Oh friends, I’m so excited to be bringing back my Table for Two series and this meal is one of our absolute favorites right now! It’s SO tasty and cheesy and it’s a pretty healthy meal too! It isn’t the quickest meal in the world but it’s taste totally makes up for it! I originally got this wonderful recipe off of Pinterest HERE  and it quickly became one of our favorites. I can’t wait to share this recipe with you! I hope this meal makes in on your list for next week’s dinners!!

Cheesy Pesto Chicken and Veggie Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

Ingredients

2 medium-small spaghetti squash [6-7 inches long]

2 chicken breasts (Sometimes I use a rotisserie chicken, which is quick and super tasty!)

1/2 cup pesto, extra to taste (I use an entire 8.1 oz jar)

1-2 cups fresh baby spinach (I just use a whole bag)

1 extra large carrot, shredded

1 medium red bell pepper, chopped

Salt and pepper, to taste

8 oz shredded cheese (I use Mozzarella)

 

Instructions

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 much easier this way!

Next grab a lipped baking sheet or a rimmed baking dish. I put foil down for easy clean up.

To prevent sticking, rub the cut side of the squash with a teeny bit of olive oil.

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 you’d 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 let’s get back to the recipe!

While the squash roast, cook chicken via your favorite method or pick 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 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 your yummy mix-ins so there’s yummy squash in every bite!

Top with the rest of your grated cheese. Bake at 350 degrees until cheese is melted, only a couple minutes or so.

Notes

Though this dish has a few components that are all cooked differently, don’t fret! You can cook the chicken while the squash roasts and the veggies while the chicken cooks and, before you know it, the kitchen will be clean and you’ll have food in your face. YAY!

To see other Table for Two posts click HERE

To learn about my weekly meal planning click HERE