Italian Chicken Pesto with Spaghetti Squash

Rating: 4.6 stars
5 Ratings
  • 5 star values: 4
  • 4 star values: 0
  • 3 star values: 1
  • 2 star values: 0
  • 1 star values: 0

This is a great new paleo version of your favorite Italian recipe with spaghetti squash. I like to sprinkle a bit of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese over mine.

By tclark23

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Recipe Summary

prep:
30 mins
cook:
50 mins
additional:
10 mins
total:
1 hr 30 mins
Servings:
6
Yield:
6 servings
Nutrition Info
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Ingredients

6
Original recipe yields 6 servings
The ingredient list now reflects the servings specified

Directions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

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  • Sprinkle squash with Italian seasoning and place upside-down on a rimmed baking tray. Add about 1 inch of water.

  • Bake in the preheated oven until tender, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes; strands of squash should easily pull away when scraped with a fork.

  • Heat a large skillet or wok over medium heat. Cook and stir sausage, uncovered, in the hot skillet until mostly browned and crumbly, about 10 minutes. Stir in broccoli and bell pepper. Reduce heat to low and add squash strands. Sprinkle basil, rosemary, and Italian seasoning, on top and drizzle with olive oil. Stir in 2 big spoonfuls of pesto, adding more to taste, followed by sun-dried tomatoes. Let simmer over low heat for 2 to 5 minutes. Serve.

Cook's Notes:

If you've never cooked with pesto before, don't think of it as spaghetti sauce. A little bit goes a long way! The jars are usually about 1/3 of the size of a spaghetti sauce jar. I'll typically be able to make 3 meals with 1 jar. Just throw the extra in the fridge and save for next time.

Be sure to avoid canola oil in your pesto sauce and sun-dried tomatoes. Also, keep heat on low once you start adding olive oil and pesto sauce.

Nutrition Facts

Per Serving:
460 calories; protein 22.4g; carbohydrates 42g; fat 26g; cholesterol 37.2mg; sodium 1825.1mg. Full Nutrition
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Reviews (4)

Read More Reviews

Most helpful critical review

Rachael :)
Rating: 3 stars
06/23/2020
So this was my first time cooking with spaghetti squash! I liked it as a substitute for spaghetti, but it was still a little crunchy. I'm not sure if that's just how it is or if I needed to cook it longer. I loved the flavors of the pesto and dried tomatoes, and the red pepper I used instead of the green one! The things I would do differently next time would be to cook the broccoli and peppers ahead of time so they're softer. I don't particularly like crunchy vegetables, and the recipe didn't say to cook them ahead of time, so I just threw them in with the chicken and squash raw. To even get them to soften I had to cook everything with the cover on for about 15 minutes. Anyway, my family liked it well enough, but next time I want to have less crunchy veggies! Read More
5 Ratings
  • 5 star values: 4
  • 4 star values: 0
  • 3 star values: 1
  • 2 star values: 0
  • 1 star values: 0
Reviews:
Most Helpful Most Positive Least Positive Newest
Lisa Scott
Rating: 5 stars
07/14/2020
So yummy. I loved the spaghetti squash instead of noodles. I will make this again! Read More
Rachael :)
Rating: 3 stars
06/22/2020
So this was my first time cooking with spaghetti squash! I liked it as a substitute for spaghetti, but it was still a little crunchy. I'm not sure if that's just how it is or if I needed to cook it longer. I loved the flavors of the pesto and dried tomatoes, and the red pepper I used instead of the green one! The things I would do differently next time would be to cook the broccoli and peppers ahead of time so they're softer. I don't particularly like crunchy vegetables, and the recipe didn't say to cook them ahead of time, so I just threw them in with the chicken and squash raw. To even get them to soften I had to cook everything with the cover on for about 15 minutes. Anyway, my family liked it well enough, but next time I want to have less crunchy veggies! Read More
Margie Robinson
Rating: 5 stars
11/02/2020
This was delicious after I added more than a "pinch" of the spices and salt to the dish. Read More
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Snipster
Rating: 5 stars
10/08/2020
Delicious and healthy. My changes: Used red bell pepper instead of green, sauteed fresh garlic in olive oil with fresh basil leaves because I didn't have any pesto. Sprinkled grated Parmesan cheese when we ate it. Would make again and again. Thank you! Read More
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