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A delicious vegetarian recipe for Stuffed Spaghetti Squash with a Mexican twist. Black beans, corn, bell pepper, onion and cilantro, enchilada sauce and melty cheese give this spaghetti squash recipe the best flavor. Low-carb and vegan-adaptable!
This recipe for Stuffed Spaghetti Squash is packed full of healthy veggies without compromising on flavor! It’s low-carb, grain-free and vegan-adaptable. Spaghetti squash is cut in half and then roasted in the oven. Once done, mix the tender squash with a savory mixture of black beans, peppers, onion, corn, cilantro, cheese and enchilada sauce. Feel free to add ground meat, or make them completely vegan. A very adaptable recipe!
TIP: You can also turn this into a Spaghetti Squash Casserole! So hearty, flavorful and satisfying without being overly heavy.
Stuffed Spaghetti Squash | video
Stuffed Spaghetti Squash Ingredients
- Spaghetti Squash: The star of the recipe, spaghetti squash is a low-carb and nutritious alternative to traditional pasta. It has a mild flavor and when cooked, it forms spaghetti-like strands.
- Black Beans: Black beans provide a good source of plant-based protein and fiber. They add a hearty and satisfying element to the dish. Feel free to use ground meat ( ground turkey, ground beef, ground chicken) instead!
- Corn: Sweet corn adds beautiful texure to the filling. It complements the other ingredients with its natural sweetness. Use fresh or frozen corn.
- Red Bell Pepper: Red bell pepper not only adds vibrant color to the dish but also brings a refreshing and slightly sweet taste. It is packed with vitamin C and antioxidants.
- Onions and garlic: add savory depth!
- Cilantro: Cilantro brightens up the dish and enhances its overall taste.
- Enchilada Sauce: Enchilada sauce adds richness and flavor- use store-bought or make our 5-minute enchilada sauce!
- Melty Cheese: A little melty cheese adds creaminess and richness to the stuffed spaghetti squash. Use cheddar, Monterey Jack, shredded mozzarella cheese, a Mexican cheese blend or a vegan cheese alternative.
Stuffed Spaghetti Squash INstructions
Preheat the oven to 400F. Cut the spaghetti squash in half, in either direction. If you to create these upright bowls, slice a tiny bit off the bottom to create a stable base.
This way they will stand level.
Scoop out the seeds.
Place open side down on a parchment-lined sheet pan and bake until tender, about 40 minutes.
While the spaghetti squash bakes, make the savory Mexican filling. Saute onions and garlic in olive oil in a large skillet, until soft and fragrant. Add the red bell pepper and cook until just tender. Stir in the black beans, corn, spices and salt. Set aside.
Once the spaghetti squash is tender, scoop it out into a bowl.
Add the black bean and corn mixture. Stir this together with the enchilada sauce and cheese. Taste the filling, adjusting to taste.
Place the filling back into the squash half, and sprinkle with more cheese and bake until melty.
You can also scoop this filling into a baking dish and create a casserole! Great if bringing to a gathering.
Once the stuffed spaghetti squash is heated through and melty, serve!
Serving Suggestions
Serve with fresh cilantro, sour cream or avocado slices, and hot sauce! Pair this with a light salad like our Mexican Slaw!
Making ahead & Storage
The Stuffed spaghetti squash can be prepped and assembled ahead up to 48 hours, before baking and serving. Leftovers will keep up to 4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator- or can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight before reheating,
Variations
- Add Meat: Feel free to use ground meat instead of black beans: brown the ground meat with the onions and garlic. Season with the spices and salt, then add in the rest. You’ll need about ¾-1 lb ground meat ( turkey, beef, chorizo, or ground chicken). Adjust salt to taste at the end, after adding the enchilada sauce, you may need a bit more. You can make some with meat and some with black beans for mixed households.
- Create a Spaghetti squash casserole: See photos above – perfect for bringing to a potluck or gathering.
- Vegan: Feel free to leave out the cheese or add vegan cheese.
More Spaghetti Squash recipes!
Stuffed Spaghetti Squash
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 60 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Main, dinner idea
- Method: baked
- Cuisine: Mexican
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Stuffed Spaghetti Squash with black beans, corn, bell pepper, Mexican spices, enchilada sauce, melty cheese, and cilantro. Vegan-adaptable, or add ground meat if you like.
Ingredients
- 2 small spaghetti squash, cut in half
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 2–4 fresh garlic cloves- chopped
- 1 1/2 cups corn, fresh or frozen
- 1 red bell pepper – diced
- 1 1/2 cups cooked black beans ( 14-ounce can rinsed and drained) or sub browned ground meat, turkey chorizo, or leftover or baked chicken breast )
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon coriander
- 1 tablespoon fresh jalapeno, or 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup enchilada sauce , more to taste.
