Spaghetti Squash with Sausage, Broccoli Rabe and Cheese

Spaghetti Squash with Sausage, Broccoli Rabe and Cheese
Chef's notes

Mention spaghetti squash as a substitute for pasta to an Italian guy and universally expect an answer like "are you nuts". The word substitute is what crushes the suggestion. Absolutely NOTHING can really substitute for traditional pasta. However, offering flavorful and delicious meat, vegetable and cheese dishes (that just happened to be blended and topped onto spaghetti squash) will encourage a try. View the first recipe as a starting point for technique and proportions then get creative. 

Basic Preparation 

Preparing spaghetti squash begins by halving them lengthwise. Raw spaghetti squash is hard throughout making them very difficult and dangerous to split without softening first. I’m revising this tab to only show the safer microwave technique.

Place the whole squash in the microwave on high. Its heat will penetrate and soften its skin and pulp enough significantly help cut through much easier. Begin testing with a folk after 5 minutes to judge if it can be cut through relatively easy. If more time is needed, microwave in one minute increments until ready.

Once halved, discard seeds. Generously brush the insides and skin with olive oil. Sprinkle the insides with Tuscany or your favorite seasoning. Place them on an aluminum foil covered cookie sheet, cut sides down. Bake squash at 375° non-convection until the pulp is soft enough to detach when scraped with a fork. 

When cool enough to work with, scrape their pulp creating their characteristic "spaghetti" texture. Reserve the pulp in a bowl. Save their skins.

Spaghetti Squash with Sausage, Broccoli Rabe and Cheese

Broccoli Rabi is combined with sausage, cream, shredded and parmigiana cheeses and is placed on a bed of flavored spaghetti squash. They are baked and served in their original shells. These are a surprising treat especially if new to spaghetti squash.

This recipe will generously fill 2 larger squash, 4 filled halves, or 3 smaller serving 6.

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Spaghetti Squash with Sausage, Broccoli Rabe and Cheese

Ingredients

  • 3 small to medium whole spaghetti squash, cooked and pulp extracted (Preparation above)
  • 1 head of broccoli rabe
  • 1 small can chicken broth
  • 5 mild Italian sausages
  • 1-8 oz. package cream cheese
  • 1 cup shredded Italian cheeses
  • 1/4 cup parmigiana cheese plus more to sprinkle
  • 2 tablespoons seasoned Italian style bread crumbs

Substitutions and/or additions: 

  • Use ground sausages meat or cubed chicken
  • For a lighter version, substitute turkey sausages, fat free cream cheese and fat free mozzarella for Italian cheese blend.
  • For additional flavor, replace plain olive oil with the oil from Peter's Garlic Oil and add pan roasted garlic to the broccoli rabbi.

Instructions

  1. Please refer to the preparation above. While the spaghetti squash is still hot, mix with half of the cream cheese, shredded cheese and graded parmigiana.

  2. Discard about an inch of the rabe stems. Chop rabe into 1 inch pieces. Place the contents of the can of chicken broth in larger pot. When boiling, add the broccoli rabe. Cook until it begins to soften, about 3 minutes. Remove the rabe with a slotted spoon. Lower the heat to medium.

  3. Add the Italian sausages to the remaining chicken broth in the pot. Rotate the sausages as sides brown. When the broth evaporates, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. When sausages are just cooked through, remove them.

  4. Add rabe and stir with the remaining cream cheese. Remove from heat when the cream cheese begins to melt and incorporates. Mix in the remaining shredded and parmigiana cheeses and bread crumbs. Cut the sausages into 1/2 inch slices and fold them into the rabe mixture.

  5. Mix about a third of the rabe mixture into the spaghetti squash. Distribute the squash mixture equally in their shells. Top with the remaining rabbi mixture and sprinkle tops with extra parmigiana cheese. Bake until heated through and the top begins to brown, about 25 minutes and serve.

  6. Note: Be careful not to over salt. Sausages, cheese and cheese should provide more than enough.
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