This is a delicious recipe for a mid-week dinner or for meal prep!
What I love about this recipe is that you can easily make a delicious pesto sauce without having to spend a lot of money on pine nuts. Trust me when I say that substituting cost-effective sunflower seeds for expensive pine nuts is a smart move that doesn't skimp on taste!
This recipe is packed with nutrients, protein, healthy fats, and satisfying flavors & textures! I hope you love it as much as I!
Get cooking, Sassy Fam!
Time: 40 Minutes Yields: 4-5 Servings Ingredients 1 small spaghetti squash (3-4 pounds), seeded and quartered Cooking spray 1 cup of zucchini, sliced in half moons 1 cup of yellow squash, sliced in half moons 1 red pepper, julienne (thin strips) 1 orange pepper, julienne (thin strips) 1 cup of asparagus, diced 1 small yellow onion, sliced 5 cloves of garlic, minced 1 1/2 pounds of boneless & skinless chicken thighs 1 tablespoon of Himalayan Salt 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 2 tablespoons olive oil Method 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 2. Prepare the spaghetti squash as listed above. Spray a sheet pan with cooking spray. Lay the spaghetti squash quarters flesh side down on the sheet pan. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes. 3. Immediately after you put the squash in the oven, chop the remaining vegetables as listed above. Keep the chicken thighs whole. 4. Place all of the chopped vegetables, whole chicken thighs, salt, pepper, and olive oil into a large bowl. Mix until well-combined. 5. Spray another sheet pan with cooking spray. Place the whole chicken thighs in the middle of the sheet pan (next to each other). Arrange the chopped vegetables around the chicken. It's ok if some of the vegetables are on top of each other. 6. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. 7. Pull both pans out of the oven when they are done cooking. Allow both pans to cool for 10 minutes. 8. Using a fork, pull the spaghetti squash away from the peel. Place spaghetti squash strands in a large bowl. 9. Take the roasted vegetables and place them in the bowl with the spaghetti squash. 10. Chop the chicken and then place it in the large bowl with the rest of the ingredients. Toss and mix together. 11. Toss the sunflower seed pesto (see recipe below) into the bowl and mix until well-combined. Add salt & pepper to taste. Serve immediately! Basil-Cilantro Sunflower Seed Pesto Ingredients 1 cup packed cilantro leaves 1 cup packed basil leaves 2/3 cup roasted & salted sunflower seeds 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil 4 garlic cloves 2 teaspoon Himalayan Salt 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper Zest of one lemon Method Combine everything into a food processor and blend until it forms a smooth paste. Add olive oil as needed.