Buffalo Chicken Spaghetti Squash Casserole

chicken & seafood meal prep recipes May 22, 2020

I've been on a casserole kick lately for my weekly lunch prep and it's been awesome! I typically always eat the same lunch Monday-Friday because it makes prep and sticking to my goals SO much easier. I also make sure that my lunch is something that's super satisfying, delicious, and filling so that it doesn't get boring to me and I actually look forward to eating it every day.

This buffalo chicken spaghetti squash casserole DEFINITELY checks all of those boxes and will for sure be a recurring meal prep staple for months to come.

Originally I planned to divide the casserole into 6 servings, but after calculating the macros and realizing how low-calorie this dish was, I decided to divide it into 4 instead. You can adjust the macros and servings to your preference of course. Either way, the serving size will be BIG and SATISFYING and DELICIOUS while still being low-er in carbs AND calories.

Prep Time:
50 mins Cook Time:
45 mins Total Time
95 mins

Servings: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

1 medium spaghetti squash (mine came out to be a total of 1000 grams after cooking and removing seeds and skin)
1/2 tablespoon butter
1 pound ground chicken breast
1, 12-ounce package (about 3 cups) frozen cut green beans
4 tablespoons cream cheese
1/4 cup bone broth (you could use water or nut milk if you don't have bone broth on hand)
120 mL Frank's Red Hot Sauce
1 packet (~30 grams or 3 tablespoons) Ranch style seasoning (I used Primal Palate Garden Ranch Seasoning Mix that I purchased from Thrive Market)
- You can follow THIS LINK for 25% off your first Thrive Market order
1/2 tablespoon gelatin (Optional, but helps the casserole come together more when baked - I use Further Food brand)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt (I always use Redmond Real Salt)

Instructions

First, cook the spaghetti squash. There are several different methods for how to do this, and cooking times will differ depending on the size of your squash. I usually pick one of the following methods:
- Cut the spaghetti squash in half, scoop out the seeds, and place face down on a lined baking sheet in a 400 F oven. Cook for 30-40 minutes or until flesh is soft. Remove from oven and let cool before removing the flesh with a fork.
- Using a sharp knife, cut 1-inch slits all around the spaghetti squash. Put the entire spaghetti squash in your instant pot and cook on high pressure for ~20 minutes. Once cooked, carefully remove the squash (it will be very hot) and cut it in half to cool. Once cooled, remove seeds and shred flesh with a fork into spaghetti strands.
- Tip - spaghetti squash tends to get watery after it's cooked. I like to remove the flesh into a colander and let it sit for ~10 minutes to drain off the excess water. Too much water will make your casserole soggy. Nobody likes soggy casseroles 😅
While the squash is cooling, make the chicken/green bean mixture and sauce.
Preheat oven to 375 F, if not preheated already.
In a large pan over medium heat, add butter and ground chicken and cook for about 3-5 minutes, just until chicken starts to turn white. Then add frozen green beans and cook for another 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit while you make the sauce (or if you're good at multi-tasking, make the sauce while the chicken and green beans are cooking).
To make the sauce, add cream cheese and bone broth to a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 10-second increments until cream cheese is melted. Then whisk in hot sauce, ranch seasoning, gelatin, salt, and garlic powder mix until well combined.
In a large bowl (like really large), add chicken/green bean mixture, cooked spaghetti squash, and sauce. Mix until everything completely combined and transfer to a casserole dish.
Bake for 45-55 minutes or until set. Remove from oven and let cool completely (about an hour) before cutting into desired portions.

Notes

Instead of ground chicken and frozen green beans, you could use pre-cooked shredded chicken and steamed fresh green beans. Ground chicken and frozen green beans is what I had on hand in my freezer.
Optional toppings: parmesan or other cheese, nutritional yeast, chopped green onions, more hot sauce.

Nutrition Per Serving (when cut into 4 portions): 287 Calories, 7g Fat, 31g Protein, 25g Carbs, 7g Fiber

Nutrition Per Serving (when cut into 6 portions): 188 Calories, 4g Fat, 21g Protein, 17g Carbs, 4g Fiber

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