Filled with chicken, broccoli, bacon and drizzled with ranch dressing these low carb, gluten-free creamy bacon ranch stuffed spaghetti squash bowls are sure to be a family favorite.
I have been a fan of spaghetti squash since discovering it years ago. It is a versatile, lighter vegetable offering to heavy gluten pasta. Stuffed spaghetti squash bowls are very filing. They can be paired with almost any meat and veggie creating a delicious, wholesome meal. This recipe combines it with chicken, broccoli, bacon and ranch dressing to make them oh so creamy. Yummy!
What is spaghetti squash?
Spaghetti squash is a yellow vegetable that is usually harvested in the fall. It comes in several shapes and sizes. The flavor is neutral and unlike acorn or butternut squash varieties is not sweet. The texture is slightly crunchy and less starchy than other types of squash. Spaghetti squash is rich in beta carotene, vitamin A, potassium and folic acid.
How can spaghetti squash be prepared?
There are four ways to prepare spaghetti squash:
- Baking– Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut squash in half and scoop out seeds. Place them face down on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 45 minutes. When done, flip over and pull squash from sides of shell.
- Crockpot– Poke about a dozen holes in the squash. Place whole squash in crockpot and cook for 2 1/2-3 1/2 hours on high or 5-6 hours on low. No additional water is necessary as the crockpot holds the stream in. When ready to take out, cut squash open, remove seeds and pull squash from sides of shell.
- Instapot– Place a cup of water in instapot along with rack. Poke about a dozen holes into the whole squash. Place in instapot and bring up to pressure, then cook for 15 minutes. Wait 10 minutes for it too cool before removing. Once cooled, cut squash open, remove seeds and then pull squash from sides of shell.
- Boiling– Place whole squash in stove top pan with water covering the squash. Bring water to a boil. Cover and let cook for 25-30 minutes. Once shell appears soft, remove from water, cut open, remove seeds and then pull squash from sides of shell.
Can the squash be prepared ahead of time?
Yes, you can choose any method above for preparing. The spaghetti squash can be stored in the freezer in a ziplock freezer bag up to 3 months. Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator up to 5 days.
How can these bowls be prepared?
For purposes of this recipe, I am baking the squash. While the squash is in the oven, dice the chicken tenders into cubes and place aside. Lightly, melt coconut oil on a frying pan to cook the bacon. When bacon is complete, break into bite size pieces and place aside. Put broccoli with water in a stove top pan and cook on medium heat for 20 minutes. While broccoli is cooking, use the frying pan from the bacon to cook the chicken cubes with the left over bacon grease. Place chicken aside and drain broccoli as the stalks should be tender. By this time, the squash is ready to come out of the oven. Let the squash cool for 5 minutes then pull the strands of squash “noodles” from sides of shell. Mix in the bowls the chicken, broccoli, bacon and drizzle ranch dressing on top. Bon Appetite!
CREAMY BACON RANCH STUFFED SPAGHETTI SQUASH BOWLS
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
These gluten-free stuffed spaghetti squash bowls are bursting with flavor and are sure to become a family favorite.
Ingredients
1– 3lb spaghetti squash
1 lb chicken tenders (diced)
1 1/2 cups broccoli
1 cup water
1/2 pkg bacon
2 tbsp ranch dressing
1 tbsp coconut oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees
- Cut squash in half and scoop out seeds
- Place squash halves in oven with the bowl part facing down on baking sheet to cook for 45 minutes
- Cut chicken tenders into bite size cubes then place aside
- Melt coconut oil on stove top pan then begin frying the bacon strips
- Once the bacon is finished frying, break into bite size pieces
- Place aside bacon then place broccoli in separate stove top pan with water to cook on medium heat for 20 minutes
- Using the same frying pan from the bacon, cook chicken cubes until meat is tender
- Drain the water out of the pan with the broccoli and let cool
- Remove squash out of the oven and let cool for 5 minutes
- Once cooled, begin raking squash “noodles” from the sides of the shell.
- Add chicken, broccoli and bacon to the squash bowl and drizzle with ranch dressing
Notes
- Too make this recipe Whole 30 compliant, use Primal Kitchen Ranch dressing and Pederson’s bacon.
- You can cook the squash any of the other 3 ways listed but timing will need to be adjusted when cooking other ingredients
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 45
- Category: Main Dishes
- Method: Bake/Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: stuffed spaghetti squash bowls, spaghetti squash bowls,
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