After a long week of treating myself to ice cream, pasta, sugary drinks, hush puppies, and more ice cream (did I say ice cream?), it feels really good to get back on track with what I’m eating. I can definitely feel it when I eat well vs when I don’t. Not gonna lie, the first day back at the gym was rough. Before I lifted a finger on any other post-spring break responsibility though, my first order of business was grocery shopping! I love food, so naturally I love buying food. It’s so satisfying to restock my staple fruits and veggies – especially spaghetti squash.
If you’ve never had spaghetti squash, it’s life changing for meal prep. One squash is not only cheap, but makes enough for a whole week, keeps super well, and lends itself to several different easy weeknight dinners. These spaghetti squash boats with chicken and broccoli are the perfect way to try it for the first time!
Contrary to what it may seem like on social media, 75% of my diet during the week week is avocado toast, spaghetti squash, and eggs scrambled with random veggies – not sexy. That, and I’m usually in such a rush to cook and eat that I don’t follow recipes, much less style for food photos. My Instagram stories (@forks_intheroad) tend to be more more representative of what I eat on a daily basis than my actual posts. But, I’ve been getting a lot of replies to my food prep Stories asking for recipes. So by popular demand (and so I remember myself), I’m making a conscious effort to measure out ingredients and jot them down. Eventually, I’m hoping to get out posts for most of my staple meals.
If you’ve never had spaghetti squash, it might surprise you that you don’t have to use a spiralizer or any sort of special equipment to get the strands. The flesh comes out like that when you scrape the cooked squash with a fork! You’ll see in the recipe below that this part can be done ahead of time, and so can the chicken and broccoli. That way when you get home from school or work, all you need to do is cook the sauce – a fragrant combination of butter, garlic, a little flour, milk, and broth. You can easily make this recipe vegetarian by leaving out the chicken (maybe subbing tofu?) and using vegetable broth.
P.S. I only rediscovered spaghetti squash last semester, after remembering randomly that my dad used to make it for us with buttermilk ranch (LOL). I bought one on a whim because of that memory, and the rest is history. I have since converted my roommate and we each roast a spaghetti squash every week. #dedicated
- 2 cups roasted spaghetti squash strands
- 2 cups baby broccoli florets (fresh or frozen)
- 8 oz boneless skinless chicken breast
- 2 tsp fajita seasoning (chili powder, cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper)
- 1 TB butter
- 1 TB minced garlic
- 1 TB flour (I use whole wheat)
- 2/3 C milk (I use almond milk)
- 2/3 C chicken or vegetable broth
- 2 TB parmesan plus more for sprinkling on top
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- Preheat the oven to 400. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and lightly grease the foil. Cut the spaghetti squash into quarters - length wise and then in half again. Gently scrape out the seeds with a fork, then place the pieces flesh-down on the foil, rubbing them around so they don't stick. Roast for ~45 min, or until a fork pierces the squash easily. Remove from oven and turn the squash pieces flesh-up and allow to cool. Scrape out the insides with a fork and store in air-tight container and refrigerate for up to one week. Save the shells for the boats.
- Bring a pot of water to boil. Add the broccoli and salt to taste. Boil uncovered, until a fork pierces the stems easily - about 8 minutes. Store in air-tight container and refrigerate for up to two days.
- Dice the chicken into 1/2" size cubes. Spray with vegetable oil, and coat with spice mix. Spread out evenly on a lined baking sheet and bake at 375 for 15 minutes, tossing halfway through. Store in air-tight container and refrigerate for up to two days.
- In a large saucepan, melt the butter on med-high heat. Add the garlic, sauteeing until fragrant. Mix in the flour until it gets pasty and immediately add in the broth and milk. Boil on high, stirring constantly, until the mixture starts to thicken. Reduce heat to low and stir in the salt, pepper, and 2 TB of parmesan. Add in roasted chicken and half the broccoli, coating everything in the sauce.
- Set oven to broil. Divide the mixture among two quarters of the empty spaghetti squash boats. Top with the remaining broccoli and sprinkle parmesan on top of both boats. Place the filled boats on a lined baking sheet and broil for ~5 min, or until the cheese is lightly browned.