Perfectly cooked spaghetti squash is tossed with a flavor-packed Paleo & Whole30 pesto and seasoned chicken for a healthy filling meal even squash haters will love! This Paleo spaghetti squash dinner makes great leftovers too! Whole30, dairy free and low carb.
I need to begin this post by telling you I am very picky about my spaghetti squash. So picky, that this is just the second recipe ever on this blog including it as an ingredient.
Maybe you guys can relate – spaghetti squash is not one of those “sure things”, have you been there? Overcooking it by just a few minutes leaves it mushy, and tasting like flavorless, well, squash, rather than anything remotely related to pasta.
On the flip side, undercooking it by just a few minutes leaves it far too stringy and “raw” tasting, in my opinion – once again, nothing at all like spaghetti.
I WISH I could claim that this recipe will magically fool you into thinking you’re eating actual spaghetti, not squash.
But I’ll be honest – while it’s still clearly a vegetable in the recipe (no getting past that, in my opinion) I did a few things here to make this the best darned spaghetti squash that I’ve ever eaten. I really think you’ll agree. A squash-hating husband, who actually ate this in front of me, and liked it, does not lie.
I think there are two things involved in cooking the perfect squash. First, cooking it at the right temperature for the right amount of time, and removing the squash based on how it feels (it should give a bit when pushed from the top.)
Since the “push test” isn’t always completely accurate, it doesn’t hurt to test out a few strands either a couple of minutes early – since oven temps vary along with the size of your squash, it can’t hurt to test it – you can always stick it right back in the oven if it’s not ready yet.
The second thing is “draining” the squash. Since it IS indeed a vegetable, there will definitely be excess water released when it roasts.
I recommend removing all the spaghetti into a large bowl lined with paper towels, then, using another paper towel, squeezing/blotting the cooked spaghetti squash to remove excess water. A little bit of water removed will make a big difference in the texture of the final dish!
Enough about the squash for now, let’s move onto the pesto! I’ve been making a version of this particular walnut pesto for years, and recently added in nutritional yeast for a kick of “cheesy” flavor. The pesto recipe itself is printed fully in the post for pesto baked chicken.
While I used walnuts, others have told me they’ve subbed pine nuts with great results. It’s a great versatile pesto recipe that goes well with everything – especially, as it turns out, with spaghetti squash – and maybe (just maybe) it’ll get me over my mushy-squash trauma 🙂
The recipe itself is simple, and one of those that can be mostly made ahead of time to save tons of time!
Roast and drain the squash, make the pesto, cook the chicken, combine, and then bake for 10 minutes to heat through and combine the flavors. If you cook during your meal prep, you can have everything together in just 15 minutes!
If you want a few extra yummy add-ins, lightly roasted cherry tomatoes and crispy bacon crumbles would be delicious. That said, we enjoyed it as-is, so no need to get fancy. Are you guys ready to cook? Let’s go!!
Chicken Pesto Paleo Spaghetti Squash {Whole30}
Chicken Pesto Paleo Spaghetti Squash {Whole30}
Ingredients
- 1 med/med-large spaghetti squash
- 3/4-1 cup my favorite Paleo/Whole30 Pesto recipe this recipe makes extra, use as much as you need to fully toss with your spaghetti squash
- 1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts thin sliced or pounded to 1/2" thickness
- 2 Tbsp coconut oil ghee, or other cooking fat, to sauté the chicken
- Sea salt pepper, and onion powder to season chicken
Instructions
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First, roast the squash (you can do this step a day ahead of time, or during your meal prep and simply store the cooked squash in the fridge until ready to use.
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Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F and line a large baking sheet with foil or parchment.
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Cut the squash in half, lengthwise using a large sharp knife. Scoop out (I use a large spoon) the seeds and strings, then place face-down on a foil lined baking sheet.
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Roast in the 425 oven for about 20 minutes or until the squash can be pushed from the outside a bit with your finger. Do not over cook or it will be mushy! Once you remove the squash, lower the oven to 400 degrees.
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Allow the squash to cool enough to handle, and, using a fork going lengthwise down the squash, remove spaghetti strings from both sides of the squash and place in a large bowl.
