of marinara sauce


• 15 oz container ricotta cheese


• 8 oz mozzarella cheese


• 1 medium spaghetti squash (you'll want about 3 cups of cooked squash, give or take a little)


• 8 tsp parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Begin by cooking your spaghetti squash. Preheat oven to 350. Cut lengthwise in half, scoop out seeds and place in a baking dish, the cut sides facing up. Cook for an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes, until squash is soft. Once done, use a fork to scrape out the "spaghetti" strands. Set aside.


2. Add half of the jar of marinara sauce to the bottom of your crockpot, or 1 cup. Add your cooked spaghetti squash on top. Add half of your ricotta cheese as the next layer and about 3/4 of your mozzarella cheese. Pour the remainder of your marinara sauce over this. Finally, add the rest of your ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese and all of the parmesan cheese. Set your crock pot to low. Cook on low for 2-3 hours or until all the cheese is melted.

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