Pizza-Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

 Skip the dough and stuff all of your favorite pizza toppings into spaghetti squash boats for a fun and healthy dinner that’ll please the whole family.  Try a combination of mushrooms, bell peppers, pepperoni and mozzarella, or feel free to mix it up with your favorite pizza ingredients.  You could throw in a bit of chopped cooked broccoli, for example, or add slices of olives or chopped artichoke hearts.  And of course, feel free to omit the pepperoni to make the dish vegetarian.  Round out the meal with a simple salad.

Ingredients

1 (2 ½ - 3 lb.) spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise and seeded

¼ c. water

2 tbsp. extra=virgin olive oil

1 c. chopped onion

2 lg. cloves garlic, minced

1 (8 oz.) pkg. mushrooms, sliced

1 c. chopped bell pepper (any color)

2 c. no-salt-added crushed tomatoes

½ tsp. ground pepper, divided

¼ tsp. crushed red pepper

¼ tsp. salt, divided

2 oz. pepperoni, halved, divided

1 c. shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided

2 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation

Prep:  50 minutes; ready in:  1 hour 10 minutes

1.  Position rack in upper third of oven; preheat to 450˚F,

2.  Place squash halves cut-side down in a microwave-safe dish and add water.  Microwave, uncovered, on High until the flesh is tender, 10-12 minutes.  (Alternatively, place squash  cut-side down on a large, rimmed baking sheet.  Bake at 400˚F. until tender, 40-50 minutes.)

3.  Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add onion and garlic; cook stirring, until starting to soften, 3-4 minutes.  Add mushrooms and bell pepper and cook, stirring until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes more.  Add tomatoes, Italian seasoning, ¼ tsp. pepper, crushed red pepper and 1/3 tsp. salt.  Cook until heated through and the flavors have blended, about 2 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in all but 10 or 12 pepperoni halves.  Cover and reserve.

4.  Use a fork to scrape the squash from the shells into a large bowl, being careful to keep the shells intact.  Stir in ¼ c. mozzarella, Parmesan and the remaining ¼ tsp. pepper and 1/8 tsp. salt.  Add the tomato mixture to the bowl; stir well to coat.  Place the squash shells, cut-side up, on a rimmed baking sheet.  Divide the filling between the halves.  Sprinkle with the remaining 3/4 c. mozzarella and arrange the reserved pepperoni on top.

5.  Bake until the filling is hot, and the cheese is melted, about 15 minutes.  Turn the broiler to high and broil, watching carefully, until the cheese and pepperoni start to brown, 1-2 minutes.  Cut each boat in half to serve.

Nutrition Information

Serving size:  ¼ squash each

Per serving:  373 calories; 21 g. fat (7 g. saturated); 8 g. fiber; 32 g. carbohydrates; 16 g. protein; 62 mcg. Folate; 34 mg. cholesterol; 15 g. sugars; 0 g. added sugars; 2739 IU vitamin A; 68 mg. vitamin C; 290 mg. calcium; 4 mg. iron; 653 mg. sodium; 1,058 mg. potassium

Nutrition Bonus:  Vitamin C (113% daily value), Vitamin A (55% dv), Calcium (29% dv), Iron (22% dv)

Carbohydrate Servings:  2

Exchanges:  5 ½ vegetable, 2 fat, 1 medium-fat protein, ½ high-fat protein