Enjoy a delicious twist on an Italian classic with this chicken alfredo spaghetti squash recipe. It’s lower in carbs, extremely filling, and lighter than your traditional pasta dish but it’s so delicious! Spaghetti squash can seem daunting but this is actually a pretty simple recipe.
As an Italian, I absolutely love pasta. However, sometimes it is hard for me to control the portion size. Therefore, spaghetti squash is one of my favorites ingredients when I want a huge bowl of pasta but not all the calories or carbohydrates. I’m always coming up with new ways to make it!
This dish offers all the comforting flavors of Alfredo pasta, with perfectly al dente spaghetti squash, while being lower in calories and packed with protein and calcium. {Gluten-Free}
Why I Love This Recipe:
- It’s creamy, decadent, and only 339 calories per serving.
- This dish is healthier than your traditional chicken alfredo.
- Low in carbs, and high in protein (40 grams per serving!).
- Easy to make – with no mushy strands of spaghetti squash.
- A guilt-free alternate to pasta.
- 7 simple ingredients.
How to Make This Spaghetti Squash Dish
This delicious low carb chicken alfredo makes about 4 large servings – possibly 5 but I would recommend increasing the amount of chicken.
I recently updated this recipe and it was just as good as I remembered! The key here is really to not overheat the sauce and don’t use anything other than 2% milkfat cottage cheese or higher. Otherwise, the sauce might curdle or break.
Ingredients
- 1 large spaghetti squash
- 1 cup 2% cottage cheese or higher milkfat
- 4–6 garlic cloves
- ¼ cup chicken broth, plus more as needed
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
- ½–1 cup frozen peas
- 1–1½ pounds chicken thighs or chicken breasts
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil or avocado oil spray
- Garlic powder, to taste
- Italian seasoning, to taste
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- ½ large onion, minced (optional)
Step-By-Step Directions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Cut the spaghetti squash crosswise and scoop out the seeds and pulp. Spray the inside with avocado oil and season with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Season the chicken with the same spices.
- Place the squash cut-side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet with 2–3 garlic cloves underneath each half. Roast for 30–35 minutes, or until the strands easily pull away with a fork but are still slightly al dente.
- While the squash cooks, prepare the chicken using your preferred method. I like to air fry the chicken while the squash is in the oven.
- Once the squash is done, turn the halves on their sides and let them rest for 10–20 minutes so excess steam can escape.
- Add the cottage cheese, ¼ cup chicken broth and roasted garlic cloves to a blender. Blend until completely smooth.
- If using onion, sauté it in a large skillet over medium heat for 4–5 minutes, or until softened. Reduce the heat to low. If the skillet is very hot, let it cool for a minute before adding the cottage cheese mixture.
- Pour the blended cottage cheese sauce into the skillet. Add the peas and warm gently over low heat for 2–3 minutes, stirring frequently. Do not let the sauce simmer or boil.
- Stir in most of the Parmesan cheese and continue cooking just until the cheese is melted and the sauce is warmed through. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder and Italian seasoning to taste.
- Use a fork to scrape the spaghetti squash into strands. Add the squash to the skillet and gently toss with the sauce.
- Slice the cooked chicken and add it to the skillet or serve it on top of each bowl. Garnish with the remaining Parmesan cheese.
- If the sauce is too thick, add a small splash of chicken broth. If it is thinner than you prefer, add a little more Parmesan cheese.
Tips for Success
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I Cut the Squash Lengthwise?
Of course! You could even pour the sauce and chicken into each halve of the squash, and top with mozzarella cheese and place back in the oven for 10 more minutes for a delicious Alfredo bowl.
Can I Cook the Squash in the Air Fryer?
If you have a smaller squash, both halves might fit in the air fryer at the same time – and it cooks much faster! I recommend 375-400 degrees F for about 20 minutes. This works best if you cut the squash lengthwise. You could also cook each halve separately in the air fryer, and it might work out to be the same time as in the oven.
