Chicken Parmesan Spaghetti Squash Bowls – a lightened up and lower carb take on the Italian classic. Baked chicken and vegetables are stuffed into perfectly roasted spaghetti squash and covered in cheese and marinara sauce.
When I first met my husband many years ago, I was shocked at how little vegetables he ate. My mom was a huge veggie lover and made sure we had at least at two or three different varieties at each meal. After we got married, it became my mission to show the hubs how awesome veggies can taste alongside his favorite meals.
Fast forward to today and I’m happy to report that he has come a long way! Just like my momma, I always try to fill his and my kiddos plates with at least two to three different veggies. My kids are actually pretty good about their veggies but I have to be honest, the hubs doesn’t always eat everything on his plate….it’s much better than when I met him though so we’re slowly getting there each step of the way.
That’s why when I learned about Half Your Plate while I was at a blogger conference in October, I felt so compelled to help with their mission. They want to encourage all of us to fill half of our plates with fruits and vegetables.
This is exactly what my mission is with my own family. In fact, most people who know me can vouch that I fill most or even all my plate with fruits and veggies most days 🙂
There are lots of creative ways to add more fruits and veggies to your diet, just checkout the hashtags #HalfYourPlate and #HalfYourBowl as well as Half Your Plate’s website where they have plenty of ideas!
These Chicken Parmesan Spaghetti Squash Bowls are actually one of my husband’s favorite healthier sheet pan meals!
Instead of serving the chicken parmesan with pasta, we stuff it inside of this healthy and delicious roasted spaghetti squash instead.
This dish is perfect if you’re looking to add a healthier but comforting meal to your weeknight as a way to balance out all those holiday cookies. Spaghetti squash fits in to any diet because it’s full of vitamins, fiber and low on carbs.
Plus there’s an extra serving of vegetables that I added and you’re going to bake the chicken instead of frying it.
Just roast up the spaghetti squash with some olive oil, salt and pepper until it’s nice and tender. Then you scoop out the seeds and shred the flesh with a fork into spaghetti strands. The chicken gets a nice coating of panko crumbs and you just add it to the same pan as the squash half-way through. After 15 minutes, flip the chicken and add the other veggies.
Next, you layer on your favorite marinara sauce into the squash, followed by the chicken, veggies, more sauce and then some mozarella and parmesan cheese. Bake it for a few more minutes until the cheese gets nice and gooey and you’re done!
These Chicken Parmesan Spaghetti Squash make an easy weeknight meal and best of all, the clean-up is a breeze with just one sheet pan to wash!
Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post created in partnership with Half Your Plate. As always, all opinions are my own.
Yields 2 - 4 servings
15 minPrep Time
45 minCook Time
1 hrTotal Time
Save RecipeIngredients
For the spaghetti squash
1 large spaghetti squash
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
For the chicken
2 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts, pounded thinly
1/4 cup Panko bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 large egg, beaten
2 cups marinara sauce
4 oz fresh mozzarella
Grated Parmesan Cheese
For the vegetables
1/2 cup broccoli florets
1 medium zucchini, cut into quarters
1/4 cup shredded carrots
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375º. Line a large baking sheet with parchment.
- Cut spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and place on prepared baking sheet, cut side up and season with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast in preheated oven for 20 minutes.
- While the squash is cooking, combine the breadcrumbs, garlic powder, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning in a medium shallow bowl.
- Dip each chicken breast in the beaten egg until well coated. Then cover evenly in the bread crumb mixture.
- Remove squash from the oven after 20 minutes and push to one side of the baking pan. Lay the chicken on the remaining side and return to the oven and bake for another 15 minutes. Remove the pan again and flip the chicken to the other side. Place the broccoli, zucchini and carrots around the squash and chicken on the pan. Drizzle with olive oil and return to bake in the oven for another 10-15 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken has reached 165 degrees F and the squash is cooked until fork tender.
- Remove from oven, scoop out the seeds and shred the inside of each squash so that the spaghetti strands are loosened. Fill inside of each squash bowl with 1/3 cup marinara sauce, top with chicken and some vegetables and spread another layer of marinara sauce and sprinkle with mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Return to the pan to the oven and bake for another 10 minutes or until the cheese has melted.
- Serve in spaghetti squash or transfer to two bowls and sprinkle with parsley, if desired.
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More healthy bowl meals:
Slow Cooker Honey Sriracha Pulled Pork Quinoa Bowls
Grilled Chicken Souvlaki Quinoa Brown Rice Bowls
