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Home » Turkey » Slow Cooker Spaghetti Squash and Turkey Meat Sauce

Slow Cooker Spaghetti Squash and Turkey Meat Sauce

by Sarah Olson on April 3, 2017 | Updated October 14, 2020 24 Comments

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collage of images of spaghetti squash with text overlay for pinterest

Slow Cooker Spaghetti Squash and Turkey Meat sauce is an easy and healthy meal to put together.

2 spaghetti squash halves on turkey meat sauce.

In the last few months, I’ve seen a few recipes for meatballs and spaghetti squash in the slow cooker on Pinterest. I wasn’t in the mood to make homemade meatballs nor to eat frozen style meatballs. I made a quick and easy turkey meat sauce in the slow cooker, then put the spaghetti squash right in the slow cooker and cooked for 4 hours on high.

spaghetti squash cut in half, marinara sauce, turkey crumbles, onion, mushrooms and seasonings on a wooden cutting board.

Mind you I have never had spaghetti squash, I didn’t realize how much I would enjoy this. Maybe the cooking time was just right to make the spaghetti squash “noodles” not mushy. My daughter couldn’t believe that spaghetti comes from squash, she thought it was a miracle! My husband and I had a good laugh about that. It was a fun thing to make for dinner that is actually healthy too.

spaghetti squash halves in slow cooker with lid on.

See the squash below? When I plated dinner, I didn’t think there would be enough for leftovers. Then after dinner, I went back and scraped the squash with a fork and more noodles came out, the noodles go all the way to the skin.

cooked spaghetti squash halves on a platter.
turkey meat sauce with halved spaghetti squash.

This meal can be served right in the spaghetti squash if desired. I actually made this plate up for leftovers, it slipped right into a round Tupperware

spaghetti squash filled with turkey meat sauce.

Kudos to whoever first did spaghetti squash in the slow cooker, best idea ever. I’ll be making this often!

More squash recipe you must try:

  • How to Cook Acorn Squash in the Slow Cooker
  • Slow Cooker Cinnamon Butternut Squash
  • Slow Cooker Summer Minestrone Soup with Squash
  • Slow Cooker Rosemary Chicken and Butternut Squash
turkey meat sauce with halved spaghetti squash.

Slow Cooker Turkey Meat Sauce and Spaghetti Squash

5 from 4 votes
Meat sauce and spaghetti squash cooked together in the slow cooker.
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Spaghetti squash and turkey meat sauce
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours
Total Time: 4 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 4
Calories: 324kcal
Author: Sarah Olson

Equipment Needed:

  • Slow Cooker- 6 quart or larger

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb. ground turkey I used 7% fat
  • 1 Tbsp. cooking oil
  • 3 lb. spaghetti squash
  • 23.5 oz. jar marinara sauce (I used farmers market Prego)
  • 1 portabello mushroom, diced
  • 1 small white onion, diced
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 tsp. pepper
  • 1/2 tsp. oregano
  • 1/2 tsp. basil
US Customary – Metric

Instructions:

  • In a large pan on the stove-top set to medium-high heat, add cooking oil. Brown the turkey. Add to the slow cooker. Add the marinara sauce, mushrooms, onion, garlic, salt, pepper, oregano, and basil to the slow cooker as well. Stir.
  • Cut the spaghetti squash in half, remove the seeds with a spoon.
  • Add the squash cut side down in the slow cooker into the sauce.
  • Cover and cook on HIGH for 4 hours. Do not open the lid during the cooking time.

How to Video:

Recipe Notes:

Nutritional values are approximate, please your own calculations if you require a special diet.

Nutrition:

Calories: 324kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 62mg | Sodium: 1230mg | Potassium: 1369mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 1190IU | Vitamin C: 21mg | Calcium: 119mg | Iron: 4mg
Made this recipe?I want to see your photos! Tag me on Instagram @themagicalslowcooker
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    Filed Under: Dinner, Turkey Tagged With: Crock pot, crockpot, dinner, dinner time, slow cooker, spaghetti, spaghetti squash

    Comments

    1. Gaby says

      January 15, 2021 at 11:58 am

      5 stars
      This recipe is perfection!
      Newbie me…. 1st meal cooked using my brand new slow cooker, and it’s been a total success!
      Simple and affordable ingredients provided a healthy, flavorful, and nutritious meal.
      Thank you so much Sarah for your detailed instructions; from the selection of ingredients, condiments to the cooking time…everything works perfectly! This will definitely be a weekly staple – husband approved

      Reply
      • Sarah Olson says

        January 15, 2021 at 12:15 pm

        So glad you liked it! It’s one of my favorites.

