Mediterranean Turkey Spaghetti Squash

This delicious Turkey Spaghetti Squash recipe with lean ground turkey, garlic, tomatoes, spinach, mushrooms, and melted cheese makes the most delicious low-carb meal. It's a favorite along with this Spaghetti Squash Chicken Parmesan and Spaghetti Squash Burrito Bowls.

Spaghetti squash has to be one of the most underrated vegetables in my opinion. Spaghetti squash is low-calorie, low-carb, keto-friendly, and full of lots of other essential and amazing vitamins and minerals your body needs. Plus, it makes an excellent substitution for pasta.

It makes such a great substitution, in fact, that I find myself wanting to use it in all of my favorite pasta recipes. For me, it's about more than just lowering the calories (which I love, don't get me wrong). It's also about the nutty, delicious flavor it adds to the dish.

I actually find I like spaghetti squash better than pasta in some instances because I can taste the sauce and other ingredients more than I can with traditional pasta.

I could go on and on about spaghetti squash, but instead, let's talk about these amazing Mediterranean Turkey Spaghetti Squash Boats I have cooked up for you.

My beloved spaghetti squash's insides are scraped clean, then filled with a lean ground turkey mixture that has been cooked with lots of garlic, onion, diced tomatoes, mushrooms, spinach, and then tossed with the squash, where it is then stuffed back into the shell, and topped with salty, creamy, delicious feta cheese. Yum!

Ideas for Customizing Mediterranean Turkey Spaghetti Squash Boats

The great thing about spaghetti squash boats is that you can be just as creative with the ingredients and flavors that go in them as you can be with pasta. They really do take on the flavors of your ingredients, the same if not better than actual pasta does. If you're looking for some other ways to change up your boats, try:

• Kicking up the Mediterranean flavors even more, by adding add some black olives, roasted red peppers, capers, or artichoke hearts to your boat. So, so good.
• Swap turkey for ground beef, pork, chicken, or whatever you have on hand.
• Leave out any veggie you don't like and sub in ones that you do — this recipe is really versatile that way.
• Italian cheeses like parmesan or mozzarella would work here instead of feta as well.
• If you don't like the idea of eating out of the hollowed out squash, you can transfer the squash insides and the rest of the cooked ingredients to a baking dish and bake following the same directions. Just scoop and serve.
• Spaghetti squash would be great for using leftover meat sauce from another meal!
• Make this dish vegetarian by leaving out the meat and doubling the veggies, or add canned chickpeas instead of ground meat.

What Makes This Turkey and Spaghetti Squash Recipe Healthy?

Well, first of all, there's the fact that this dish is loaded with veggies and lean meat, plus, no pasta whatsoever. But I want to drill down to the nitty-gritty of what makes this dish so healthy.

• Spaghetti Squash isn't just low calorie. It also contains fiber, protein, vitamin B, folate, potassium, calcium, iron, and zinc.
• Lean ground turkey is a great protein source, and it can be healthier than ground beef, as long as you make sure it's lean. It is also a great source of vitamins B-6 and 12. And it's delicious!
• Onions are a great source of vitamin C, plus they contain flavonoids and phytochemicals that help to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, Parkinson's, and stroke.
• Garlic is low in calories, and high in vitamins B6 and C, fiber, selenium, and manganese.
• Tomatoes deliver that all-important, cancer-fighting lycopene, vitamin C, and fiber. Don't worry, you can still get all the good stuff from tomatoes even if they are canned.
• Mushrooms are a great ingredient to add to your meals. They taste meaty so they are a great way to add a similar texture if you are making a vegetarian meal. They are also a good source of fiber, and are low-sodium, fat-free, cholesterol-free, and low-calorie.
• Spinach is a great source of iron, fiber, vitamins A, C, K1, folate, and calcium.
• Spices like thyme, rosemary, and dried basil help your body to fight inflammation without adding on extra calories and fat like butter or oil will. Spices are also great for keeping your circulatory system and your digestive system healthy.
• Feta is a yummy, salty cheese that has less fat than other cheeses. It also provides zinc, vitamin A, folate, phosphorus, selenium, and vitamin B6.

How Do You Store Spaghetti Squash?

If you are not ready to make your squash boats yet, that's okay. Spaghetti squash will keep in a cool, dry place for up to three months. You do not need to refrigerate it. If you do, it will ripen faster than you want it to — in two weeks, to be exact. You can store cut squash for one to two weeks as long as it's in an air-tight container.