This easy, creamy, cheesy spaghetti squash casserole is full of comfort and is a perfect vegetarian dinner for a family dinner, or as a side dish for steak or chicken. There are three kinds of cheese, peppers, onion and a big helping of spinach tucked into this delicious casserole.
This dish can also be made ahead, covered and refrigerated, as it reheats beautifully in the oven or microwave.
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Vegetarian casseroles are a fabulous dinner solution for families with both vegetarians and meat eaters at the table. They work double duty as a main dish for the vegetarians, and a side dish for the others, like this Broccoli Cheddar Casserole with Quinoa and Yogurt.
And, if you're looking for a Meatless Monday dinner for everyone, this dish is a winner with its cheesy creaminess. And if you're looking to cut back on carbs, the spaghetti squash is a perfect answer.
❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
- Comfort food. Totally checks the comfort food box.
- Make ahead. Make it ahead and warm it back up on busy nights.
- Flexible. Serve it as a vegetarian main dish, add chicken to the casserole for meat eaters at the table, or serve it as a side dish.
- Kid-friendly!
Freaky Friday
What, you may wonder, is Freaky Friday??
For starters, it's how I found this fabulous recipe that I guarantee you will love.
It's a group of food bloggers who are secretly assigned one another’s blogs to make a recipe from. Then we all reveal who we had and what we made on the same Friday. And that's TODAY!
Many thanks to Michaela from An Affair from the Heart who created and hosts this blog hop. At the bottom of this post, you'll see a list of all of the other recipes our group cooked up - that's what makes it a blog hop :-).
This dish of warm comfort comes from Sheila at Life Love and Good Food blog.
Life Love and Good Food Blog
Sheila is a southern girl who grew up on a farm in Eastern Tennessee, and comes from a long line of Southern home cooks, cooking everything from scratch.
She's the author of two cookbooks, The 5-Ingredient Fresh and Easy Cookbook, and the Easy Chicken Cookbook. Both are available on Amazon.
Her blog is not vegetarian, but many of her dishes are very vegetarian-friendly. Her blog is full of Southern dishes, and she also loves Mediterranean food. Although she and her husband are now empty nesters, she was a working parent when her daughters were young, and adopted recipes that were easy to prepare. And this mix of easy but delicious Southern and Mediterranean foods is woven throughout her blog.
In fact, it was difficult to decide which to make and share with all of you. At the top of my list are her Easy Vegetable Lasagna, this Cauliflower Gratin (I'm making that one next week!), and her Asiago Potato Stacks. And her Lemon Poppyseed Pancakes are calling my name.
But now, let's talk a little more about Sheila's Creamy Spinach Spaghetti Squash Casserole.
🧅 Main Ingredients + Notes
- Spaghetti squash - either get one 3-pound or two 1 ½-pound squash.
- Peppers - I used a mix of red bell pepper and poblano chile pepper, but you can use just the red bell pepper. We like a little more heat. If you do too, you can swap in one jalapeño pepper for the poblano pepper.
- Yellow onion - white onion works well in this recipe too, but red onion is too sweet IMO.
- Baby spinach - I used pre-washed baby spinach in a plastic container to make it super easy. If you use more mature spinach, I recommend you slice off the leggy stems, and coarsely chop.
- Cheeses - cream cheese is mixed into the casserole, and a mixture of mozzarella and Parmesan cheese top the casserole. I used mozzarella cheese in a large round package, that was pre-sliced. This eliminated any cheese grating.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links to products and foods I use in my kitchen. This means that at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. To view my entire storefront of recommended kitchen tools and equipment, check out my shop on Amazon.
🔪 Recommended Equipment
- Chef's knife
- Air fryer - or however you plan to cook the spaghetti squash.
- Medium skillet
- Wooden spoon
- Tongs
- 8" X 8" casserole pan
📝 Instructions Overview
Detailed instructions for making this creamy spaghetti squash casserole are in the recipe card below, but here's a quick overview!
Step 1
Spaghetti squash. There are a number of ways to cook spaghetti squash. In the Instant Pot, microwave, oven or air fryer. This post on Air Fryer Spaghetti Squash explains how to cook spaghetti squash in the air fryer with photos for each step. I prefer the air fryer because, hello, it's done in 15 minutes.
