Loaded Spaghetti Squash with Meat Sauce

Preheat the oven to 400F.

Place the cut sides of the spaghetti squash down on a sheet tray. Add 1 cup of water to the sheet tray. Roast the squash in the oven for about 30 minutes, or until it’s tender and you can easily scrape the strands with a fork. Remove from the oven and let it cool slightly. (or in the instant pot with some water on manual for 7 minutes)

In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the diced onion and minced garlic. Sauté until the onions become translucent and the garlic is fragrant. Add the ground beef, breaking it apart with a spatula. Cook until the beef is browned and cooked through. Stir in the diced zucchini and broccoli florets and cook for 3 minutes. Now add the jar of marinara sauce and stir to combine.

Once the sauce is simmering, cover with a lid and let the sauce simmer on low heat for about 10-15 minutes, allowing the flavors to meld together. Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste.

Once the squash has cooled down, scrape out about half of the squash from each side (leaving about 1/2 in of squash remaining in the shell) and add it to a bowl.

Drizzle the squash in the bowl with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt. Now add the meat sauce and toss together until combined. Add this mixture back into the hollowed-out squash shells and sprinkle grated mozzarella and parmigiano-reggiano cheese over the top.

Place the filled squash halves under the broiler in the oven for a few minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbling and has a golden brown color.

Remove from the oven, garnish with fresh basil leaves, and enjoy!