First time making my own red wine sauce was a huge success— thanking my Italian ancestors for that intuition in the kitchen!
This spaghetti squash bake is so satisfying and flavorful. the sauce is rich and delicious, and so are the smells that will fill your home! The ultimate comfort food meal.
So good for a weeknight staple, or a healthy sunday pasta craving! it’s gluten free and dairy free (I used a vegan mozarella for the top, but you could totally use regular!
I use grass fed beef for this sauce to ensure the animal sources for the meat was healthy, keeping this dish healthy and light. Paying attention to where my meat comes from is so important to me- it makes a big difference in our health if we choose to eat meat by choosing meat that is of the highest quality.
This will definitely be a staple at home for me now. I just can’t get over the flavor of the sauce. You can definitely use this sauce for any dish and skip the spaghetti squash part! It’s super versatile.
Can’t wait for you guys to get cooking with this one! Enjoy xx
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- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 3–4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
Description
An easy weeknight staple: simple red wine meat sauce goes into a deliciously light yet hearty spaghetti squash bake!
Ingredients
- 1 spaghetti squash, precooked and shredded with a fork
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/4 of a yellow onion, finely diced
- 2 large carrots, diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 1 lb grass fed beef
- 1 tbsp italian seasoning
- 1– 24 oz jar marinara sauce
- 1/2 cup dry red wine
- mozzarella, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Start by prepping the spaghetti squash by slicing in half, drizzling with olive oil, and roasting at 400°F until tender, about 35-45 minutes. Once tender and slightly cooled, shred with a fork. Start making the sauce while the spaghetti squash is roasting.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. add oil to the pan, reduce heat and add garlic and onion. saute until onion is soft and transparent, about 3-5 minutes.
- Turn heat back up to medium, then add carrot and celery to pan. saute until veggies are softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add grass fed beef and italian seasoning to pan, breaking up beef with a spatula. cook until beef is cooked through and no longer pink, 7-10 minutes.
- Reduce heat to medium-low, add marinara sauce to pan and stir. allow to simmer on low for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in the red wine and allow to simmer for another 10 minutes (this will cook off all of the alcohol from the wine).
- Layer a 9-inch baking dish with half of the sauce, then the spaghetti squash, and then the rest of the sauce. top with sliced mozzarella and return to oven at 400°F until cheese is melty, about 7-10 minutes. once melty, turn broiler on to brown the cheese for 2-4 minutes (keep a close eye on it as it can burn quickly). Serve and enjoy!
Tori Hails
I am obsessed and have made this once a week since Mia posted it! I even made it for one of my friends who doesn’t eat meat. I just loaded veggies into and made the chicken sausage on the side. I put zucchini, mushrooms, and bell pepper into it.
★★★★★
Jamie
Made this recipe with my boyfriend since one of his New Year’s resolutions was to learn how to cook, plus he’s a picky eater. I had him cut and shred the spaghetti squash while I made the sauce. He enjoyed the recipe and wants to make another spaghetti squash dish! Next time, I’ll load it up with more veggies like another commenter mentioned to make it even heartier.
★★★★★
MarthaB
We made this for lunch prep for the week, it feels so cozy and like comfort food without being too heavy! So yummy and soo easy!
★★★★★
Mia Zarlengo
Yay! So glad you love it. This is so good for meal prep!! Thanks Martha 🙂
Sara Kinney
This is such an amazing, simple, healthy, and hearty recipe! I love making the meat sauce with zoodles as well. Mia, have you ever tried freezing the spaghetti squash bake? I accidentally made way too much and don’t want it to go to waste! Let me know if you think it would freeze well 🙂
★★★★★
Natalie Schalk
This meal is restaurant worthy! Will definitely be making it again! Goes well with a glass of wine leftover from the sauce! 🙂
★★★★★