Tobins' Tastes: Pesto Spaghetti Squash With Chicken & Honey Glazed Carrots

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Pesto Spaghetti Squash With Chicken & Honey Glazed Carrots


Last night I made a dinner that was totally blog worthy. And I am not in the least bit humble about it. It was so pretty, I couldn't stop taking picture of it. And it was so simple and relatively healthy too. The menu was panko crusted chicken, pesto spaghetti squash and honey glazed carrots. It incorporated three of my favorite phrases when it comes to dinner: panko, pesto and honey glazed.

You may be a little concerned about the spaghetti squash aspect of this dinner.  I understand. I am the pickiest eater around. No really. I have never had a hamburger, I hate red sauce (much to my husband's despair), and I don't like ranch dressing. I am a weirdo when it comes to food but I love spaghetti squash.

I was also intimidated by the way it is prepared. But after a little practice, I am almost a pro. It actually takes no skill at all apparently. You can basically treat spaghetti squash like you would a regular pasta. You can toss it with sauce, olive oil, butter, or in our case pesto.

I paired the spaghetti squash with panko crusted, baked chicken and my absolute favorite way to eat carrots, honey glazed. (Recipe adapted from Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book)

How pretty is that plate? Totally blog worthy!

I pretty much had everything on hand to make this dinner except for the spaghetti squash. Justin was able to pick up two 1.5 pound spaghetti squash for about $1.50 each. We always get our spaghetti squash at the farmers' market or a local produce stand because we find that they are very expensive at the grocery store and not always that fresh either.

We coated the chicken in panko bread crumbs and baked it as usual. Since the chicken was really fresh we didn't even need an egg wash for it. I was able to bake the chicken in the oven while roasting the spaghetti squash and saute the carrots while they both were baking. Talk about minimal time in the kitchen.

We topped our meal off by each having a Butterscotch Peanut Butter Marshmallow Heart and I pretty much felt like the queen of domesticity.


Pesto Spaghetti Squash
  • 1 three pound spaghetti squash or 2 one and a half pound spaghetti squash
  • Olive oil and Italian seasoning 
  • Pesto (store bought or home made)
  • Grated or shredded cheese for topping
1.) Through trial and error, I have found this to be the best way to "cook" spaghetti squash. Cut your squash in half down the middle. It may help to cut off the top part where the stem is. Use a spoon to scoop the insides out of the squash.



2.) Place squash cut side up on a baking sheet lined with tin foil. Lightly brush the insides of the squash with olive oil and season with Italian seasoning (or any other blend of seasoning you prefer).


3.) Roast at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes depending on the size of the squash. The edges will get slightly browned and the flesh of the squash should pull away easily with a fork.



4.) Use a fork to scrape the flesh of the squash off of the rind. It should look like spaghetti noodles. Side aside in a large bowl.



5.) In a large sauce pan heat up your pesto on medium heat. We used store bought pesto that I got on sale last week but you can always use your own homemade recipe.


6.) Once pesto is warmed up, toss in your spaghetti squash until it is warmed all the way through. Turn off the heat and top with shredded or grated cheese of your choice.


7.) Serve warm and top with chicken or anything else you please.

Enjoy!

Make sure you stop by this week's Mealtime Monday and link up any amazing recipes you have been working on lately.


***Depending on the day this post may be linked up to any of these fabulous linky parties.***
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...