I recently completed about 60 days of Whole30 and this time, my whole family joined in on the fun. My husband decided to take the plunge and do his first Whole30 which meant I had to do more planning and even more cooking than I did the first time I did Whole30 by myself. I am a big fan of one-pot meals and a big fan of cooking meals ahead of time using my Instant Pot, which is how this spaghetti squash recipe was born.
Our family loves spaghetti squash but I almost always make it like traditional spaghetti with tomato sauce and ground beef or turkey. I was in the mood for something a little different and thought about pasta dishes we like to order at restaurants. My husband always gravitates toward the Mediterranean-style dishes and I love anything creamy.
This Mediterranean Chicken Spaghetti Squash combines both of our loves for an easy, delicious one-pot meal the whole family can enjoy. I usually do a lot of prep work on the weekends when I have help with my kids, and if I prep the chicken and cook the spaghetti squash on the weekend, this can be a super quick weeknight meal.
I have cooked spaghetti squash in the microwave, oven and the Instant Pot and they all work great, but right now I usually do it in the Instant Pot following this recipe from Nom Nom Paleo. Until I read this, I always cut my spaghetti squash lengthwise, but it’s true, cutting it on the short side results in longer strands!
I usually cook a big batch of shredded chicken in the Instant Pot each week to use for recipes like this one. It’s quick and easy and results in non-rubbery chicken every time! I adjust the seasonings sometimes but do it basically like this recipe from My Heart Beets.
For the toasted pine nuts, I just heat them over medium low in a bit of oil in a sauté pan, stirring constantly because they can go from raw to burnt in the blink of an eye. I like to do a batch of these on the weekend too because they’re a great topper for salads and baked potatoes.
I’m not strict in the kitchen and this recipe isn’t either. You can add more broth to make it more saucy, stir in spinach after it cooks, add basil or oregano, toss in some roasted red pepper…so many possibilities. But this base version is a keeper and has earned a spot on our regular dinner rotation.
- 1 medium spaghetti squash, cooked
- 1lb chicken breast, cooked and shredded
- 1 Tbsp ghee or avocado oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes in oil, drained and sliced
- 1 can full fat coconut milk
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1 tsp salt
- 2.25 oz can of sliced black olives
- 3 Tbsp pine nuts, toasted
- small handful of fresh parsley, chopped
- Crushed red pepper
- Set Instant Pot to sauté setting and heat ghee/oil.
- Sauté onions until soft and translucent.
- Add cooked spaghetti squash strands, shredded chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, coconut milk, chicken broth, and salt to the Instant Pot and stir to combine.
- Set Instant Pot to manual, high pressure for 20 minutes.
- Once the pressure has released (quick release or naturally), open and stir in olives and parsley.
- Top with toasted pine nuts and crushed red pepper.
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