Healthy spaghetti squash bolognese loaded with veggies and flavor. This easy one-pot dish is comforting and delicious with minimal work. It makes the perfect weeknight meal that the whole family will love.
Bolognese will forever be one of my personal favorite sauces. It is packed with veggies and protein, simmered to perfection, and the leftovers tastes even better the next day. It’s an all around win. If you have never made bolognese sauce from scratch, it could not be easier. With just a few simple ingredients and a little time, you can make the most delicious bolognese sauce.
This spaghetti squash bolognese recipe serves the delicious, slightly creamy sauce over tender spaghetti squash noodles for a filling meal that really hits the spot. The flavor of the spaghetti squash works really well with the rich tomato sauce and it’s an easy way to pack in more veggies and fiber.
This healthy sauce is made with real food ingredients and finished with a touch of creamy coconut milk. It’s a simple recipe that everyone will love and it’s great for meal prep.
Sauce Ingredients
One of the things I personally love about bolognese sauce is that it only takes just a few simple ingredients to create such a flavorful sauce. With a base of onion, garlic, carrot, and celery, you can whip up a delicious and hearty sauce that is full of flavor. The best part is that you likely already have most of what you need to make this sauce, which makes this a great pantry-staple recipe or last minute dinner idea.
Here is what you need:
Olive oil
Carrots
Celery
Onion
Garlic
Ground beef
Ground pork
Crushed tomatoes
Dried herbs (thyme, oregano, bay leaves)
Balsamic vinegar
Chicken broth
Full fat coconut milk
How to Make the Bolognese Sauce
Note: full ingredients list & measurements provided in the Recipe Card, below.
Step One: First start by heating a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium high heat. I personally love to use my dutch oven for this. Once the pot is hot, add the olive oil and then add the diced carrots, celery, onion, and minced garlic. Cook the veggies for three or four minutes until the onions begin to become translucent.
Step Two: Next, add in the ground beef and ground pork. Let the meat sear and brown, breaking it up as it cooks.
Step Three: Once the meat is cooked and no longer pink, add the crushed tomatoes, dried herbs, salt, pepper, balsamic vinegar, and chicken broth. Give the sauce a good stir until everything is well combined.
Step Four: Bring the sauce to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Let the Bolognese sauce simmer for an hour uncovered and stir occasionally.
Step Five: Once the sauce has finished cooking, it’s time to finish it off with a little full fat coconut milk. Stir in the coconut milk and give the sauce a taste. If needed, you can add a little extra salt or pepper to taste. Serve the bolognese sauce over spaghetti squash with fresh basil and a sprinkle of cheese if you like.
How to Roast Spaghetti Squash
Preheat an oven to 425 degrees. Slice the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise, then drizzle with olive oil and give it a generous sprinkle of salt and pepper. Place the spaghetti squash, cut side down, on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Roast the squash for thirty to forty minutes or until the squash is tender to the touch. Use a fork to pull the spaghetti squash strands away from the skin of the squash. I love to squeeze a little fresh lemon juice on the squash before serving.
Ways to Make This Recipe Your Own
Feel free to swap out the ground beef or ground pork for your preferred protein. You can leave out the ground pork and use all ground beef or swap ground beef for ground turkey. If you use a leaner ground meat, like ground turkey, I would add an extra tablespoon of olive oil.
Add in more of your favorite veggies like mushrooms, zucchini, or fold in a few handfuls of chopped spinach right before spooning it over your spaghetti squash.
The coconut milk does not give this sauce a coconut flavor. If you can tolerate dairy, you can use heavy cream instead of coconut milk if you prefer.
Don’t love spaghetti squash? Use zucchini noodles or your favorite pasta.
This recipe is completely dairy-free but I love to sprinkle a little parmesan or pecorino Romano cheese on top before serving.
Can You Freeze Bolognese Sauce?
Yes! To freeze the bolognese sauce, first let it come to a complete cool. Then transfer it a freezer safe container. Freeze the sauce for up to three months. To reheat the Bolognese sauce, take it out of the freezer and let it thaw completely in the fridge. Then, reheat it on stove top before serving over your cooked spaghetti squash or noodles of your choice.