Is This Recipe Allergy Friendly? Gluten-Free?
This recipe is naturally gluten-free, but not dairy-free. To make it dairy-free, use a dairy-free cottage cheese or Greek yogurt as well as parmesan.
How Long Can I Store in the Fridge?
This recipe makes for great leftovers for up to 4 days in the fridge! I don’t recommend freezing, though, as the creamy sauce might break.
Chicken Alfredo Spaghetti Squash: Lighter Version (Made with Cottage Cheese)
Ingredients
- 1 large spaghetti squash
- 1 cup 2% cottage cheese, or higher milkfat
- 4-6 garlic cloves
- 1/4 cup chicken broth, plus more as needed plus, more as needed
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese add more to thicken sauce
- 1/2-1 cup frozen peas
- 1-1.5 pounds chicken thighs or breasts rotisserie chicken works, too!
- 1 Tbsp. Avocado oil or spray
- 1 tsp Garlic powder, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning
- 1/2 large onion, minced optiona;l
Method
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Cut the spaghetti squash crosswise and scoop out the seeds and pulp. Spray the inside with avocado oil and season with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Season the chicken with the same spices.
- Place the squash cut-side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet with 2–3 garlic cloves underneath each half. Roast for 30–35 minutes, or until the strands easily pull away with a fork but are still slightly al dente.
- While the squash cooks, prepare the chicken using your preferred method. I like to air fry the chicken while the squash is in the oven.
- Once the squash is done, turn the halves on their sides and let them rest for 10–20 minutes so excess steam can escape.
- Add the cottage cheese, ¼ cup chicken broth and roasted garlic cloves to a blender. Blend until completely smooth.
- If using onion, sauté it in a large skillet over medium heat for 4–5 minutes, or until softened. Reduce the heat to low. If the skillet is very hot, let it cool for a minute before adding the cottage cheese mixture.
- Pour the blended cottage cheese sauce into the skillet. Add the peas and warm gently over low heat for 2–3 minutes, stirring frequently. Do not let the sauce simmer or boil.
- Stir in most of the Parmesan cheese and continue cooking just until the cheese is melted and the sauce is warmed through. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder and Italian seasoning to taste.
- Use a fork to scrape the spaghetti squash into strands. Add the squash to the skillet and gently toss with the sauce.
- Slice the cooked chicken and add it to the skillet or serve it on top of each bowl. Garnish with the remaining Parmesan cheese.
- If the sauce is too thick, add a small splash of chicken broth. If it is thinner than you prefer, add a little more Parmesan cheese.
Notes
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings: 4 | |
| Amount per serving | |
| Calories | 339 |
| % Daily Value* | |
| Total Fat 12.8g | 16% |
| Saturated Fat 4.9g | 24% |
| Cholesterol 115mg | 38% |
| Sodium 468mg | 20% |
| Total Carbohydrate 12.7g | 5% |
| Dietary Fiber 1.2g | 4% |
| Total Sugars 2.3g | |
| Protein 43.1g | |
| Vitamin D 0mcg | 0% |
| Calcium 197mg | 15% |
| Iron 2mg | 12% |
| Potassium 444mg | 9% |
| *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calorie a day is used for general nutrition advice. | |
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!Hope You Enjoy!
I love using cottage cheese in replace of heavy cream to increase the protein and calcium content of dishes. This recipe is one of my favorites when I am craving a huge bowl of pasta, and I find I like it just as much as traditional Alfredo.
Feel free to customize this dish however you want to. Greek yogurt would be a great substitute for cottage cheese.
I loved it! The spaghetti squash was so easy to cut this way, and didn’t get mushy at all.
I followed the directions to the letter and I ended up with a very curdled mess in my pan. It became runny and not thick. I turned the heat to low just as it said to.
Oh no! I am so sorry that happened! I have made this recipe multiple times and have never had that issue. I wonder if it’s because some stoves run hotter than others and maybe I should change the temperature to low instead. The sauce usually thickens up when the cheese is added.