Pesto Spaghetti Squash with Chicken Meatballs

Hi all! One of my very favorite meals is super simple spaghetti and meatballs- BUT...carbs. If I know I won't be getting a really good work out in the following day, I will not end the previous day with a big bowl of carbs! The obvious solution is spaghetti squash! I searched around for a good "spaghetti and meatballs" recipe using spaghetti squash but I found nothing that great. If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself 😉

Ingredients:

1 spaghetti squash

4-5 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper

1 lb ground chicken

1 cup breadcrumbs

1 tbsp italian seasoning

1 egg

2+ tbsp grated parmesan cheese

2 cups packed spinach

1 tbsp dried basil

splash of lemon juice

2 or 3 tbsp crushed or slivered almonds

Process:

To cook the spaghetti squash:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Chop the top and bottom off of the spaghetti squash and chop in half. Spread olive oil over the insides (should take approximately 1 tablespoon) and salt and pepper the cut sides. Place cut sides down onto a baking sheet prepared with tin foil and olive oil. Bake for 40-60 minutes. 

To make the meatballs:

Mix 1 pound of ground chicken, 1 cup of breadcrumbs (I use the Italian breadcrumbs from Target and skip adding Italian seasoning), 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning, 1 egg, salt and pepper (measure with your soul), and 1 tablespoon parmesan cheese in a large bowl. Form approximately one inch balls and place on another baking sheet prepared again with tin foil and cooking oil. Place in the oven with the spaghetti squash when the timer reads 25 minutes. 

To make the pesto:

In a food processor or blender, blend together 2 cups of packed spinach, 1 tablespoon dried basil, 1 tablespoon parmesan cheese, salt and pepper, a splash of lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon crushed or slivered almonds. Add in olive oil as you go, use JUST enough to get it to blend properly. I used a blender and found that the regular "blend" setting worked the best to turn it into pesto. I just "pulsed" on blend. Do whatever works best for you though, obviously 😊

When the spaghetti squash and meatballs are cooked through, pull them out of the oven and set meatballs aside for now. Shred the spaghetti squash with a fork. I left the "spaghetti" inside the squash and simply transferred the whole half into a bowl and ate out of it that way, but you could also transfer the spaghetti noodles only into the bowl/plate. Drizzle your pesto over the spaghetti squash noodles and top with the chicken meatballs. Add more parmesan if desired (I definitely desired). 

Thank you for reading and enjoy!!

  

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