Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti Squash Casserole

Super easy and delicious low carb dinner option for any night of the week! Roasting the squash in advance of prepping the casserole takes the most time, but as long as you plan for that it's all largely hands off. Once the squash has cooled enough to handle you just need to throw a few ingredients together in a bowl and back in the oven it all goes! 

I love casserole dishes - they're great "catch alls" for meats, cheeses, and veggies - and completely customizable to your taste preferences and what you have in the refrigerator in need of using up! I tend to use a lot of diced tomatoes in my various casserole dishes so always keep a lot of them stocked in the pantry.

I love the mild creaminess and subtle flavors in this dish - it's hearty enough to fill you up but definitely lighter than a pasta or rice equivalent. I'm really learning to enjoy the versatility of spaghetti squash this year!

Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti Squash Casserole

Ingredients

1 large spaghetti squash

1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast, diced into bite sized pieces

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 14-oz can diced tomatoes, undrained

1 4-oz can mushrooms, drained

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

1 cup shredded cheese

2 tsp dried basil

1 1/2 tsp salt, more to taste

1/2 tsp black pepper, more to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice spaghetti squash in half and scoop out seeds. Lay cut side up on a baking sheet, drizzle with a little olive oil and salt and pepper. Roast for 30-40 minutes, until tender.
2. Allow to cool enough to handle and then use a fork to scrape out the stringy flesh into a bowl.
3. Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, heat a couple teaspoons of olive oil and saute the chicken pieces until well browned. Add them to the bowl when cooked. Next add another tsp of oil to the pan if needed and saute the bell pepper until it begins to brown. Add this to the bowl as well.
4. Add all remaining ingredients to the bowl and stir gently to combine.
5. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and scrape casserole ingredients into the dish.
6. Reduce oven temp to 350 degrees and bake for about 30-40 minutes, until casserole is well heated through, and cheese has melted.

Recipe adapted from Jar of Lemons