Pepperoni pizza-stuffed spaghetti squash

I've recounted my former distaste of spaghetti squash before and how all that changed once I started eating it like this and this. Well, this pepperoni pizza-stuffed version is another recipe that makes me love spaghetti squash and even look forward to when it is in season. 

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I guess the secret of my love of this squash has been cheese, but hey, that's alright I suppose. This recipe takes all the flavors of a pepperoni pizza and mixes them into a spaghetti squash that is baked again with mozzarella cheese on top. A low-carb pizza casserole if you will. 

We both enjoyed this dish a lot. It was hot, bubbly, cheesy, comforting, and just really good.

This recipe will serve two people. You'll want a half of a spaghetti squash per person. I served these with a salad for a complete meal.

Pepperoni pizza-stuffed spaghetti squash
1 small-medium spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise with seeds and strings removed
about 3/4 cup tomato sauce
1/3 cup roughly chopped pepperoni
1 garlic clove, pressed or finely minced
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, plus more for topping
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon dried parsley, plus more for serving
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, plus more for topping
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the spaghetti squash in a baking dish, cut-side up. Bake until fork tender, about 35-40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool until you can handle them.

Carefully scrape out the spaghetti squash strands into a large bowl, taking care to not break the skin. Put the squash skins back into the baking dish. Add the remaining ingredients, except the mozzarella to the bowl and stir until well-combined. Add more sauce, if desired. Divide the mixture equally into the spaghetti squash skins.

Top each with half of the mozzarella, a bit more Parmesan, and a sprinkle of Italian seasoning. Return to the oven and bake until the cheese is melted and golden, about 25 minutes. You can pop them under the broiler for a couple of minutes to get the cheese extra browned.

Serve hot topped with an extra sprinkle of parsley.