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3.50 from 2 votes

Pesto Spaghetti Squash, Chicken and Zucchini Bowls (GF, paleo-friendly)

Delicious pesto spaghetti squash noodles with goat cheese and chicken.
Prep Time45 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time1 hour 5 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 6
Author: Dominique

Ingredients

  • 3.5 pound spaghetti squash
  • 1/4 cup (2 ounces) goat cheddar ( I like the Montchevré brand)
  • 1/4 cup pine nuts
  • a large handful of fresh basil ( add more to taste)
  • 2 Tbs + 2 tsp olive oil , divided
  • 3 cloves of garlic , minced
  • 1/4 of a medium white onion , minced
  • 1 pound of all natural thin sliced chicken breasts
  • 1/4 tsp rosemary
  • 1/4 tsp + 1/2 tsp salt , divided
  • 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp dried basil
  • 2 medium sized zucchinis , sliced and halved
  • Keep some pine nuts and fresh basil handy to use as decoration and extra seasoning

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
  • Cover a cookie sheet in aluminum foil.
  • Cut the spaghetti squash in half and remove the mushy core with a spoon. Then cover the surface with some olive oil and evenly "paint it on" with a silicone basting brush.
  • Lay the squash face down on the aluminum paper.
  • Cook the spaghetti squash for 40-45 minutes and then remove it from the oven and let cool.
  • While the spaghetti squash is cooking, put the 1/4 cup of goat cheddar and 1/4 cup of pine nuts into a food processor and mix until the mixture looks like "crumbles". Add the large handful of basil and 2 Tbs of olive oil to the food processor and mix until everything is smooth and well mixed. At this point the pesto is done and can be set aside.
  • Put the minced garlic and onion into a large frying pan with 2 tsp of olive oil, over medium-high heat. Cook for 3 minutes, while mixing with a spatula from time to time.
  • Lower the heat to medium, and add the sliced chicken breasts to the frying pan. Top the chicken with 1/4 tsp of rosemary, 1/4 tsp of salt, 1/4 tsp of ground black pepper and 1/4 tsp of dried basil. Cook the chicken for 4 minutes and then flip each chicken breast. Let them cook for another 4 minutes and then flip them again. Cook for 2 more minutes and then remove the chicken from the pan to let cool. Based on the thickness of your chicken, you may need to vary the time of cooking. When you cut the chicken, the inside should be white and the outside should be golden.
  • Then use the same pan that you just cooked the chicken in to cook the zucchini. This will add nice flavor to the zucchini. Cook the zucchini over medium heat for 7-9 minutes, making sure to mix fairly often.
  • While the zucchini is cooking, cut the chicken up into bite sized pieces and set them aside.
  • By this point, the spaghetti squash should be done. Using two forks, "rake" against the inside of the squash until the insides looked like “spaghetti”. You should be able to rake them until you almost reach the skin of the squash.
  • Then, put all of the spaghetti squash into a large bowl.
  • Mix the pesto into it by tossing the whole thing with a large spoon and fork. Make sure the pesto has fully mixed into the spaghetti squash.
  • Add the bite sized chicken, the cooked zucchini, and 1/2 tsp of salt to the large bowl and mix again with a large spoon and fork.
  • At this point, add a handful of pine nuts and some fresh cut basil to the bowl and give it one last toss. To get the max basil flavor, roll the basil leaf up into a cigar shape and cut small into small slivers.
  • Serve into smaller bowls and enjoy.

Nutrition

Calories: 285kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 53mg | Sodium: 451mg | Potassium: 705mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 497IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 78mg | Iron: 2mg