Creamy Chicken Spaghetti Squash

I dared myself to make a dairy-free, grain-free chicken spaghetti recipe, and I totally nailed it!

This dish is creamy, flavorful, and comforting just like the chicken spaghetti I used to make that was filled with mounds of cheese and edible food-like substances.

Time out. In case you don’t make old-fashioned chicken spaghetti, I’m talking about cream of “fill-in-the-blank” soup. Those ingredients are not real food!!! The words “modified,” and “dehydrated mechanically separated” make me pause. Disodium guanylate and disodium inosinate come with a host of unfavorable side effects, including migraine headaches. Then factor in genetically modified soy, chicken, and dairy…no thanks.

So back to my creation. Instead of spaghetti, I use spaghetti squash. Instead of a canned, cream soup I use… CASHEW SAUCE. It is delicious. So delicious, my 2 year old dipped his Veggie Straws in it. Trust me. That is a very good sign for him.

It was so easy to make. Just a few ingredients and a little bit of multi-tasking. Be sure to soak your cashews for 2 hours before you’re ready to make the sauce! This breaks down the phytic acid, which is so hard on the gut, and it makes the nutrients in the cashews easier to absorb.

This sauce is so simple and so delicious. I used a food processor, but you could easily use a high-power blender.

Ingredients:

• 1 spaghetti squash

• 2 heads broccoli, chopped

• 2 cups shredded chicken (I used leftover roasted chicken, rotisserie would work)

• 2 cups cashews, soaked in water for 2 hours or boiled in water 10 minutes, then drained

• 2 tablespoons minced garlic

• 1 tablespoon avocado oil

• salt and pepper to taste

• crushed red pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400. Cut spaghetti squash in half and scrape out the seeds. Rub with avocado oil and sprinkle salt and pepper and roast for 45 minutes. (If the squash is hard to cut, place in microwave for 3 minutes to soften it)

2. Prepare the cashew sauce – throw soaked or boiled cashews in the food processor with garlic, avocado oil and one cup of water. Blend until creamy. It may be slightly grainy in texture, but I promise you won’t know it when it’s all mixed together. Add seasonings like salt and pepper and crushed red pepper to taste.

3. Blanch the broccoli. Dump in a pot of boiling water for 1 and a half to 2 minutes, then scoop out and place in an ice bath. Drain.

4. When the spaghetti squash is done cooking, scrape out with a fork and place in a greased 8 1/2 by 11 pan.

5. Place chicken and broccoli in the pan with the squash. Pour cashew sauce on top and mix until well covered.

6. Put in the oven at 350 for 10-20 minutes, until all flavors have mingled and it is all completely heated through.

7. Serve and enjoy!

I think adding mushrooms and onions would amp up this recipe even more, maybe even some green chilies! It could be used as a dip or a sauce; I’d love to get more creative with it. It was so simple and painless, I will definitely be trying it again!