Turkey taco spaghetti squash boats

These turkey taco spaghetti squash boats feature tender roasted spaghetti squash stuffed with taco-flavored ground turkey and spinach, mushrooms, peppers and zucchini, plus cheese and pico de gallo, for a light but filling meal. Low-carb, gluten-free and can be made whole 30 and paleo friendly.

I feel like I have so much to tell you!

But I’m also so excited to share today’s recipe so I’m gonna try to keep it short and give you just the highlights:

1. I mentioned on Thursday that my friend went into labor at our girls night. She now has a beautiful, healthy baby boy and they are doing well. 💙
2. M had the daddy-daughter dance at her elementary school on Friday night. They had so much fun dancing and laughing. She came home saying, “Dada’s such a good dancer!” Super sweet.
3. Saturday morning she and I had a little shopping outing and it was such a blast. She’s kind-of the best/worst shopping buddy because I would try something on and she’d gush, “Mommy, you look SO beautiful in that!” Needless to say, I came home with a few new things 😉🛍
4. We had a family putt-putt outing on Saturday afternoon. J, who is 4, got two back-to-back holes-in-one! ⛳️ It was crazy!
5. I’m headed to California for a few days this week for a blogging conference and I’m so excited to see some friends and learn more about this wild business.

But now, FOOD.

So you guys know I love my spaghetti squash meals, right?

They are such a perfect little vehicle for all kinds of yummy fillings.

I’ve made turkey sausage and kale stuffed spaghetti squash, spaghetti squash with pesto chicken, spaghetti squash with pesto, peas and shrimp and most recently, my southwest vegetarian stuffed spaghetti squash.

I LOVE that I can just eat and eat and eat, forkful after happy forkful, because they are so light and fluffy – and low-carb and low-calorie, too. 🙌

So today I’m bringing you my turkey taco spaghetti squash boats that are gonna be a new favorite way to do taco night!

They are made with roasted spaghetti squash with ground turkey and spinach, plus bell peppers, zucchini and mushrooms – so they are FULL of veggies! 💚

I could drool a little just thinking of all the veggie goodness going on with these stuffed squash.

I love adding cheddar cheese to melt down over the top and then serving with pico de gallo and maybe a dollop of Greek yogurt, but you can use any of your favorite taco toppings.

These are naturally gluten-free and low-carb and can easily be made paleo, dairy free and whole30 compliant as well. 👍

A few notes about these turkey taco spaghetti squash boats:

• I cook the ground turkey and vegetables separately so that everyone can serve themselves with each. This also works great if someone wants a vegetarian version of this meal.
• Feel free to swap out any of the veggies and use your favorites. Just cut everything down to about the same size so they all cook at the same rate.
• Similarly, you could substitute ground beef or ground chicken — or use a mix — if that’s what you have on hand.
• You can absolutely add black beans to these spaghetti squash tacos. My husband often does that.
• This is also an easy recipe to halve for a dinner for two.
• I use homemade taco seasoning, but store-bought is fine too.

Taco night or any night, this is a fun, low-carb dinner that the whole family will want to dig into.

Enjoy!

XO,

Kathryn

Love tacos as much as I do? Check these recipes out:

• Healthy chicken taco casserole (Family Food on the Table)
• Slow cooker salsa verde pork tacos (Family Food on the Table)
• Greek chicken tacos (Reluctant Entertainer)
• Thai chicken tacos with spicy peanut sauce (Lauren Kelly Nutrition)
• Roasted cauliflower and chickpea tacos (Two Peas and Their Pod)
• Healthy taco turkey and potato skillet (Family Food on the Table)

Turkey taco spaghetti squash boats

Print Add To Shopping List

Prep Time 15 minutes Cook Time 45 minutes Total Time 1 hour

Serves 4     adjust servings

These turkey taco spaghetti squash boats are loaded with veggies and your favorite taco toppings for a light but filling dinner!

Ingredients

• 2 medium spaghetti squash
• 1 lb. ground turkey (I use 93% lean)
• 3 tablespoons taco seasoning, divided
• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium bell pepper, chopped
• 1 medium zucchini, chopped
• 1 (8 oz.) container button mushrooms, chopped
• 3 cups fresh baby spinach
• Salt and black pepper
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Optional toppings

• Greek yogurt/sour cream, salsa or pico de gallo or fresh diced tomatoes, avocado, chopped cilantro, etc.

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray. (You may need two baking sheets.)

Carefully cut each spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. (For easier cutting, you can microwave each squash for about 5 minutes to soften it.)

Place each squash half, cut side down, on baking sheet.

Bake for 30-40 minutes, until the squash is tender. (Exact timing will depend on the size of your squash. You’ll be able to tell by pushing on the outside or putting a fork into the inner strands of the inside of the squash if it’s tender.)

Meanwhile, cook the ground turkey in a large skillet over medium heat. Use a spatula to break the turkey into small pieces as it cooks. Cook until no pink remains and turkey is completely cooked then add 2 tablespoons of taco seasoning and stir well to mix. (You can add a splash of water to help the seasoning mix stick to the turkey if your pan is dry.)

While the turkey cooks, heat oil in another large skillet over medium heat.

Add the pepper, zucchini and mushrooms and saute until almost tender, about 5-7 minutes. Add spinach and stir until it’s wilted down, another 2-3 minutes. Season with remaining 1 tablespoon of taco seasoning.

Once the spaghetti squash is cooked and cool enough to handle, use a fork to pull the spaghetti shreds from the inside of each squash half. Be sure to leave a little bit around the outside so the squash keeps its shape.

Season each spaghetti squash half with a little salt and pepper. Divide the ground turkey and veggies among each of the spaghetti squash then top each with 1/4 cup of cheese.

Return to the oven and cook for another 5-10 minutes, until the cheese is melted and everything is warmed through.

Serve with any additional toppings and enjoy!

Recipe Notes

Feel free to swap out any of the veggies and use your favorites. Just cut everything down to about the same size so they all cook at the same rate.

You can substitute ground beef or ground chicken — or use a mix — if that’s what you have on hand.

Black beans also make a great addition to these spaghetti squash tacos.

I use homemade taco seasoning, but store-bought is fine too.

This is also an easy recipe to halve for a dinner for two.

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size
Amount Per Serving	As Served
Calories 425kcal Calories from fat 200
% Daily Value
Total Fat 22g	34%
Saturated Fat 8g	40%
Transfat 0g
Cholesterol 107mg	36%
Sodium 1190mg	50%
Carbohydrate 25g	8%
Dietary Fiber 6g	24%
Sugars 10g
Protein 34g

Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs:

	Calories	2000
Total Fat	Less than	65g
Sat Fat	Less than	25g
Cholesterol	Less than	300mg
Sodium	Less than	2,400mg
Total Carbohydrate		300g
Dietary Fiber		25g