Delicious Cheesy Twice-Baked Spaghetti Squash Recipe filled with juicy shredded chicken, sweet cherry tomatoes, and four different kinds of cheeses. Comfort food without the carbs, this luscious and veggie-filled twice-baked spaghetti squash is gluten-free and loved by the whole family!
Relatively mild in taste, spaghetti squash has the ability to conform to the taste and flavor of all your favorite dishes. For example, Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Spaghetti Squash or BBQ Chicken Spaghetti Squash, the opportunities for this low carb, gluten-free vegetable are endless.
It only made sense then that I make an extra cheesy, super comforting, chicken-filled, twice-baked spaghetti squash.
Spaghetti Squash
If you’re new to spaghetti squash, things can be a little intimidating at first. Fortunately, I have a whole post dedicated to Spaghetti Squash, including everything you need to know about cooking, cutting, and eating it.
For this recipe, I decided to cut my spaghetti squash in half and bake it in the oven. This method allows you to scrape out the spaghetti squash strands and then twice-bake them in the original shell (translation- make a “boat”- similar to my much-loved Chicken and Broccoli Stuffed Spaghetti Squash Recipe).
If you prefer to cook your spaghetti squash a different way, that’s ok, too. Just keep in mind that different methods may result in a more watery squash. Furthermore, rather than re-baking everything in the spaghetti squash shell, you may need to transfer everything to a casserole dish to cook.
Ingredients in Cheesy Twice-Baked Spaghetti Squash Recipe
The ingredients needed to make cheesy spaghetti squash include,
- Spaghetti Squash – Relatively mild in taste, spaghetti squash is the very best low-carb pasta alternative with just 42 calories per one cup of cooked squash and 2.2 grams of fiber.
- Chicken – Who doesn’t love a whole lot of lean protein with a low carb pasta alternative. Poaching is an easy way to cook chicken without much hands-on activity. If you’re a vegetarian, or you prefer not to eat meat, simply leave out the chicken.
- Shallots – Shallots add loads of awesome flavor. Slightly more concentrated, you don’t need to add as many shallots to get the same amount of flavor when compared to a regular yellow onion.
- Garlic – So much flavor.
- Dried Italian Seasoning – A little bit of Italian seasoning goes a long way in this recipe.
- Cherry Tomatoes – I love cherry tomatoes, so I use them whenever possible. If you prefer to use canned tomatoes, that’s totally fine, too.
- CHEESE – All the cheese. This twice-baked spaghetti squash recipe has four different kinds of cheeses- ricotta, cheddar cheese, mozzarella, and mascarpone. You may use all four, just two of your favorite, or all four plus a few more different kinds.
- Fresh Herbs – I love adding fresh herbs in addition to dried herbs when making cheesy pasta dishes. Fresh parsley is my go-to, but a little bit of fresh thyme or oregano are also really great additions.
How to cook spaghetti squash
To cook spaghetti squash, simply:
- Preheat your oven – Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
- Clean your squash – Scrub the squash and dry well with a kitchen towel so that it doesn’t slide around while cutting.
- Cut your squash – Admittedly, this is the most challenging part. However, once you’ve done it once, you’ll have the confidence to do it over and over again. Cut the squash in half using a sharp, stable and reliable knife. For this recipe, you’ll need to cut the squash in half lengthwise (stem to end). Scoop out the seeds.
- Prepare spaghetti squash for baking – Drizzle the squash with olive oil and use a pastry brush (or your hands) to cover the entire surface of the squash. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and place cut-side down on the lined baking sheet.
- Bake – Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until squash is tender when pierced with a fork.
- Cool and remove spaghetti squash strands – Remove from the oven and allow the squash to cool for several minutes before carefully scraping out the delicious strands of cooked squash with a fork.
How to make Cheesy Twice-Baked Spaghetti Squash
To make this Cheesy Twice-Baked Spaghetti Squash Recipe,
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First cook the spaghetti squash (see above).
- Poach your chicken – Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the chicken to the pot and return the water to a rolling boil. Remove pot from heat, cover, and set aside to “poach” (cook) the chicken for approximately 25-30 minutes. Carefully remove chicken from the pot and set aside to cool before shredding.
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Preheat oven – Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
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Saute the shallots and tomatoes – Add one tablespoon of olive oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring often. Reduce heat to low and stir in the minced garlic and Italian seasoning. Mix well to combine. Cook for 60 seconds, stirring constantly. Add the tomatoes and splash of white wine or chicken broth. Mix well and add the shredded chicken to the skillet. Continue to cook until the tomatoes have burst. Remove from heat and set aside.
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Mix together the cheeses – In a large mixing bowl mix together the ricotta, mascarpone, cheddar cheese, half the mozzarella, and chopped parsley.
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Combine the chicken, cheeses, and spaghetti squash – Once the chicken and tomatoes have cooled slightly, mix with the cheese mixture. Season with additional salt and pepper, to taste. Transfer the cooked strands of spaghetti squash to the mixing bowl with the cheese. Gently mix to combine.
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Stuff – Evenly divide spaghetti squash and chicken mixture between the spaghetti squash bowls. Top with mozzarella cheese (or cheese of choice) and place face up on the prepared baking sheet. Cover the baking dish and squash with foil, creating a tent to prevent the foil from touching the cheese.