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish
- 1/2–1 cup shredded cheese- Mexican cheese blend, cheddar, mozzarella, or vegan cheese
- Garnish: cilantro, sour cream or sliced avocado, hot sauce
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 425 F
- Cut spaghetti squash in half, and scrape out seeds. If cutting in half horizontally, create a stable base by slicing of a little of the ends, so they stand upright, creating a “bowl”(or fee free to cut vertically).
- Place on a parchment lined or greased baking sheet, cut-side, faced down, and place in the hot oven for 40 minutes until fork tender.
- While they are roasting, make the filling. Saute onion in a skillet with the olive oil, on medium-high heat, stirring, for two minutes. Add garlic, turn heat to medium and sauté for 3-4 minutes until garlic becomes fragrant and golden. Turn heat to medium-low, add red bell pepper and jalapeno if using, stir occasionally for 5 minutes. Add beans, corn spices, salt and enchilada sauce and bring to a simmer. Turn heat off and stir in cilantro. The mixture will seem salty, but remember you will be mixing this with under-seasoned spaghetti squash, so the salt will disappear.
- When spaghetti squash is tender, carefully, using a fork, fluff and stir the inside of the squash, scraping it away from the sides. Place it in a bowl and mix with the black bean filling. Add more enchilada sauce to taste and mix in some cheese. Adjust salt and heat to taste.
- Divide the filling among the four shells, top with a little more cheese if you like and return the stuffed squash into a 375F oven and bake for 15- 20 minutes, until heated through and cheese is melted. *Alternatively, you can pour the filling into a greased baking dish, top with cheese and bake it as a casserole.
- Garnish with cilantro, avocado or sour cream, and hot sauce.
Notes
These can be made up to 48 hours ahead, refrigerate, let come to room temp before baking. Internal temp should reach 140F
If adding ground meat instead of black beans, brown the ground meat with the onions and garlic. Season with the spices and salt, then add in the rest. You’ll need about ¾-1 lb. Adjust salt to taste at the end, after adding the enchilada sauce, you may need a bit more.
You can make some with meat and some with black beans for mixed households.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ½ a squash, mounded
- Calories: 473
- Sugar: 12.9 g
- Sodium: 1111.6 mg
- Fat: 17.7 g
- Saturated Fat: 6.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 65.3 g
- Fiber: 13.2 g
- Protein: 20.7 g
- Cholesterol: 26.6 mg
Keywords: stuffed spaghetti squash, spaghetti squash casserole, mexican spaghetti squash, twice baked spaghetti squash, baked spaghetti squash,
Excellent! I made a casserole version. typically my husband does not eat squash, but he said that it was delicious! You never let me down Sylvia!
That is a good idea! So glad you both enjoyed Lynne!
wonderful recipe. first great thing was the cutting the squash accross the middle instead of length wise–so much easier, and I like the look of it when done. I did the version with just black beans and kept it vegetarian. I cut back a bit on the seasonings as I had made my own enchilada sauce that I keep in the freezer and it is well seasoned already. I used 3/4 cup sauce, but otherwise followed recipe. A favorite! Thank you
★★★★★
Thanks so much and happy you enjoyed this!
Quick and flavorful! I used half a can of green enchilada sauce and cooked the spaghetti squash in the instant pot to speed things up.
★★★★★
Perfect- love the green enchilada sauce!
This is a delicious recipe! Made it exactly as recipe calls. So good.
★★★★★
Glad you enjoyed this!
I made this as a casserole rather than put the filling back into the squash boats. That way I could add layers of cheese! I made the 5-minute enchilada sauce, which is so easy and delicious and gives you leftovers! I added more sauce to my casserole. This was a great use of spaghetti squash and an easy, quick vegetarian dinner.
★★★★★
Yum- love this idea Amanda- brilliant!
Easy to put together. Tons of flavor!
★★★★★
Great to hear!
We loved this dish! Not easy to make a veg the star of the dish for this pair of carnivores but this was delicious! I served it with mashed avocado, plain yogurt and tostada chips! Next time I’ll add diced tomatoes to the mix but this is one beautiful veggie dinner!
★★★★★
This was delicious! We’ve made it twice in the last couple of weeks! Thank you!
★★★★★
This was excellent. The cheese really made it come together. Such a great presentation too! I will make it again. Thank you, Sylvia!
★★★★★