Simple and Healthy Week Night Meal: Spaghetti Squash, Chicken and Veggies
October 18, 2011 by: Cavan
This is more of an idea than a “written in stone” recipe. Whitney is a good cook but she is even better at creating concoctions. This came about one night when I went out with the boys for beer and wings, and she was left to fend for herself. But I digress… We love spaghetti squash but mostly use it as a noodle substitute with tomato sauce. Whit whipped this dish up and it’s become a staple in the Allen household.
The ingredients I will list below are completely substitutable. Yellow squash would be good, artichoke hearts would be excellent, broccoli is always good. But we used the following ingredients. (Keep in mind this is for 2-3 people)
- 3 Marinated Chicken Breasts
- 1 Spaghetti Squash
- About a 1/3 of a Bunch of Asparagus
- 1 Cup of Sliced Button Mushrooms
- About 3 Stalks of Green Onions
- 1 Diced Zucchini
- 11/2 Cups of Grape Tomatoes
- 2 Cloves of Minced Garlic
- Parmesan Cheese
- EVOO–for drizzling (Please forgive me for using EVOO)
- Salt/Pepper
You’ll want to start with the spaghetti squash. Preheat oven to 375. Cut squash in half (length wise) an remove ends. Clean out the innards. Place cut side down in a baking dish with about a 1/2 inch of water. Bake for about 40 minutes. Once it’s cooked let sit for about 10 minutes and use a fork to scrape long way with a fork. The end result will be noodle-like strips. *Note: The spaghetti squash is still going to be quite warm so use oven mitts when handling.
Plate the spaghetti squash an drizzle with EVOO and salt/pepper. Top with veggies and diced chicken and give it a good sprinkle of parmesan cheese. You could add a sauce–I’d say tomato– but have at it. We love the taste of the squash so we let it be.
There you go. If you experiment with ingredients please let me know what you used and how it turned out.
I have an extra spaghetti squash from my CSA that I need to use up. Somehow your squash looks more like spaghetti than any of the ones I’ve every cooked.
Hey Danielle!
My wife is the true expert for spaghetti squash but I know she says a 10 minute rest and/or shredding it while it’s still fairly hot is the key to the noodle like consistancy. However, I do think the picture has made it look more noodle like than it actually was. It was not as rounded as it appears.
Thanks for stopping by!
Danielle, this is a great meal and the spaghetti squash makes an interesting substitute to regular pasta. Just follow Cavan’s instructions there and you will have spaghetti in no time. Another similar post is this one: http://www.mancavecuisine.com/2011/09/28/heathers-heart-healthy-spaghetti-squash-with-chili/