What’s YOUR Favorite Recipe From the Newsletter?
One of the best things about this newsletter is all the recipes! I love having so many recipes to look through, and when I find the ones that catch my eye it’s even better that I can just automatically add them to my personal Cook’n with the click of a button!
I’ve been writing for the Cook’n newsletter for almost 10 years, and over that time I’ve seen a lot of recipes. But one of my favorites that I’ve come across is this Cheesy Pesto Chicken Spaghetti Squash dish from a weekly Cook’n newsletter dated November 13th, 2015. It sounded intriguing to me because I love pesto, and this dish is full of veggies and I thought I’d give it a shot.
I LOVE it. It was actually a hit with most of my family- even some of my picky eaters ;). It does require a little thinking ahead with prep time (you either need to have the spaghetti squash cooked or give yourself plenty of time to get the squash cooked before dinner), but it’s been a staple at my house for the past several years! I’ve even tweaked it a bit over the years to better fit my family’s needs.
It’s a great way to use up spinach that’s starting to wilt because you’re sauteeing it anyway. It’s a great way to introduce your kiddos to a new veggie in a fun form (eating squash in “spaghetti” form is just fun!), it’s beautiful and full of color, and it’s a meal you can feel good about eating because of all the nutrients you’re eating! And it reheats super well, so I tend to add extra of everything so I have enough for lunch the next day ;).
I also love that it’s a super adaptable recipe. You can leave veggies out or change them up depending on what’s in your fridge and what needs to be used up. You can leave the chicken out and just use the pesto sauce on the veggies, or you can use a different protein like shrimp, steak, or tofu. Because my family is so big I’ve adapted the recipe a little- rather than serving it in the squash (which is a beautiful and super fun presentation if you can do that), I just scoop out all the squash and add it to the chicken and veggie mixture in a large cast iron pan (that I’ve already used to saute everything). Then I mix it all together, top with cheese, and heat up until the cheese is broiled. Then I can just serve it like a casserole and this makes it super easy to serve up!
I’ve included the recipe here for you, in case you missed it the first time ;). I’ve also added my adjustments to the bottom as a note. Tell me in the comments if you’ve made this one!
I’d also love to know- what’s YOUR favorite recipe that you’ve found from our newsletters? Share with us below! I can’t wait to hear them!
Cheesy Pesto Chicken Spaghetti Squash
Serving size: 4
Calories per serving: 41
Ingredients:
Calories per serving: 41
2 medium-small spaghetti squash, (6-7 inches long)
2 chicken breasts
1/2 cup pesto, , extra to taste
1 cup fresh baby spinach, torn/chopped
1 extra large carrot, shredded
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 pound shredded cheese
1 tablespoon fresh parsley to garnish
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
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 up to 3-4 days awaiting it's stuffage with your lovely ingredients. 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!
While the squash roast, cook chicken via your favorite method or squirrel away leftovers from the previous night's dinner.
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 there's 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 doesn't 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!
**My adjustments: I use rotisserie chicken and buy shredded carrots to make it super easy. I eyeball everything I put in the skillet, and I usually add an entire 8 ounce jar of pesto sauce as well as way more spinach (often an entire package). When the squash is done I shred it and add it to the skillet and THEN I add the cheese. Mix well, top with more cheese, and bake in the oven til everything is melty cheesy delicious. (This works best if you have a pot that can go from stove to oven to minimize dishes!).
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 up to 3-4 days awaiting it's stuffage with your lovely ingredients. 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!
While the squash roast, cook chicken via your favorite method or squirrel away leftovers from the previous night's dinner.
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 there's 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 doesn't 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!
**My adjustments: I use rotisserie chicken and buy shredded carrots to make it super easy. I eyeball everything I put in the skillet, and I usually add an entire 8 ounce jar of pesto sauce as well as way more spinach (often an entire package). When the squash is done I shred it and add it to the skillet and THEN I add the cheese. Mix well, top with more cheese, and bake in the oven til everything is melty cheesy delicious. (This works best if you have a pot that can go from stove to oven to minimize dishes!).
Recipe formatted with the Cook'n Recipe Software from DVO Enterprises.
Camille Hoffmann
Monthly Newsletter Contributor since 2014
Email the author! camille@dvo.com
Sources:
- https://www.dvo.com/newsletter/weekly/2015/11-13-892/meal4.html
