Pizza-Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

Ingredients

Skip the dough and stuff all of your favorite pizza toppings into spaghetti squash boats for a fun and healthy dinner that'll please the whole family. We love the combination of mushrooms, bell peppers, pepperoni and mozzarella, but feel free to mix it up with your favorite pizza ingredients. You could throw in a bit of chopped cooked broccoli, for example, or add some olives or chopped artichoke hearts. And of course feel free to omit the pepperoni to make the dish vegetarian. Round out the meal with a simple salad.

1 (2 1/2 to 3 pound) spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise and seeded

¼ cup water

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

2 large cloves garlic, minced

1 (8 ounce) package mushrooms, sliced

1 cup chopped bell pepper (any color)

2 cups no-salt-added crushed tomatoes

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

½ teaspoon ground pepper, divided

¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper

¼ teaspoon salt, divided

2 ounces pepperoni, halved, divided

1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1Position rack in upper third of oven; preheat to 450 degrees F.

2Place squash halves cut-side down in a microwave-safe dish and add water. Microwave, uncovered, on High until the flesh is tender, 10 to 12 minutes. (Alternatively, place squash cut-side down on a large rimmed baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees F until tender, 40 to 50 minutes.)

3Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring, until starting to soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Add mushrooms and bell pepper and cook, stirring, until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes more. Add tomatoes, Italian seasoning, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, crushed red pepper and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Cook until heated through and the flavors have blended, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in all but 10 or 12 pepperoni halves. Cover and reserve.

4Use a fork to scrape the squash from the shells into a large bowl, being careful to keep the shells intact. Stir in 1/4 cup mozzarella, Parmesan and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Add the tomato mixture to the bowl; stir well to coat. Place the squash shells, cut-side up, on a rimmed baking sheet. Divide the filling between the halves. Sprinkle with the remaining 3/4 cup mozzarella and arrange the reserved pepperoni on top.

5Bake until the filling is hot and the cheese is melted, about 15 minutes. Turn the broiler to high and broil, watching carefully, until the cheese and pepperoni start to brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Cut each boat in half to serve.