Baked Spaghetti Squash & Chicken Parmesana

5 from 4 votes

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a plate of chicken parmesan and squash.

You may be tired of me extolling the virtues of our local farmer’s markets here in the Fox River valley of Wisconsin. I am completely unapologetic. This past summer we blissfully spent almost every Saturday meandering through the stands of produce, the artisan soaps and crafts, the scads of bright and fresh cut flowers and the Saturday morning crowd collectively rejoicing in the luxury of a leisurely-spent weekend morning. We have a few keep-overs from one of the season’s final markets and this evening I threw something together with one of the three spaghetti squash that have been claiming our dining room buffet as a temporary home.

a pot of mushrooms and squash.It’s always fun for me to try something new from the kitchen, and it’s really fun when the outcome is delicious. Add health and ease to the mix and it’s a bona fide winner in my book.

A spoon of sauce on some veggies.This was a meal of convenience, of sorts.  It started with a quart bag of freshly made vegetable broth that, sometime in the middle of the night, decided to inconveniently leak.  All of it.  From the top shelf of our side-by-side freezer.  This frozen mess initiated an hour long impromptu cleaning of our freezer which led to the discovery of some marinated chicken breast – that’s when the dinner wheels started to spin inside my head.

a pan of baked spaghetti squash and chicken.Typically when making anything with marinara, we almost always make our own.  Happily, I can’t remember the last time I opened a can of processed sauce.  When we don’t have fresh tomatoes (which is often), we usually heat up a can of diced ones, throw in some tomato paste, garlic, wine, seasoning and voilà.   It’s rare that we have no diced tomatoes in our pantry and today was one of those times.  That’s when I spotted the case of canned tomato sauce that resulted in a trip to Costco sometime ago.    As you can guess from reading this post and seeing the photos – one thing led to another with this meal.  Quite nicely.  We have a couple of spaghetti squashes remaining from our cherished farmer’s market, I can only hope they end up in something as delicious as this autumn dish.  Speaking of autumn, I hope yours is going nicely.   -Dan

 

Baked Spaghetti Squash & Chicken Parmesana

5 from 4 votes
A Platter Talk Exclusive
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 1 hour 25 minutes
Total: 1 hour 35 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients 

  • 1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
  • 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
  • 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3 tablespoons diced onion
  • 3/4 cup red wine, divided
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided.
  • 1 lb. chicken breast
  • 8 oz sliced baby portabella mushrooms
  • 1/4 cup chicken broth
  • 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
  • 2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley for garnish

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  • Split spaghetti squash in half, lengthwise, remove seeds.
  • Brush 1 tablespoon olive oil on flesh side of both squash halves.
  • Place squash flesh-side down on foil lined baking sheet and bake for 40 minutes.
  • Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to small sauce pan and place on medium heat.
  • Add onion and garlic, sauté until soft and translucent, about 4 minutes.
  • Add tomato sauce and 1/2 cup red wine, along with Italian seasoning and salt, stir, cover, and reduce heat to low.
  • Meanwhile, cut chicken breasts width-wise into 1/2” strips.
  • In oven safe sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon over medium high heat, add chicken.
  • Sauté and stir chicken until no longer pink, about 7 minutes.
  • Transfer chicken to small bowl and tent with foil to keep warm.
  • Add remaining 1/4 cup wine and broth to pan, deglaze and scrape brown bits to incorporate into liquid.
  • Reduce to half volume, add to tomato sauce, stir and cover.
  • Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to saute pan, heat over medium high heat and sauté mushrooms for about 5 minutes.
  • Transfer mushrooms to small bowl and set aside.
  • Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the same sauté pan and coat bottom.
  • Use fork to remove stringy meat of squash, evenly distribute in pan.
  • Place chicken and mushrooms over squash, cover with tomato sauce.
  • Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over dish.
  • Bake for 30 minutes, allow to set 5 minutes before serving.

Notes

In lieu of an oven-safe sauté pan, use a shallow (casserole) baking dish.

Nutrition

Calories: 368kcal, Carbohydrates: 12g, Protein: 30g, Fat: 19g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Cholesterol: 78mg, Sodium: 1175mg, Potassium: 1108mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 7g, Vitamin A: 769IU, Vitamin C: 14mg, Calcium: 119mg, Iron: 3mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Italian
Tried this recipe?Mention @plattertalk or tag #plattertalk!

Meet the Platter Talk Guys

Dan & Scott split their time between Wisconsin and Southwest Florida and are dads to six boys. Good food runs through their veins, and they love showing others how to cook easy recipes.

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31 Comments

  1. Oh the joy of an impromptu fridge cleaning, but what a tasty-looking path it took you on! I really need to utilize this squash variety more often, and this meal is a great jumping off point.

    1. Thanks for your comments, Brooks! The freezer is indeed sparkling and there’s a new notch in our recipe post; for these thing I am grateful!

  2. First of all I hope your cut is getting better! The meal you prepared is packed with flavors and it is a true family meal. I wish I was your neighbor! Thank you also for featuring my waffles it was such a lovely surprise! Have a great week my friend and watch out of the knifes lol!

  3. Hey Dan, I have been wanting to make a recipe using spaghetti squash and this dish looks wonderful. Spaghetti squash is not found too often in my city, but I’m keeping my eyes open. Thanks for sharing!

  4. 5 stars
    I adore discovering new dishes using healthy and versatile spaghetti squash and this one looks amazing! A must-try for sure!

    1. Thanks so much, Linda. We will be making more with this wonderful produce from the farmer’s market!

  5. This is another winner you guys! I love spaghetti squash, it is such a fun and versatile squash. This looks truly delish!

  6. As I have said before Dan and Scott, I so enjoy reading your blog. It is the one blog I look forward to most and savor the script and the photos and then read through the recipe. This is a wonderful use of spaghetti squash.

    1. Thanks so much Patty. We love hearing from you and yes, this was truly a tasty alternative to pasta. Thanks so much.