What's for Dinner Wednesday: Spaghetti Squash Chicken "Lasagna" Bake

I've been spending a lot of time on Pinterest lately, especially in the recipe section. I saw a few different spaghetti squash bake/casserole recipes and was inspired to make one of my own! I wanted to make it layered like a lasagna with lots of fresh herbs. It turned out really good! The only change I would make is I would use more marinara sauce. I used a pretty thin layer. You could also do a layer of it on the very bottom in addition to the one called for in the recipe. I tend to like a lot of sauce on everything I eat, so this just may be a personal preference.

Here's what you'll need:

Spaghetti squash - 2 small/medium cooked and "spaghetti" removed with a fork

1 large boneless skinless chicken breast cubed or shredded

Low fat or part skim ricotta cheese

Reduced fat shredded mozzarella or Italian blend cheese

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Spaghetti or marinara sauce of your choosing

Cauliflower "Alfredo" sauce (recipe here) (optional-I made some for another recipe and used it, but you don't have to)

Two Roma tomatoes diced

10 leaves fresh basil

2 handfuls fresh parsley

1/2 sprig fresh rosemary

I didn't measure anything when I made this since it was the first time experimenting with the recipe. I will guesstimate the amounts of sauces and ricotta cheese I used.

First, spray a casserole dish with non-stick spray. Coat the bottom of the dish with a layer of spaghetti squash.

Next, you're going to mix together the cauliflower sauce, ricotta, and half of the fresh chopped herbs. I would say I probably used about 1.5 cups of cauliflower sauce and a cup of ricotta. If you are only using the ricotta, use 2-2.5 cups. You just want enough for about a 1/4" layer.

After you mix that up, add about 1/4-1/3 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese and stir it in.

Put down the layer of mixture, then add a layer of diced tomatoes next:

Next, sprinkle chicken on top of tomatoes, then add a second layer of spaghetti squash:

 

Stir the rest of the herbs into your marinara sauce, and add a layer of that next:

Top with shredded cheese and it's ready to bake!

Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees, then uncover and bake for 5-10 more minutes.

Look how yummy!!

I cut two sweet potatoes into spears, sprayed them with EVOO, coated them with salt and pepper, and baked them for 45 minutes at 400 degrees to make sweet potato fries to go on the side.

They turned out perfect! Just a little bit of crisp on the outside and perfectly cooked on the inside. I dipped them in BBQ sauce, and they were great!

I have enough leftovers for a dinner party! Come on over if you live close, it's not going to last long!

Happy Humpday!

Stacey

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