        Reply
    2. Bonnie says

      October 27, 2020 at 5:39 am

      5 stars
      So easy, so healthy, so delicious. My husband loves it, he can eat it once a week! He doesn’t even know or care it’s healthy!! I use chop ground beef some times. When it’s fine serve with parm cheese! Wow! I’m avoiding pasta, this is a good replacement! Nothing quite like pasta! But yummy!

      Reply
    3. JamieAnders Anders says

      January 29, 2020 at 1:08 pm

      5 stars
      Very easy, delicious and healthy. Husband loved it and wanted to no if there was more.

      Reply
    4. Anonymous says

      January 29, 2019 at 9:03 am

      Can this be made then put in the freezer? I’ve never froze spaghetti squash???

      Reply
      • Sarah Olson says

        January 29, 2019 at 8:08 pm

        I have not tried, has anyone else?

        Reply
      • Linda says

        February 22, 2020 at 8:42 am

        Yes it can

        Reply
    5. Anonymous says

      May 20, 2018 at 12:54 pm

      Just finished making this…it was amazing!!! I used ground beef, no mushrooms and onions…it was super easy to make..added a garden salad..my 20 year old son loves it….I will be making this quite often.

      Reply
    6. Laura says

      March 15, 2018 at 7:58 am

      Any idea how long this would take in an instant pot?

      Reply
    7. Jean says

      January 31, 2018 at 11:04 am

      Do you have the nutritional details yet?

      Reply
      • Sarah Olson says

        January 31, 2018 at 1:51 pm

        Hi Jean, I just added them for you. They are right below the recipe.

        Reply
        • Jean says

          January 31, 2018 at 3:19 pm

          Thank you!

          Reply
    8. Lara says

      January 3, 2018 at 10:44 am

      Do you have nutritional info?

      Reply
      • Sarah Olson says

        January 3, 2018 at 2:03 pm

        I’m working on getting on my site this month. Thank you for your patience with me!

        Reply
    9. Robin says

      October 25, 2017 at 9:30 am

      Is there any reason beef shouldn’t work?

      Reply
      • Sarah Olson says

        October 25, 2017 at 2:02 pm

        None at all! Let me know how you like it

        Reply
    10. sassygirl says

      October 18, 2017 at 6:49 pm

      love the spaghetti squash/marinara sauce
      combo (i left out the turkey…being vegan)
      and it turned out absolutely yum!
      thanks for sharing…
      🙂

      Reply
      • Sarah Olson says

        October 18, 2017 at 8:32 pm

        So great to hear!

        Reply
    11. Nancy says

      September 3, 2017 at 12:44 pm

      OMG Sarah, I just made this for the second time today. So, so good AND easy! Set it at high for four hours and at three, my squash was ready. I took it out with 40 minutes to go. I used two large porabella mushrooms, about a half eggplant, baby carrots and a whole onion…all chopped in good size pieces since they give off so much liquids. Used ground turkey from Costco and #99 traditional marinara from Trader Joes…I did add a few shakes of pepper flakes…this is seriously good stuff. Thanks so much…I thought it needed to be put over rice…nope…great just the way it is. Great way of cooking a Spaghetti Squash.

      Reply
      • Sarah Olson says

        September 3, 2017 at 3:40 pm

        That’s awesome. I like what you did with the recipe! I was shocked myself how great the squash tastes in this.

        Reply
    12. Theresa says

      August 30, 2017 at 6:35 pm

      Love this idea and it’s summer heat friendly and will be conferring in the winter. I will be making this over the weekend. Glad I just found your blog. Thank you

      Reply
    13. Jlo says

      May 1, 2017 at 10:09 am

      Can you cook on low? For how long would it be?

      Reply
      • Sarah Olson says

        May 1, 2017 at 12:26 pm

        I have not tried. I’m guessing 6-7 hours on low.

        Reply
    14. Alexandra says

      April 27, 2017 at 6:02 am

      The taste is amazing and is not that hard to make. Thanks for sharing!

      Reply

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