Heat large heavy-bottomed pot over medium high heat. Once hot, add in the olive oil diced carrots, celery, onion, and minced garlic. Cook the veggies for three or four minutes until the onions begin to become translucent.
Next, add the ground beef and ground pork. Let the meat sear and brown, breaking it up as it cooks.
When the ground pork and beef are fully cooked and no longer pink, add the crushed tomatoes, dried herbs, salt, pepper, balsamic vinegar, and chicken broth. Give the sauce a good stir until everything is well combined.
Bring the sauce to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Let the Bolognese sauce simmer for an hour, uncovered, stirring occasionally.
Finish the sauce by stirring in the coconut milk and seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve over spaghetti squash with fresh basil and a sprinkle of cheese if you prefer.
SO delicious!! I will definitely make this again. Whole family loved it and i have enough to freeze for another meal. Thanks to reading the other reviews, I may put this over gnocchi!
Loved everything about this except the cocnut milk! It was literally perfect until we added that at the end.. overwhelmed the delicious flavors of the rest of the dish. Disappointed 🙁
Hi, Elizabeth! If you don’t love coconut milk you’re always welcome to leave it out. I find that some people are more sensitive to the taste than others. It also depends on what coconut milk you use. The amount this recipe calls for shouldn’t be overwhelming at all but you’re always welcome to tweak the recipe to work for you and leave it out. Hope that helps!
Delicious and so very easy for a warm and comforting Sunday dinner! (and even better for lunch on Monday!!)
It’s also very easy to adapt to what you have in the fridge/pantry (apparently need to restock on thyme)! Used Hot Italian Sausage instead of pork and it just added that extra kick!
This has quickly become my go-to recipe for pasta sauce! I live with some very picky eaters, and this was a hit with everyone. My six-year-old daughter (who generally doesn’t eat much meat) asked for seconds, and my husband literally licked his plate clean. I follow the recipe almost exactly as written, but usually sub 1/2 cup of heavy cream for the coconut milk since I eat dairy and typically have that on hand. The sauce tastes great on spaghetti squash, but I also love it on regular pasta or even cauliflower gnocchi. Can’t wait to make it again!
My favorite bolognese recipe! I usually eat this with a red lentil pasta but it’s so adaptable to any vessel! I love the coconut milk addition st the end. It works well with just beef as well (if you need to cut out pork for any reason).
As it’s December, I doubled the recipe to freeze and keep for a cold night and a warm meal. Was not at all disappointed! Ashlea nailed it once again! Super easy, super yummy, and I love having it frozen to continue eating for many nights!
Made this on Tues night… SO GOOD!!! I added extra carrots, celery, and spinach (at the end). I also used my diced tomatoes instead of stewed, & I think I should have drained them because it made the consistency more runny. But it didn’t even matter because it was SO TASTY! Seriously… we ate it with brown rice pasta from TJs. Another winner for sure – going ok the rotation!
This is unbelievably good. I’ve made foods before with spaghetti squash. It was easy to make and so flavorful. I chose not to add meat and used the cream versus coconut milk. Absolutely divine. Thank you so much for your labor to creat delicious healthy meals.
This recipe is BOMB! It it is so easy and so flavorful. It also freezes an defrosts beautifully. I omitted the artichoke hearts because my family doesn’t love them and it was still so good!
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The only bolognese recipe I will use! The best!
★★★★★
This was SO good! I substituted the beef and pork for ground turkey. Still delicious.
★★★★★
love that, Mal! thanks for sharing!
Yum! Made the bolognese and are over sweet potato gnocchi with cheese and yogurt. So good!
★★★★★
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Liz! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review!
This was so stinkin delicious. It was fun and easy to make. We will definitely be keeping this on the list of regular recipes year round!
★★★★★
Happy to hear that this has become a favorite for you all, Emma! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review!
Ashlea,
Do you drain the meat?
Thanks,
Alisha
Hi Alisha, You can if you prefer if you’d like to eliminate extra fat! Thanks for your question!
