Spaghetti Squash Enchilada Casserole

One bite of this spaghetti squash enchilada casserole and you may never use tortillas again! The hardest part about enchiladas is sitting there rolling up each individual enchilada and assembling them neatly in the casserole dish. Mine just never fit quite right and I end up with one squished in horizontal and cut in half.

This dump and go enchilada recipe is perfect for those of us with no patience to roll up individual burritos!

Ditch the tortillas for some delicious roasted spaghetti squash and you have yourself a filling, satisfying and delicious casserole of enchiladas for both you AND your neighbor.

I used shredded chicken in mine but ground turkey, ground chicken, shredded pork or even chicken sausage are other great protein ideas! Whatever you have on hand. I split mine into 2 pans with 4 servings in each pan. That made for more of a shallow casserole and optimal surface area for adding cheese. Each slice was long and wide but not super thick. If you prefer a deeper dish, simply layer it all in a single casserole dish and you're good to go! In this case all 8 servings will come from that one casserole dish instead of split between two.

I kept the spices super simple in this one to ensure most people have them on hand. All I used was cumin and chili powder in addition to the red enchilada sauce I used right from the can. The rest of the ingredients came straight from my pantry or freezer.

For a single serving variation, make a taco bowl & sub rice for squash!

Beans and frozen veggies like corn and diced peppers and onions are great things to keep stocked up on. They're perfect to throw in soups, chilis or this enchilada casserole! Of course I did have one ingredient from the produce isle and that's spaghetti squash but I swear those things will sit on my counter top for a good while and still be perfect.

I serve my enchilada casserole hot and topped with all the classic toppings like cool tomatoes, creamy avocado and a dollop of plain greek yogurt.

I love this recipe because it is super versatile. You can change the beans, add in extra veggies, omit the cheese or go vegetarian with it. I also adapted this into a single serving taco bowl. I added a bed of spinach and just dumped all of the ingredients in a bowl!

Make this ahead of time and have it ready for dinner in a flash!

Prep the casserole and top it with cheese a day before you plan to bake it. Then toss it in the oven covered in foil for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 10 minutes or until the cheese melts!

Spaghetti Squash Enchilada Casserole

8 servings or 2 9x13 casserole trays | Cook time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

• 2 small spaghetti squashes

• Salt and Pepper

• 1-1 1/2 lb chicken, cooked and then shredded

• 1 can red enchilada sauce

• 1 jalapeño, fresh or jarred, minced and seeds removed if you don't like spicy (~1 tbsp but can adjust depending on spice preference)

• 1 can low sodium black beans, rinsed and drained

• 1 cup frozen corn

• 1/2 cup onion, diced (frozen or ~1/2 an onion)

• 1 cup red bell pepper, diced (frozen or ~1 fresh pepper)

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1/2 tbsp chili powder

• 1/2 tbsp cumin

• 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese

• 1/2 tsp olive oil

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Slice spaghetti squash in half, spray the flesh with nonstick spray and season with salt and pepper. Place flesh side down on a large baking sheet for 45 minutes or until the flesh is fork tender.

3. Spray two glass casserole dishes with nonstick spray.

4. Remove the squash from the oven. Remove the seeds and throw away. Use a fork to remove the flesh from the skin and divide between the two casserole dishes.

5. Preheat the oven to 375.

6. Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan. Add peppers, jalapeños and onions and sauté for about 2 minutes.

7. Add spices, garlic, shredded chicken, beans and corn to the pan and toss to combine. Cook an additional 1 minute until the garlic is fragrant.

8. Divide the chicken and veggie mixture between the two casserole dishes.

9. Pour half the enchilada sauce into each casserole dish and combine the squash, chicken, veggies and enchilada sauce.

10. Top both dishes with shredded cheese and bake for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and everything is heated through.

Top with whatever you want! I like fresh tomatoes, Greek yogurt and some avocado. My boyfriend enjoyed his with a side of chips, a lime wedge and lots of avocado!

Nutrition facts provided based on the use of 2 casserole dishes for the recipe. If using one dish, a serving would be 1/8 of casserole. Nutrition facts do not include toppings.