Southwest Spaghetti Squash Casserole

Yet another recipe born out of hunger and what was available in the kitchen at the time. 

This one is definitely a keeper. 

Sooooo tasty!

I had pretty low expectations so was delightfully surprised by how much I loved this combination.

Hamburger + black beans + salsa + spaghetti squash = Yes. Just.....yes.

Give it a try and see what I am talking about. 

Plus, the nutritional count is pretty sweet too. According to Myfitnesspal 1 serving (1/4 of the recipe) is:

357 calories, 28 carbs, 11 fat, and 37 protein.

See that pic at the top? That's one serving! 

Southwest Spaghetti Squash Casserole

Ingredients

4 cups spaghetti squash, cooked & shredded

1 lb extra lean ground beef

1/4 cup onions, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 Tbsp Taco Seasoning (store bought OR use our recipe HERE)

1/2 cup refried beans

1 cup black beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup salsa

1/2 cup light mozzarella/cheddar cheese mix

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly spray a 9 X 7 oven safe dish with cooking spray. 

Take cooked spaghetti squash (*Make sure you drain the squash well if you are worried about excess liquid*) and layer it in the bottom of prepared dish. Set aside.

In a medium skillet over medium heat, cook and stir the beef, onions, garlic, and Taco seasoning until beef is no longer pink. Stir in the refried beans until well mixed in. Stir in the black beans. Cook and stir another minute and then remove from heat.

Layer the beef mixture over the squash.

Spoon the salsa over the top of the beef and use a spoon to spread it evenly over the casserole.

Bake at 350 for approximately 30 - 40 minutes; until bubbling around the edges. Remove from oven and sprinkle evenly with the shredded cheese.

Bake another 10 or so minutes - until cheese is melty and casserole is very bubbly. 

Remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

*Note* I did not drain my spaghetti squash after I cooked in the microwave. I simply shredded it and then put it in the dish. As you can see in the photo above there is a little bit of liquid on my plate from the squash. 

This is something I don't mind so I don't really worry about draining my squash. 

If this is something that you are concerned with then make sure you press the liquid out of your squash before putting it in the casserole dish. 

When I reheated my leftovers the next day there wasn't any issue with excess liquid. 

You can make this as spicy as you like by using hot, medium, or mild salsa. 

You can definitely add more cheese too if you like. I only used half a cup because I am trying to keep my calorie count down. :)

Adorned From Above and Dizzy Busy & Hungry have some great links to more fun and tasty sites. Be sure to hop over and say hi!