Cheesy Pesto Chicken and Veggie Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

• Gluten free

• Meat

  • 2 Chicken breasts

• Produce

  • 1 cups Baby spinach, fresh
  • 1 Carrot, large
  • 1 tbsp Parsley, fresh
  • 2 Spaghetti squash [6-7 inches long, medium small

• Condiments

  • 1/2 cup Pesto

• Baking & Spices

  • 1 Red bell pepper pepper, medium
  • 1 Salt and pepper

• Dairy

  • 8 oz Cheese

Found on peasandcrayons.com

Description

Ingredients

• 2 medium-small spaghetti squash [6-7 inches long]
• 2 chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup pesto, extra to taste
• 1-2 cups fresh baby spinach, torn/chopped
• 1 extra large carrot, shredded
• 1 medium red bell pepper pepper, chopped
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 8 oz shredded cheese
• 1-2 TBSP fresh parsley to garnish

Directions

• Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Slice your spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. For easy cutting, feel free to stick each squash in the microwave for 5 minutes to soften it up just a tad. The knife slides through way easier this way!
• Next grab a lipped baking sheet or a rimmed baking dish.
• To prevent sticking, rub the cut side of the squash with a teeny bit of olive oil or simply place a little water inside your baking dish. Both work great!
• Place inside a baking dish or atop rimmed, lined baking sheet [some liquid will escape] and roast face-down for 30-40 minutes, or until tender and easily pierced with a fork.
• Cooking time will vary a bit depending on the size of your squash, and the once rock-hard exterior of the squash will be visibly softened.
• The squash can be roasted and stored in the fridge for a few days if youd like to meal prep and plan ahead for a speedier dinner. You can also make the whole shebang one weekend and pop it in the fridge until about 30 minutes before dinnertime. Wind up with a little bit leftover? It reheats marvelously the following day! Now lets get back to the recipe!
• While the squash roast, cook chicken via your favorite method or squirrel away leftovers from the previous nights dinner. I poached mine.
• Chop chicken into bite sized pieces and toss with pesto.
• Set aside.
• In a small pot, heat a drizzle of olive oil to medium-high heat and sauté your bell pepper and carrot for a few minutes until tender. Next add the spinach and pesto chicken and stir to wilt the spinach.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Next add your cheese to the hot mixture. Mix a little over half the cheese in with the chicken and veggies and save the rest for topping.
• To stuff the squash you can simply pile on your pesto chicken and veggies or fluff the squash first with a fork before stirring in all you yummy mix-ins so theres yummy squash in every bite!
• Top with the rest of your grated cheese and cover the baking dish in foil, leaving a little room at the top [like a tent!] so the cheese doesnt stick.
• Bake at 350 degrees F for around 20-30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
• Garnish with fresh parsley and/or basil leaves and dig in!