Nov 16, 20213 min read

Spaghetti Squash Alfredo with Chicken or Shrimp and Broccoli

Spaghetti squash is great way to pack in the veggies and the volume. I love making dishes with all of the squashes in the winter and spaghetti squash is easy to prep and make for a crowd.

This may sound like a vegetable plus more vegetable - and it is - but it's also creamy, cheesy and delicious! We use a creamy Alfredo sauce and chicken or shrimp to turn this into a vegetable based variety of chicken, broccoli and ziti.

I love the bonus step of taking pulling the squash out of the shell, adding breadcrumbs and broiling it.

The broil gives it a perfectly crispy top and by taking it out of the shell it makes serving and make ahead prepping a breeze. If you have the time it would be even easier to make the squash up to a day early and let it cool before scooping since it will be hot.

Spaghetti Squash Alfredo with Chicken or Shrimp and Broccoli

2 Servings | Cook time: 1 hour

Notes: if you don’t have an oven safe pan, you can transfer to a small casserole dish before adding to the oven!

Ingredients:

Alfredo Sauce:

1 tbsp butter, divided
2 tbsp half and half
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 cup milk (unsweetened original almond milk)
1/4 cup grated parmesan

Spaghetti Squash:

1 medium spaghetti squash, halved
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 lb shrimp (peeled an deveined) or chicken, diced)
2-4 cups broccoli florets
1 tbsp whole wheat breadcrumbs

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400F.
Use a knife to carefully cut the spaghetti squash into 2 even halves.
Place both halves, flesh side up, on a baking sheet. Spray both sides with nonstick olive oil spray and season with salt and pepper.
Place in the oven to bake for 45-50 minutes or until flesh is fork tender.
When there’s about 15 minutes left on the squash, heat a medium pot of water and place broccoli in a steamer basket over water to steam. Once nearly cooked (it will cook more later) place the broccoli in an ice bath to stop the cooking.
If using chicken, melt 1/2 tbsp butter and add diced chicken to an oven safe pan. If using shrimp, skip this step and shrimp can be added in step 10. Season with additional salt and pepper. Sear the chicken for about 5-6 minutes, tossing every few minutes until about 3/4 of the way cooked.
Remove chicken and set aside. Add remaining butter, garlic and spices to the pan. Allow the butter to sauté with the garlic until fragrant, ~1 minute.
Whisk in milk and bring the sauce to a boil for 1-2 minutes to reduce slightly, lower it to a simmer and whisk in parmesan. Turn heat down to low.
Remove squash from oven. Use a fork to remove as many seeds as you can. Carefully, use a fork to shred the flesh away from the shell, into “spaghetti strands”. I will usually hold the squash with an oven mitt to do this as it will be hot!
Add squash, broccoli and chicken/shrimp to the pan with the sauce.
Turn the heat up to medium and toss everything together with the sauce allowing excess liquid from the squash to steam off.
Once majority of the liquid has evaporated and shrimp is cooked sprinkle breadcrumbs over the top.
Turn the oven on to broil, spray the top with nonstick olive oil spray and transfer the pan to the oven to broil for 5-7 min or until the breadcrumbs start to brown. Carefully remove from the oven and allow to set for 2-3 minutes before serving.