Chicken and Tomato Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

Last night I ate popcorn, a yogurt and a spoonful of peanut butter for dinner. No, I'm not sharing that recipe for you. Because, of course, there really is no recipe.

Instead, I'm sharing with you a recipe from the night before


      that was totally delicious


            and I'm so glad I made it


                 and I kinda wish I would have had the motivation to make the second half last night because it  
                 was a square meal


                         certainly more than popcorn, yogurt, and peanut butter


                              and you should totally make it too


                                     then we could swap stories, over popcorn, about how much we loved this meal


                                             it would be a lot of fun


                                                     I promise.


For reallllzzz though, have you had spaghetti squash before? I don't think that you can really approach it as a substitute for pasta because it has a little different texture and flavor, but I do think that it is a great way to make a low carb dinner. This filling is perfect to add some flavor to squash; it is composed of chicken, tomatoes and green olives, plus a little bit of basil and topped off with feta cheese. The chicken, tomatoes and basil make it almost a marinara flavor and the green olives add the perfect amount of salt.

AND it is a fun meal because you get to eat it out of the squash shell.

SO FUN.

SO PRETTY.

Chicken and Tomato Stuffed Spaghetti Squash (adapted from Heat Oven to 350)
Ingredients:
1 cup diced grape tomatoes (or other tomatoes, could be canned)
1/3 cup diced green olives
10-12 basil leaves, chopped
1 large chicken breast, diced
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 spaghetti squash, cut in half and seeds removed
3-4 tbsp crumbled feta cheese
Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions:
Preheat broiler to high.

Place the two halves of the spaghetti squash cut side down in a microwavable container. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave on high for 5-7 minutes, until soft and tender.

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and season with black pepper. Cook until browned on all sides and until almost all the pink is gone, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, olives and basil. Simmer on low until the chicken is cooked completely and the sauce thickens, approximately 5 minutes.

Flip the squash halves over and using a fork pull the flesh into thin stands, almost angel hair pasta-like. Make a small hole in the center of the squash and divide the filling between the two halves. Sprinkle the top with feta cheese and season with additional black pepper.

Broil until the cheese is golden brown, about 3 minutes.

Serves 2 (1/2 squash per person).