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To "drain" the squash, squeeze once or twice between paper towels to absorb excess moisture, as you would with frozen spinach, for example. This step is important to get the texture of the dish right, no mushy, watery spaghetti squash!
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While the squash roasts, you can prepare your pesto using this recipe, or prepare it ahead of time and store in the fridge until ready to use.
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While the squash rests, cook the chicken. Heat a large skillet over med/med-hi heat and add your cooking fat. Sprinkle the chicken lightly with salt, pepper, and onion powder on both sides, then add to the pan and cook 2-3 minutes on each side, or until no longer pink in the center. Remove from pan to a plate, and allow to cool a bit. Once cool enough to handle, slice or chop into bite size pieces.
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In a casserole dish, gently toss the spaghetti with the chicken and pesto to fully coat, (about 1 cup)
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You'll have enough extra pesto - don't drown the spaghetti squash in pesto! Save it for another use.
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Put the casserole dish in the oven for about 10 minutes, or enough time to fully heat through and blend everything. Remove and serve!
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Additional delicious add-ins include cooked and crumbled bacon, and lightly roasted cherry tomatoes. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
*Prep time includes the time needed to cut and scoop the squash, and make the pesto. Cook time includes the time to cook the squash and chicken
Nutrition
Want more meal ideas like this Paleo Spaghetti Squash? Try one of these!
Easy One-Pan Bacon Wrapped Chicken
Zucchini Pasta with Chicken and Scallion Avocado Sauce
Creamy Tomato Basil Butternut Squash Chicken Bake
Tell Me!
Have you made Paleo pesto?
Any spaghetti squash cooking secrets/tips?
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This sounds so delicious! I think I’m going to add sun-dried tomatoes to it when I make it!
Yes that would be delicious!
How much nutritional yeast would you use in this?
The pesto recipe includes 2 Tbsp
That looks both filling yet light… and full of flavor. Perfect for warmer weather! Nom
Pesto is so good, and it tastes really delicious on spaghetti. I love that you made it easily grain free. 🙂
I made this recipe tonight for the first time. It was SO delicious. My husband who will eat anything but never compliments anything took one bite and said, “This is my new favorite. Awesome.” I LOVE it.
I couldn’t be happier to hear that! So glad you guys loved it 🙂
Haven’t checked in for a little while. This was well worth the re-entrance. Look forward to trying this! You are so right about spaghetti squash. I am so bad at making it that I’ve made myself dislike it.
Hey Amanda! Hope things are well, and hope you like this 🙂
I’ve been a spaghetti squash hater for years. I don’t want to be that way but haven’t found a recipe that endears it to me. I do love pesto and all of the other ingredients in this recipe. I have a lovely, fresh squash a friend gave me. Your recipe has inspired me to give it another go. Fingers crossed, this will be the turning point for me!
Crossing fingers for sure 🙂
I’ve had this recipe saved for a while now. I made it today using leftover turkey. I wish I hadn’t waited so long – it’s YUMMY!! Not ‘squashy’ at all.
Haha I’m not a spaghetti squash lover so I totally know what you mean! Glad you liked it 🙂
This recipe was a total fail. The water content in a spaghetti squash is high so it ended up being a big, soupy, bland mess. The pesto is a keeper so I ended up picking out the chicken and dipping it in remaining pesto. Super bummer.
Did you follow the instructions regarding prepping, roasting and draining the squash? If it’s overcooked and/or you don’t drain it well a watery mess will result. This is also discussed in the post itself in addition to the recipe.
I’ve got the perfect method for spaghetti squash. It involves salting to bring out the moisture prior to cooking. As well it depends on the way you cut it. They should be cut in rings about 1.5 thick. This goes with the dir croon of the string and yields a way better return. I’ll see if I can find the recipe online.
I’m getting ready to try this dish tonight. Minus walnuts.
Sounds good!
This was our first Whole30 dinner recipe and it was so YUMMY! Definitely will be making this dish again.
So happy you enjoyed it!
This sounds yummm! But my son can’t do nuts, any other variations or sunflower seeds or things that you can make the pesto sauce with?
He can’t do tomatoes Or dairy either so Italian sauce is hard for us. But I love it so much!!