Hi all!
It’s been too long since I have posted! Life has this funny talent of getting in the way of our best laid plans. Our son has begun his journey into toddlerhood which has been both awe inspiring and exasperating to experience. Keeping him busy and occupied (leave him for a minute and our place is turned to dust!) means I don’t get nearly as much time to sit down and organize my thoughts.
But now! Here I am, enjoying some quiet time as my husband picks up some eggs with little D in tow–and I felt it was important to post this recipe.
First off–I have reverted back to my “dieting”, although I use quotation marks as I prefer not to think of it so much as “dieting”, but rather a life style adjustment. Getting married, being pregnant, dealing with the new demands of being a mom…well, all these things truly knocked me off track of my healthy eating and that’s partially because, as I said before, life gets in the way of our best intentions.
What’s done is done. Here I am, trying to approach our meal times with a balanced and holistic approach. We have certainly saved money meal planning and avoiding the easy way out: take out.
This casserole though…will amaze you. I will warn you–it’s fairly labor intensive, but if you’re low carb, keto or Atkins, this recipe is a must try and…it is so worth it.
So once again, I have embraced spaghetti squash to create the bulk of this meal. You want to start out with cooking your squash, whether roasting or in the microwave. I opted to roast, cut in half, face down brushed with olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Once the squash is cooked through, pull out the strands with a fork, drain what you have gather well and set aside.
Of course, you’ll see below that almond flour was used for breading as opposed to regular flour. It is lower in carbohydrates than all-purpose grain flour and I wanted to cater this dish specifically to a low carb audience–myself.
Chicken Parmesan Spaghetti Squash Casserole
Satisfyingly close to the Real Thing
Ingredients
- For the Chicken
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1/4 cup parmesan
- 1/2 tsp basil
- 1 tsp parsley
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 egg
- salt and pepper to taste
- 4-6 cups cooked spaghetti squash
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tbsp dried parsley
- pinch of salt and pepper
- 2 tbsp parmesan
- 2 cups tomato sauce
- fresh mozzarella
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For the Casserole
Directions
- Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees
- Beat egg in small bowl and set side
- Mix together almond flour, parmesan, basil, parsley, garlic powder, salt and pepper
- Cut chicken into 2″ strips and dip into egg, then breading mixture. Lay to the side
- Heat olive oil in non-stick frying pan until hot. Cook breaded chicken until brown and then remove off heat onto paper towel on plate
- Toss strands of spaghetti squash with olive oil, parsley, salt, pepper and parmesan
- Spread squash in 9×13 casserole dish. Lay chicken pieces on top, cover with tomato sauce and then mozzarella
- Back in oven for 30-45 minutes until dish is warm and bubbly
- Serve hot and enjoy!
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- Notes
- Do not be afraid to cook your squash longer if necessary. My biggest mistake has been moving the squash from the oven before it is completely cooked and having to eat it a bit crunchy. Fork a piece of flesh from it if you are not sure and try it out.
- Consider using a keto tomato sauce (you can easily make your own) or splurge on a low sugar sauce to keep carbs low
- Use parchment paper in your casserole dish to keep the dish cleaner. I always use parchment paper when baking food in the oven–it makes the clean up so much easier and keep my pans from staining.
There you have it! I promise, this recipe is worth the time and effort to make. Of course, I didn’t think of this recipe all my own–I was inspired by I Breathe I’m Hungry and you can find the recipe here.
A Lot of A Little 