Recipe {Spaghetti Stuffed Spaghetti Squash}

Monday, October 5, 2015

An attainable, healthy, comforting dinner that is beautiful enough for guests, channels a classic, and can be reheated for leftovers?! Is there anyone who wouldn't be on board with this recipe? This spaghetti stuffed spaghetti squash is a great way to cut out carbs, use a readily available gourd and make a meal that takes a minimal amount of active work.

For those of you who aren't familiar with spaghetti squash, it is a yellow, oval squash found with pumpkins, acorn and butternut squash. When cooked, the 'meat' of the squash can be shredded into spaghetti like ribbons.

The filling requires a high-quality and well-seasoned ground chicken. If you have access to a New Seasons I always get the spicy Italian ground chicken. This is the one ingredient you should be specific about. The red sauce is really up to you. For this, I grabbed romesco sauce from the deli at New Seasons, but any flavorful or unique red sauce will work. Go with what you like.

Spaghetti Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

Makes 4 Servings

1 Medium Spaghetti Squash

1 lb Ground Chicken

1 Onion, diced

EVOO

1/3-1/2 Cup Romesco, Vodka or Marinara Sauce

3/4 Cup Shredded Mozzarella

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Cut spaghetti squash in half and clean out seeds. Face down, cook the spaghetti squash for 35-40 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes.

While the squash is cooking: In a large pan over medium-high heat saute the onions in the EVOO until translucent. Add the ground chicken and cook completely. Remove from heat. Add 1/2 the cheese and the red sauce. 

Flip the squash over and gently use a fork to begin shredding the squash. This is not a 'full scraping' but a mild scraping for the baking process. Evenly distribute the meat filling between the two-halves. Top each half with the remaining cheese and return to the oven to bake for 20-30 minutes.