Chicken and Spinach Spaghetti Squash Alfredo

Looking for a lighter, lower carb way to enjoy your chicken Alfredo and get some extra veggies in too? This Chicken and Spinach Spaghetti Squash Alfredo has it all covered and tastes delicious! 

January is typically the month where lots of folks are trying to cut back on carbs. December lots of us, myself included, went a little overboard on them and now it’s time to reel them in and get things under control. This doesn’t mean you can’t still enjoy comfort food, just find ways to lighten it up.

One of our favorite comfort foods is chicken fettuccine Alfredo. What’s not to love? Creamy, cheesy carb loaded goodness! Of course it’s probably not the best choice if you ate about 100 cookies last month. The solution, Chicken and Spinach Spaghetti Squash Alfredo.

You’re still going to get that creamy, cheesy Alfredo flavor, but you’ll slash those carbs by using a spaghetti squash instead of traditional pasta.

I’m still trying to get my husband to love spaghetti squash as much as I do, but I think it’s a lost cause. He did however say when he had this version for dinner a couple weeks ago, that he didn’t dislike it as much as he thought he would. Hey, I’ll take what I can get!

Along with using spaghetti squash to lighten this spinach and chicken Alfredo up, I also made used some other lighter ingredients. A true Alfredo sauce is basically butter, cream and parmesan cheese. That’s why it’s so darn good!

Of course we can’t eat like that all the time, so lowfat milk, olive oil and less cheese are my tricks to a lighter, but very tasty Alfredo sauce. Since I’m not using cream, my sauce needs a little help to thicken.

You’ll make a quick white sauce using olive oil, flour and the low fat milk. Once that thickens, stir in a combination of mozzarella and parmesan cheese until the sauce is thick and smooth. Off the heat whisk in the Greek yogurt. Don’t freak out when you see how thick your sauce is, you want it this way because you are going to add the spaghetti squash in which will loosen it up to just the right consistency.

The chicken and spinach are mixed in and then you have two choices. Either put the mixture back in the squash shells, top with extra cheese and broil until melted and warmed through or serve it as is right out of the skillet. Either way, this Chicken and Spinach Spaghetti Squash Alfredo won’t disappoint!

More Spaghetti Squash Recipes

Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

Turkey and Spinach Spaghetti Squash Lasagna

Chicken and Spinach Spaghetti Squash Alfredo

Yield: 2 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Looking for a lighter, lower carb way to enjoy your chicken Alfredo? This Chicken and Spinach Spaghetti Squash Alfredo has you covered and tastes delicious!

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Ingredients

• 1 spaghetti squash, halved and seeds removed
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
• 2 cups baby spinach
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 3/4 cup low fat milk (I used 1%)
• 1/2 cup shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Instructions

Spaghetti Squash

1. Preheat oven to 400° F. and line baking sheet with foil.
2. Cut the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise, spray the inside with cooking oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the squash cut side down on the baking sheet and roast until tender, about 30-40 minutes.
3. Let the squash cool for about 10 minutes before scooping out the strands with a fork and placing them in a bowl. Reserve the squash skins placing them cut side up back on the foil lined baking sheet, set aside.

Chicken and Spinach Alfredo

1. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. When the skillet is hot spray with cooking oil or add a couple teaspoons of olive oil. Add in the chicken and season with the salt, pepper, basil and oregano. Sauté for a couple minutes then add in the minced garlic.
2. When the chicken is nearly done add in the baby spinach and cook until the spinach wilts and the chicken is thoroughly cooked. Remove from the skillet onto a plate and lower the heat to medium.
3. Add the scant tablespoon of olive oil and the flour to the skillet and whisk together. Cook the flour and oil mixture for about a minute before slowly pouring in the milk, whisking the entire time to prevent lumps from forming. Season with salt and pepper and cook until the sauce thickens, about 3-4 minutes.
4. Whisk in the cheese, reserving 1/4 cup. Add the chicken and spinach mixture along with the spaghetti squash into the sauce and toss to coat.
5. Pour the mixture back into the spaghetti squash shells and top with the remaining cheese. Broil for approximately 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted and lightly browned. Served immediately.

Notes

The white sauce will seem very thick, but when the squash and chicken mixture are added in it will loosen up.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 2 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 351Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 24mgSodium: 540mgCarbohydrates: 42gFiber: 9gSugar: 18gProtein: 23g