Celebrate fall with this hearty spaghetti squash dish! It’s topped with Brussels sprouts, mushrooms, spinach, and crunchy pumpkin seeds for a tasty and nutritious meal.
If you’re missing pasta on the Paleo diet, this dinner is sure to satisfy. Spaghetti squash is the ultimate nutrient-dense replacement for noodles, as it's full of fiber and vitamins and low in calories.
Start by getting the spaghetti squash roasted. Depending on its size, it could take 40 minutes to an hour to cook it all the way through. If time is a factor, choose a squash on the smaller side—closer to one pound rather than two.
Once you get the squash halved, seeded, and roasting in the oven, prep the Brussels sprouts by slicing them, then tossing them in olive oil and black pepper. Add them to another roasting sheet and cook alongside the squash to save time.
We recommend making this dish when you already have cooked chicken waiting in the fridge. If you’re starting from scratch, though, add whole chicken breasts to the oven. Simply cover with olive oil and black pepper and add to a separate pan—most chicken breasts will be done in 30 minutes. You could also halve the breasts and add them to the pan with the Brussels sprouts to get both done in about 20 minutes.
Once everything is roasting, make the pesto sauce by blending basil, garlic, pine nuts, olive oil and lemon juice in a blender or food processor. You can also add a bit of crushed red pepper if you like your pesto a bit spicy. Set aside.
To bring everything together, get a skillet nice and hot and add some garlic, red onion slices, and whatever variety of mushrooms you like. Add the cooked squash noodles, the cooked Brussels sprouts, slices of cooked chicken, and spinach. Add half the pesto sauce and mix well to combine. Heat until the spinach has just wilted.
Serve your veggie bowl topped with crunchy pumpkin seeds and a drizzle of the remaining pesto sauce.
Tip: This recipe is very versatile! You can skip the chicken to make it vegan-friendly, swap the Brussels sprouts for cauliflower, or add kale instead of spinach.