Spaghetti Squash Lasagna

"Oh my God, YUM." Those were my actual words after eating my first bite of this vegetarian lasagna. It was so delicious that I burnt the roof of my mouth because I couldn't stop eating it even though I knew it was scorching hot.

It took a bunch of brainstorming before I figured out a way to use up all that spaghetti squash I baked earlier this week. I recalled a recipe my mom gave me years ago for something called "spaghetti pie" which was cooked noodles in the bottom of a pie pan topped with meat, veggies, and cheese. This is pretty much the same thing, just substituting spaghetti squash for the actual noodles, so - heads up Angela - this is completely gluten-free!

It's also a nutritional powerhouse. Except for 1 egg and a little bit of cheese, every item in this beautiful entree is a vegetable (or fruit, in the case of the tomatoes)! You'd never know it by tasting it.

I kept trying to think of which veggies I wanted to pair with my spaghetti squash base, and since I LOVE mushrooms and kale and they are so abundant at the markets right now, I figured it was a match made in heaven. I was right. Adding to the fall flavors party was goat cheese, which just has the perfect flavor to offset those winter veggies. However, you can add whatever veggies (broccoli or zucchini?) or meat (ground turkey?) or cheese (mozzarella?) you want to make this yummy dish - you are only limited by your imagination on this one!

So, substitute all you want as you experiment with this recipe! But I'll give you the list of the ingredients I used.

Spaghetti Squash Lasagna

spaghetti squash, cooked

1 egg, beaten

1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

2 packages mushrooms, sliced (I used one pkg button, one pkg crimini)

1 bunch kale, stems removed and chopped

splash of red wine

roasted tomato sauce (or store bought, if you must)

1 package goat cheese

sprinkle of freshly grated parmesan cheese

Mix the squash, egg, and parmesan with your hands and pat into the bottom of a greased baking dish (mine was 9x11).

In the meantime, saute your onion in a skillet with olive oil until translucent. Add the mushrooms and keep cooking until they are browned. Add the kale, a splash of red wine, salt, and pepper and cover and cook for approximately 3 minutes. Layer the mushrooms and kale over the squash base.

Top with a layer of tomato sauce, crumbled goat cheese, and a final sprinkling of grated parmesan cheese. Bake until hot and cheese is melty and browned.

Try to let it rest a little bit before digging in!