Spaghetti Squash Casserole

SPAGHETTI SQUASH CASSEROLE😍

Anyone else been pretending calories don’t count while quarantined?? Yeah same. For when you want comfort food but don’t wanna gain the COVID-19 lol The sauce alone is SO creamy I could eat for 17 days straight, but topped with burrata too??? Yeah a dream. You’re gonna wanna make this ASAP!

Tips:

• The sauce will likely make more than what you need for the casserole, so add a bit of sauce to the squash at a time until just covered, then store the rest of the sauce and use on pasta or zoodles/spaghetti squash throughout the week.

• You will also not use all the olive oil from the confit in the sauce, but it keeps for a long time. Use to drizzle into soups, salads, anything you would usually put olive oil in and want a slight tomato taste to.

• Since the sauce and spaghetti squash cook at different temperatures, I like to cook the tomato confit a day or two before and store in a jar until ready for use.

Serves 3-4.

Ingredients:

For the Tomato Confit Sauce:

• 3 cups cherry tomatoes (I love using half cherry tomatoes, half sugar plum tomatoes)

• 1.5 cups olive oil

• 8 whole cloves garlic + 2 cloves minced garlic

• 5 basil leaves

• 2 tbsps tomato paste

• 2 garlic cloves minced

• Salt to taste

For the Spaghetti Squash Casserole:

• 1 medium spaghetti squash (about 3 cups)

• 1 ball burrata (optional - omit for dairy free)

• ½ cup cherry tomatoes (optional)

• ½ cup chopped fresh basil

• Parmesan cheese for serving (optional - omit for dairy free)

Directions:

For the Tomato Confit: 

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

• Add the olive oil, cherry tomatoes, whole garlic cloves, basil, and a pinch of salt to a large baking dish.

• Bake for 30 minutes until bubbly.

• Let cool slightly, then transfer the tomatoes, garlic, basil, and 1-2 tbsps of the leftover olive oil to a blender. Blend until smooth, adding additional olive oil if needed.

• Heat a high sided skillet to medium heat and add in 1 tbsp of the leftover olive oil.

• Add in minced garlic and tomato paste and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently.

• Pour in the tomato sauce from the blender and stir, cooking for 2-3 minutes until well combined.

For the Spaghetti Squash Casserole:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Cut the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds.

• Drizzle with a little olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper and lay cut side down on a sheetpan.

• Roast for 25-35 minutes depending on the size of the squash. You want to bake it until just tender, not mushy as it will bake again. Use a fork to separate the squash into strands.

• In an ovenproof skillet or baking dish, add the spaghetti squash strands with a few ladles of sauce and mix through. If doing dairy-free, stop here and serve!

• Tear the burrata into pieces and place on top. Scatter a few cherry tomatoes and broil for 3-4 minutes until the cheese has melted.

• Top with basil and parmesan cheese and enjoy!