We’ve been loading spaghetti squash up with everything for easy low-carb dinners lately, so I had to share one of my favorites! Diced jalapeños for flavor and heat, crispy salty bacon bits, and (most importantly) three types of cheese make this creamy and so satisfying.
I love spiralized veggies as much as the next food blogger, but some nights spaghetti squash is just easier. Shredding tender roasted squash with a fork takes zero effort and the long silky strands hold sauce so well. Raw veggie salads can take over in summer, but springtime is meant for healthy-but-comforting warm bakes.
When I was a kid, our freezer hardly ever held premade convenience foods, a fact that I held against my mother. My friends’ freezers were stuffed with pizza rolls and ice cream sandwiches and lunchables, but my mom made everything from scratch. This was not nearly as cool.
My favorite special treat was frozen jalapeño poppers, breaded and baked, and I always burned my tongue trying to eat them right out of the oven. To this day jalapeños + cream cheese is one of my favorite combos, although I’ve graduated from frozen poppers… mostly.
Some days I’m all about my Italian stuffed jalapeños, some days you just want the weirdly delicious frozen stuff. Truth.
Cheesy spaghetti squash holds its own without bacon for a great vegetarian dish. The sauce thickens quite a bit as it cools, so don’t try to dig in right out of the oven or you’ll risk cheesy squash soup.
The spaghetti squash shells make great baking & serving bowls, but you can always scoop the mixture into a baking dish instead. This makes four BIG heaping bowls for a main dish or serves a few more people as a side dish.
Jalapeño Popper Spaghetti Squash
Ingredients
- 1 large spaghetti squash
- 4 oz. sour cream
- 4 oz. cream cheese
- 1/2 cup cheddar cheese shredded
- 1/2 cup monterey jack cheese shredded
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 t. salt
- 6 oz. bacon cooked & diced
- 2-4 jalapeños diced
- 1/4 cup green onions diced
Instructions
Roasting Squash
- Preheat oven to 400°.
- Cut the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Place cut side down on a foil-lined baking sheet.
- Roast at 400° for 25-30 minutes, until tender all the way through.
Bacon Jalapeño Popper Filling
- Cream together sour cream, cream cheese, shredded cheeses, garlic, and salt. Fold in bacon, jalapeños, and green onions; save some bacon & green onions for topping.
- Shred the roasted spaghetti squash with a fork, removing as much flesh as possible. Stir squash into the cheese mixture.
- Spoon the squash mixture back into the squash shells. Sprinkle with reserved bacon & green onions.
- Bake at 400° for 5-6 minutes until edges are bubbling. Let cool slightly before serving.
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