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–+ servings

Spaghetti Squash Bolognese

Two bowls of homemade spaghetti squash bolognese topped with torn fresh basil leaves.
Spaghetti squash bolognese has a flavorful, meaty bolognese sauce served over roasted spaghetti squash noodles. This delicious dinner recipe is gluten free and dairy free.
Author: Lindsey Jenkins
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 4 - 6 people

Ingredients
 

  • 1 large or 2 small spaghetti squash total should be around 4 pounds, seeds removed and cut in half
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow or white onion diced
  • 2 stalks celery diced
  • 2 large carrots peeled and diced
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 pound ground Italian sausage mild or spicy depending on preference
  • 1 cup red wine
  • ¾ cup milk of choice I used oat milk
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 3 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 teaspoon diamond crystal kosher salt start with ½ teaspoon if using anything else and add more to taste
  • freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • fresh basil leaves for garnish

Instructions

  • Cook aromatics. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add in the diced onion, celery, and carrot. Saute for 4-5 minutes or until the onions are translucent, stirring occasionally. Stir in the minced garlic and cook for an additional minute.
  • Brown meat. Add the ground sausage and break it up with a spatula. Cook until browned and no pink remains.
  • Reduce liquids. Add the wine and simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes, or until it has evaporated. Add in the milk of choice and simmer uncovered until evaporated. If it’s taking too long, bump it up to medium-high heat.
  • Simmer. Add Italian seasoning, tomato paste, crushed tomatoes with juice, bay leaf, and a teaspoon of kosher salt. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes until the sauce has thickened, stirring occasionally. Remove the bay leaf and season to taste with more kosher salt as needed and freshly cracked black pepper.
  • Preheat oven to 400ºF/200ºC.
  • Bake squash. While the sauce simmers, place the spaghetti squash halves cut-side down on an oiled baking sheet or one lined with parchment paper. Bake for 25-30 minutes. The skin should give slightly when you press on it. Carefully flip the halves over to let the steam escape for a few minutes.
  • Create the 'spaghetti'. Use a fork to scrape each squash half to create the spaghetti-like strands.
  • Combine. Add the spaghetti squash noodles to the bottom of each bowl followed by a few spoonfuls of the bolognese on top. Garnish with fresh basil if desired. Enjoy!

Notes

See the blog post for helpful tips, storage, and recipe FAQs.

Make It Your Way: Substitutions & Variations

No ground sausage? – you can use any type of ground meat such as ground beef or ground chicken, just make sure to season it more since Italian sausage is well-seasoned.
No red wine? – you can also use dry white wine or beef broth.
No crushed tomatoes? – you can also use whole peeled tomatoes and crush them with your hands into the pot. Otherwise, diced or chopped tomatoes will also work. Whatever you use, don't drain them as it helps create the pasta sauce.
Add-ins - diced mushrooms into the sauce for more veggies, red pepper flakes for bit of heat, or full fat coconut milk as a heavy cream replacement added at the end of the cooking time for more of a pink sauce.