A beloved comfort food gets a healthy makeover in this noodle-less spaghetti squash chicken lasagna. Made with just 1o ingredients, it makes for a quick and easy weeknight meal!
Have to feed a crowd? Craving something comforting? Need a quick and easy weeknight meal? Looking for a recipe that freezes beautifully? This Spaghetti Squash Chicken Lasagna checks all the boxes. While the traditional version is composed of layers of noodles, meat and cheese, I want to show you a different way of enjoying the classic dish. By swapping out the pasta layers for spaghetti squash, not only will you amp up the vegetable intake, but the lasagna-making process will become much more effortless. It’s even easier than making lasagna roll-ups!
Adding kale to the ricotta mixture gives the dish an even greater nutritional boost (also check out this pumpkin and kale lasagna roll-ups). With a little prep work beforehand, you can whip up this hearty comfort meal in under 30 minutes.
Spaghetti Squash Chicken Lasagna
Ingredients
- 1 medium spaghetti squash about 4 pounds
- Nonstick cooking spray
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 bunch kale de-stemmed and roughly chopped into bite-size pieces (3 cups)
- 2 cups cooked chicken
- 15 ounces whole-fat ricotta
- 1 egg
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese can add less
- 2 1/2 cups your fav tomato sauce I used veggie loaded tomato sauce
- Chopped fresh basil for topping (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Cut the squash in half lengthwise and remove the seeds and any visible strings. Place the two halves cut-side down on a baking sheet and bake until soft, about 45 minutes.
- In the meantime, coat a 13-by-9-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 2 minutes. Add the kale and chicken and cook down, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and turn off the heat.
- In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, egg, 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese and the cooked kale mixture. Stir until well combined and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Spread 1/2 cup of tomato sauce on the bottom of the prepared baking dish, then spread half of the cooked spaghetti squash on top. Top with half of the ricotta mixture followed by 1 cup of tomato sauce. Repeat the layers once more, ending with a layer of sauce; sprinkle the top with the remaining 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese.
- Bake until it is hot and the cheese is melted, bubbling and slightly browned around the edges, 25 to 30 minutes. Let stand for about 10 minutes, then top with basil, if using, and serve.
Nutrition
yummm comfort food heaven right here.
Oh my goodness! This looks beautiful and so delicious!