SO delicious!! I will definitely make this again. Whole family loved it and i have enough to freeze for another meal. Thanks to reading the other reviews, I may put this over gnocchi!
★★★★★
That sounds so good, Melissa! I’m so glad you all loved it! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review!
Made this because I’m doing Whole30. But this will go in regular rotation! So flavorful!
★★★★★
Love that, Nicole! So glad you enjoyed it!
This was GREAT. First recipe I’ve made from your site. I’ll definitely be back to try some more.
★★★★★
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Marie!
Loved everything about this except the cocnut milk! It was literally perfect until we added that at the end.. overwhelmed the delicious flavors of the rest of the dish. Disappointed 🙁
Hi, Elizabeth! If you don’t love coconut milk you’re always welcome to leave it out. I find that some people are more sensitive to the taste than others. It also depends on what coconut milk you use. The amount this recipe calls for shouldn’t be overwhelming at all but you’re always welcome to tweak the recipe to work for you and leave it out. Hope that helps!
This was easy and delicious! Thank you so much for the recipe. It’s a keeper in our house!
★★★★★
I’m so glad you loved it, Katie! Thank you for sharing!
Delicious and so very easy for a warm and comforting Sunday dinner! (and even better for lunch on Monday!!)
It’s also very easy to adapt to what you have in the fridge/pantry (apparently need to restock on thyme)! Used Hot Italian Sausage instead of pork and it just added that extra kick!
Definitely added to the meal rotation.
★★★★★
Love this, Anna! Thank you so much for sharing!
My family loves this bolognese sauce. Simple and easy steps, but the flavor is incredible!
★★★★★
I’m so glad the whole family loves it, Sarah!
This has quickly become my go-to recipe for pasta sauce! I live with some very picky eaters, and this was a hit with everyone. My six-year-old daughter (who generally doesn’t eat much meat) asked for seconds, and my husband literally licked his plate clean. I follow the recipe almost exactly as written, but usually sub 1/2 cup of heavy cream for the coconut milk since I eat dairy and typically have that on hand. The sauce tastes great on spaghetti squash, but I also love it on regular pasta or even cauliflower gnocchi. Can’t wait to make it again!
★★★★★
Thank you so much for sharing, Mallery! I’m so happy this recipe has become a hit with the whole family!
My favorite bolognese recipe! I usually eat this with a red lentil pasta but it’s so adaptable to any vessel! I love the coconut milk addition st the end. It works well with just beef as well (if you need to cut out pork for any reason).
★★★★★
Thanks for sharing, Kristin! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
As it’s December, I doubled the recipe to freeze and keep for a cold night and a warm meal. Was not at all disappointed! Ashlea nailed it once again! Super easy, super yummy, and I love having it frozen to continue eating for many nights!
★★★★★
Such a smart idea, Amanda! I’m so glad you loved the recipe!
Wow! So 😋 and great flavor. We only have empty bowls left.
★★★★★
So happy y’all loved it, Heather!
Made this on Tues night… SO GOOD!!! I added extra carrots, celery, and spinach (at the end). I also used my diced tomatoes instead of stewed, & I think I should have drained them because it made the consistency more runny. But it didn’t even matter because it was SO TASTY! Seriously… we ate it with brown rice pasta from TJs. Another winner for sure – going ok the rotation!
★★★★★
I’m so happy you loved the recipe, Rachel! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review!
Oh my goodness this is INCREDIBLE! My husband and I are obsessed with it, I can’t believe how easy and delicious!
★★★★★
This is unbelievably good. I’ve made foods before with spaghetti squash. It was easy to make and so flavorful. I chose not to add meat and used the cream versus coconut milk. Absolutely divine. Thank you so much for your labor to creat delicious healthy meals.
Excellent recipe! Substituted ground turkey instead of beef/pork as that’s what I had on hand and it turned out great. Will definitely make again.
★★★★★
This recipe is BOMB! It it is so easy and so flavorful. It also freezes an defrosts beautifully. I omitted the artichoke hearts because my family doesn’t love them and it was still so good!