Spaghetti Squash au Gratin with Bechamel Sauce

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Place spaghetti squash in a baking dish.

Bake in the preheated oven until squash is tender when pricked with a fork, about 1 hour. Remove from oven and set aside until almost completely cooled. Cut in half and remove seeds using a spoon. Shred squash meat using a fork and discard the peel.

Combine shredded spaghetti squash and sweet potato in a bowl. Press cloves into peeled onion.

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat until a pinch of flour sprinkled into the butter will just begin to bubble. Whisk in flour to form a thick paste the consistency of cake frosting. Pour in warm milk, 2 tablespoons at a time, and keep stirring until sauce thickens. Add onion and bay leaf, cover, and simmer over low heat, stirring from time to time to prevent burning, for 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a baking dish.

Remove onion and bay leaf from bechamel sauce and and season sauce with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over spaghetti squash-sweet potato mixture and mix well. Transfer spaghetti squash mixture into the prepared baking dish.

Bake in the preheated oven until top is golden brown, 50 to 60 minutes.