This post is sponsored by Prego & Yummly; all opinions are my own.
Stuffed Spaghetti Squash
Deliciously cooked spaghetti squash stuffed with steamed broccoli, shredded chicken, Prego® Homestyle Alfredo sauce, and cheese!
This simple dinner is a family favorite, and comes together quickly for a weeknight win!
Life is busy, and way too short to be worried about dinner. This quick and easy recipe ranks among my favorites.
It is quick: use a pressure cooker to cook the spaghetti squash in no time. You can prep the rest while the squash cooks and have dinner in under 30 minutes.
It feels homemade; with the help of Prego®, a few simple ingredients and a little time, you can have this homemade masterpiece on the table any night of the week.
What You Need to Make Stuffed Spaghetti Squash
With just a few simple ingredients, you get this fantastic dinner. Ingredients:
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- Prego® Homestyle Alfredo: Save time, but don’t sacrifice delicious, homemade flavor. Prego® Alfredo sauce is made with real cream and has the perfect combination of homemade flavor and texture.
- Spaghetti Squash: Opt for smaller-sized squash, as they cook faster. A small squash will yield two adult servings when cut in half and stuffed.
- Shredded Chicken: Cook and shred your own, or buy a rotisserie or canned chicken. You just need one-and-a-half cups of shredded chicken.
- Broccoli: Chop it into bite-sized pieces and steam it to get a great pop of color, flavor, and nutrition with your meal.
- Cheese: I used two kinds in this recipe: Parmesan, which adds some salty flavor, and mozzarella, which is perfect for melting on top.
- Parsley: I mixed some in and garnished the dish with freshly chopped parsley.
How to Make RECIPE
- Cook the Spaghetti Squash
Cut your spaghetti squash in half and scrape out the seeds. You have many options for cooking the squash, but the fastest and easiest way is in a pressure cooker.
Simply add a cup of water to the bottom of the pressure cooker, then place the trivet inside. Put the spaghetti squash face-down on the trivet and lock lid into place. Cook at high pressure for 7 minutes. Do a quick release of pressure, then remove from cooker. While the squash cooks, prep the rest!
- Prep Other Ingredients
You need lightly steamed broccoli plus cooked and shredded chicken. To make this a quick weeknight meal I chop my broccoli, toss it in a microwave-safe bowl with a little water, and cook on high for 1 minute. You can also use frozen broccoli you steam in the bag, etc.
The same goes for the chicken – pick your favorite method, or easiest option, such as a rotisserie chicken, canned, or cook and shred it yourself.
Chop your parsley. Shred your cheeses. - Mix the Filling Together
Once you have everything ready, put the sauce, chicken, broccoli, some chopped parsley, and the shredded Parmesan cheese in a bowl, and mix it all together. - Stuff Spaghetti Squash
Take your cooked halves of spaghetti squash and divide the filling between them. Divide it equally.
- Top and Broil!
Top with mozzarella cheese and broil on high (550 degrees) for 6-8 minutes until filling is heated through and cheese is melted. You can also bake at 350 for 20 minutes, then broil for 2-3 minutes, if you don’t want to keep too close of an eye on things.
Tips and Tricks
Making this recipe is Eazy Peazy, but here are a few tips and tricks for making it turn out perfect every time.
- Heat Filling: One of the biggest concerns is not having your filling heated up all the way when the cheese on top is golden brown. You can eliminate this concern by baking first for 20-30 minutes, or simply warming the filling up a bit before stuffing the squash. This can be done in the microwave, or stovetop.
- Use The Right Ingredients: There is a lot of room for improvising as you go in this recipe. You can use fresh or frozen broccoli, canned or fresh-cooked chicken, fresh or dried parsley, etc. Resort to whatever is easiest for you, but make sure you use Prego® Alfredo sauces. I used the Homestyle Alfredo, but they also have Roasted Garlic Parmesan Alfredo or Artisan Four Cheese Alfredo. You have some flexibility with the sauce, but I recommend Prego®. It is the right flavor, consistency, and quality to make this dish turn out perfect every time.
- Avoid Overcooking: You can cook your spaghetti squash in your preferred way, but be careful to not overcook. This can be difficult since spaghetti squash comes in different sizes. However, if cooking in a pressure cooker, the biggest tip is to quick release pressure. It will keep cooking if you let the pressure release naturally.
- Chop Small: Remember you are stuffing the cavity of a spaghetti squash, and eating your meal right out of the skin, like a dish. So you want the ingredients you stuff it with to be in edible–sized pieces. Chop your broccoli small, shred or dice chicken small, and that way each bite is great!
- Garnish: A little fresh parsley goes a long way to brighten up and make this dish amazing. So use it!
Make Ahead and Storage
This recipe can be made up to 2 days ahead and reheated:
Simply make completely, but don’t garnish, and store in an airtight container.
When ready to serve, preheat oven to 350 degrees F and cook until heated through, about 30 minutes.
Then garnish and serve!
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Broccoli Chicken Alfredo Stuffed Spaghetti Squash
Ingredients
- 2 spaghetti squash small, cut in half, seeds removed, cooked
- 22 ounces Prego® Homestyle Alfredo
- 1 1/2 cups Shredded Chicken
- 2 cups Broccoli Florets steamed
- 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese shredded
- 1/4 cup Parsley chopped fine
- 1 cup Mozzarella Cheese shredded
Instructions
- Halve your spaghetti squash, and scrape out the seeds.
- Cook the spaghetti squash in your preferred way. Set on a baking tray or in a baking dish, cut-side up, and set aside.
- Preheat oven to broil on high (550 degrees F).
- In a large bowl, mix together the Prego Homestyle Alfredo, shredded chicken, steamed broccoli, shredded Parmesan, and half the parsley. (Note: we need another step describing what to do with the other half of the parsley)
- Divide the mixture between the 4 halves of spaghetti squash, filling the cavity.
- Top with mozzarella cheese.
- Place baking dish/tray into the preheated oven and broil on high until filling is bubbling and cheese is melted and golden brown, 6-7 minutes. Then garnish with remaining half of parsley.
Notes
Nutrition
Our recipe card software calculates these nutrition facts based on averages for the above ingredients, different brands, and quality of produce/meats may have different nutritional information, always calculate your own based on the specific products you use in order to achieve accurate macros for this recipe.
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