Step 2
Sauté. Cook the onion and peppers until softened. Add the garlic and spinach.
Step 3
Melt and fold. Melt the cream cheese into the veggies, and fold in the spaghetti squash "noodles". A wooden spoon is a great way to do this.
Step 4
Fill a baking dish and bake. Pile the spaghetti squash casserole filling into a baking dish. Top with mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Bake until bubbly.
Step 5
Serve. If you wait about 10 minutes to cut into the casserole, it's easier to slice into portions. Serve warm.
🍽 Side Dish Ideas
Lemony Romaine Salad with Avocado
What Did Everyone Else Make??
Now it’s time to see what all of the other participating bloggers made! Seriously, go check them out!
See all of our 2023 Freaky Friday Winter Recipes
Hosted by - An Affair from the Heart
- An Affair from the Heart - Bailey's Chocolate Chip Cookies
- The Carefree Kitchen - Chicken Tikka Masala
- The Culinary Compass - Scotcharoos Recipe
- Feast + West - Fried Pickles
- The Fresh Cooky - Easy Elderflower French 75 Cocktail with St Germain
- Home Cooked Harvest - Roasted Cabbage Steaks
- House of Nash Eats - Bread Pudding
- Life, Love, and Good Food - Cheddar Bay Biscuits
- Soulfully Made - No Rise Pizza Dough Recipe
- The Speckled Palate - Easy Cheese Ball Recipe
- Take Two Tapas - Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Dip
- The Wimpy Vegetarian - Creamy Spaghetti Squash Casserole
Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad
Equipment
- Colander
- Large non-stick skillet
- Large mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 1 pound Rotini pasta
- 6 cups fresh corn or canned or frozen
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- 2 teaspoons lime juice
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic salt
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¾ cup crumbled Cojita cheese divided
- ⅓ cup chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta to the water and cook to al dente. This is typically 1-2 minutes less than the range provided on the package directions.Drain the pasta, rinse with cold water, and set aside to cool. It must be completely cooled before added to the sauce.
- If using fresh corn cobs, slice the corn kernels from the cob using a chef's knife. See the post for details on the best way to do this.Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, and add the corn kernels. Pan roast the kernels until lightly charred with brown spots.Remove from the pan and allow to completely cool.
- In a large mixing bowl combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, lime juice, chili powder, cayenne pepper and garlic salt. Whisk until completely smooth. Add pepper to taste, and correct for any seasonings.
- Stir the cooled pasta and corn into the sauce along with the Cojita cheese. To the dressing mix add the cooled corn, cooled pasta, and ½ cup of the Cojita cheese.
- Refrigerate for 1 - 2 hours, and top with chopped cilantro and the remaining Cojita cheese before serving.
Michaela Kenkel
I can't wait to share this recipe with my son! He and his wife eat lots of spaghetti squash and are always looking for new ways to fix it!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
So am I!! I think he'll love this one!
Tristin
I love that this casserole has spinach and squash! My whole family is going to love this one.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
My husband and I argued over who got the last helping! We all loved it!
Sam
I'm always looking for cozy vegetarian dishes for cold winter nights and this is just perfect!
Kathleen
Love this, made it last night. So bright, fresh and filling -- thanks!
Erin
This combination of flavors is SO GOOD! My family loved them, and this was such a comforting dish for the whole fam.
Sheila
Susan, so glad your family enjoyed my spaghetti squash recipe! It continues to be one of my most popular, and it really is so, so good! Also, thanks for all your kind words 😊
jennifer
spaghetti squash is so versatile and amazing! I can't believe I haven't made more things with it. This recipe is definitely a jumping off point to start experimenting for sure. I loved how creamy it was and the spinach went nicely with the flavor of the squash.
jill
I'm on a big spaghetti squash kick right now and I can't wait to try this recipe! It sounds so good!
Susannah Brinkley Henry
I am always looking for vegetarian recipes that I can serve my vegetarian family members and this one did not disappoint! I can always count on your site to have great recipes for them (that I love too!)
Amy
Such a wonderful dish! I love the small but not insignificant addition of nutmeg! It adds so much complexity and depth and warmth! It's one of my favorite ingredients!