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Twice-Bake – Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove the foil tent and bake an additional 5-10 minutes, or until cheese is golden and bubbly.
Tips and Tricks
- Save time by cooking the spaghetti squash and chicken the day before.
- You may also use leftover rotisserie chicken or any other pre-cooked chicken of your choice to save on total cooking time.
- You can soften the skin of your spaghetti squash before cutting into it by poking 10-15 holes all over the squash with a fork and then microwaving for 2 minutes. Don’t forget to poke the holes, however, as steam may otherwise build up inside your squash as it cooks and it could explode.
- To get golden, bubbly cheese, broil the stuffed squash for 1-2 minutes just before serving. But! Don’t walk away as they can burn quickly.
- Try adding additional vegetables such as kale, spinach, broccoli, and chopped asparagus.
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days and reheat in the microwave for 1-2 minutes or until warm.
What to serve with Cheesy Spaghetti Squash
The best part about this awesome recipe is that it is a meal within itself. It doesn’t really need any extra stuff. And though it is low in carbohydrates, this spaghetti squash recipe is actually quite filling (cheese and chicken, anyone?)
If you’re looking to serve this to a larger group and would like to add a few sides, my go-to always include a light and fresh green salad with a simple vinaigrette and a fresh fruit salad.
Other delicious sides include Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Roasted Asparagus, or Roasted Cauliflower.
And, of course, when in doubt there’s always fresh bread.
For more squash recipe, check out:
- The BEST Butternut Squash Soup Recipe
- How to Roast an Acorn Squash
- Easy Chicken and Butternut Squash Recipe with Mushrooms
- Chicken and Broccoli Stuffed Spaghetti Squash
- Spaghetti Squash with Bacon, Spinach, and Goat Cheese
- Butternut Squash, Zucchini, and Spinach Lasagna
If you try making this Cheesy Twice-Baked Spaghetti Squash Recipe, please leave me a comment and let me know! I always love to hear your thoughts.
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Cheesy Twice-Baked Spaghetti Squash Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 medium spaghetti squash
- 2 tablespoon olive oil - divided
- salt and pepper - to season
- 2 large chicken breasts
- 2 large shallots - chopped
- 6 cloves garlic - minced
- 1.5 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- splash of white wine or chicken broth
- 10 ounces cherry tomatoes - halved
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly grated black pepper
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 4 tablespoon mascarpone cheese
- 1 cup cheddar cheese - shredded
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese - shredded
- ¼ cup parsley - minced
- 2 tablespoon fresh thyme - minced
Instructions
To cook the Spaghetti Squash
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Scrub the squash clean and dry thoroughly. Cut the squash in half lengthwise using a sharp, stable and reliable knife. Scoop out the seeds.
- Drizzle the squash with olive oil and use a pastry brush (or your hands) to brush over the entire surface of the squash. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and place cut-side down on the lined baking sheet.
- Place squash in the oven and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until squash is tender when pierced with a fork.
- When cool enough to handle, gently scrape out the squash with a fork to remove the flesh in long strands.
To Poach the chicken
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the chicken to the pot and return the water to a rolling boil. Remove from heat, cover, and set aside to "poach" (cook) for approximately 25-30 minutes. Carefully remove chicken from the pot and set aside to cool before shredding.
For the twice-baked spaghetti squash
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Add one tablespoon of olive oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring often. Reduce heat to low and stir in the minced garlic and Italian seasoning. Mix well to combine. Cook for 60 seconds, stirring constantly.
- Add the tomatoes and splash of white wine or chicken broth. Mix well and add the shredded chicken to the skillet. Continue to cook until the tomatoes have burst. Remove from heat and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl mix together the ricotta, mascarpone, cheddar cheese, half the mozzarella cheese, and chopped parsley.
- Once the chicken and tomatoes have cooled slightly, mix to combine with the cheese mixture. Season with additional salt and pepper, to taste.
- Transfer the cooked strands of spaghetti squash to the mixing bowl with the cheese and chicken. Gently mix to combine.
- Evenly divide spaghetti squash and chicken mixture between the spaghetti squash bowls. Top with mozzarella cheese (or cheese of choice) and place face up on the prepared baking sheet. Cover the baking dish and squash with foil, creating a tent to prevent the foil from touching the cheese.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove the foil tent and bake an additional 5-10 minutes, or until cheese is golden and bubbly.
Jessica's Notes
- Save time by cooking the spaghetti squash and chicken the day before.
- You may also use leftover rotisserie chicken or any other pre-cooked chicken of your choice to save on total cooking time.
- You can soften the skin of your spaghetti squash before cutting into it by poking 10-15 holes all over the squash with a fork and then microwaving for 2 minutes. Don't forget to poke the holes, however, as steam may otherwise build up inside your squash as it cooks and it could explode.
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days and reheat in the microwave for 1-2 minutes or until warm.
Nutritional Information
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and specific brands of ingredients used.)
It was a discovery, really nice, I had too much and I used the left overs for fill little empanadas, I’m so pleased with it. I never try spaghetti pumpkin before and I’m shocked how easy and yummy is, pity herein Finland are pricy.