Always looking for gluten free, dairy free, grain free, easy to cook, delicious home-cooked meals?
Here's one of my favorites. I've made this recipe several times and enjoyed it every time. It is rich with the pesto made with walnuts. The spaghetti squash makes an awesome alternative for pasta without all the guilty carbs. Every ingredient in this recipe is real food, real nutritious for your body.
Ingredients:
1lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 large spaghetti squash
2 cans halved or quartered artichoke hearts (may use jarred, marinated artichokes)
1/3 cup walnuts
4-5 Tbsps olive oil
4-5 Tbsps vegetable broth
2 fresh garlic cloves, minced
½ cup fresh parsley
½ cup fresh basil
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
3-5 cups of fresh spinach (optional)
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 405 degrees
Cut the squash in half lengthwise. Place cut side down on a baking sheet and bake for 30-35 minutes or until squash gives when you poke the outside of it.
Use a spoon to remove the excess seeds then a fork to thread the strings from the squash to make spaghetti.
While squash is baking, make the pesto and chicken.
Place a large pan over medium-high heat, add a splash of olive oil and 1 minced garlic clove. As soon as the garlic becomes fragrant, add the halved artichokes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and let cook until slightly browned and tender on all sides.
Once artichokes are browned, add them to a food processor along with the walnuts, olive oil, vegetable broth and second garlic clove. Puree until smooth.
Then add the parsley, basil, lemon, salt and pepper. Puree until smooth. Taste and add more lemon and salt and pepper to your preference.
Once pesto is done pureeing, add the chicken to the same pan that you sautéed the artichokes in.
Cook chicken over medium-high heat until browned on all sides. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper.
Once chicken is cooked through, add in about ¼ cup of the pesto to the chicken along with the spinach in the pan and mix well to coat. Cover and let cook until spinach is wilted.
Mix spaghetti squash, pesto, and chicken all together.
Serve with basil on top.
Enjoy!
Dr. Traci
