Basil Afredo Spaghetti Squash (dairy free & gluten free)

I made this recipe yesterday and it was love at first bite! To be honest, I loved it before I even ate it! Just from the smell of it while it was cooking, I could tell I was going to love it! You can find the original recipe HERE. This recipe is an A+ on taste but also an A+ on prep time! It comes together so quickly and so darn easily! You'll see as I walk you through the recipe, it's almost too easy (if there is such a thing!).

Okay, let's talk logistics - this recipe is dairy free and gluten free if you make it exactly as I did. If you eliminate the chicken (you could so easily serve it without!), it's also vegan! So, little itty bitty adjustment to make this recipe vegan! Let's get into it!

The first thing you'll need to do is get the spaghetti squash and the chicken in the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut a spaghetti squash in half and scrape out the middle. You'll need to scrape out the seeds but leave the the main part of the squash. Drizzle a little olive oil over the spaghetti squash. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the spaghetti squash cut side down on the baking sheet. Don't put the spaghetti squash in the oven just yet! Prep the chicken first and put them in together!

Side note, I could barely cut through this squash - ugh! I was practically using 2 hands trying to saw through this squash! I mean, I almost thought dinner just wasn't going to happen because I couldn't get through the squash!

Onto the chicken! Prep another baking sheet with parchment paper and place to boneless, skinless chicken breasts on the baking sheet. Drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil over the chicken breasts. Then sprinkle a little salt, pepper and garlic powder over the chicken.

Put both the spaghetti squash and the chicken in the oven preheated to 400 degrees. The chicken needs to be in for 25-30 minutes and the spaghetti squash needs to be in for 60 minutes. I started with 25 minutes on the times, and worked from there.

The chicken is done when it is no longer pink on the inside - I recommend cutting it open a little to check it. When the chicken is ready, remove it from the oven and cover it with a plate. Leave the spaghetti squash in the oven to finish it's bake time.

Right after you get everything in the oven, put 1 cup of cashews in a glass measuring cup. Fill the measuring cup with boiling water and cover the measuring dish with a plate. The cashews will need to soak for 30 minutes. This lines up pretty well with the chickens baking time, no? I though this was so convenient!

Once your spaghetti squash and chicken are in the oven baking and the cashews are soaking you have 30 minutes of wait time! What is one to do while dinner is practically making itself? I'm half kidding, but really, it is nice to have a minute to do dishes!

When the chicken is ready, remove it from the oven and cover it with a plate. This is around the same time the cashews will be done their soak time. While the spaghetti squash is finishing it's bake time, make the basil Alfredo sauce! Put the soaked cashews, 2 Tablespoons of nutritional yeast, 1-2 cloves of garlic (I recommend starting with 1, tasting the sauce and adding more if needed),  1 Tablespoon of lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 3/4 cup of cashew milk and 1/2 cup of fresh basil in the blender. I used the NutriBullet and it worked great!

Blend the sauce together until it is very smooth. Once the sauce is combined, taste it and decide if it's good to go or of you'd like to add another clove of garlic or potentially some more basil. When you've decided it's ready, set it aside. I transferred it to a mixing bowl.

Slice up the chicken into strips. I was able to fit this all in while the spaghetti squash was still baking.

When the spaghetti squash completes it's bake time, remove it from the oven and use a fork to scrape out the spaghetti like flesh (that sounds much more gory than it is!). Scrape out the spaghetti squash and put it in a large saucepan. Once you've scraped out all of the spaghetti squash into the saucepan, add the basil Alfredo sauce in along with the chicken.

Put the saucepan over low heat (I had my stove on a 2), and mix everything together. This is just to combine everything and ensure that every is hot when you serve it!

Then it's ready to serve! We served this all on on its own but it would great with a salad or a veggie on the side!

I realize that these pictures don't make this meal look all that fabulous, but I promise it is so so SO much better than it looks! 

Basil Afredo Spaghetti Squash (dairy free & gluten free)
serves 6

ingredients
1 spaghetti squash
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (omit if vegan)
1 cup cashews, soaked
boiling water
2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 Tablespoons lemon juice
1-2 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup of cashew milk (or other non-dairy milk)
1/2 cup fresh basil

directions
1. Cut the spaghetti squash in half. Scrape out the insides (just the seeds, leave the flesh). Drizzle a little olive oil over the inside of the squash. Prep a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the spaghetti squash cut side down on the baking sheet.
2. Prep a separate baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the chicken breasts on the baking sheet. Drizzle a little olive oil over each chicken breast. Then, sprinkle a little salt, pepper and garlic powder over the chicken.
3. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and put the squash and the chicken in the oven. The chicken needs to be in for 25-30 minutes and the spaghetti squash needs to be in for 60 minutes. They can go in the same oven and start with 25 minutes. Check the chicken to make sure it is no longer pink then let the spaghetti squash complete its bake time.
4. Once the chicken and the squash go in the oven, out the cashews in a glass measuring dish. Fill the measuring cup with boiling water - just enough to cover the cashews. Then, cover the measuring cup with a plate and let the cashews soak for 30 minutes.
5. When the chicken is done, remove it from the oven and slice it into strips. Once it's ready set it aside and cover it with a plate to keep it warm.
6. To make the basil Alfredo, add the soaked cashews, the nutritional yeast, the lemon juice, the garlic cloves, the salt, the cashew milk and the basil to the blender. Blend everything together until it is very smooth. Set the sauce aside until you are ready to mix it into the spaghetti squash.
7. When the spaghetti squash completes its bake time, remove it from the oven and pull out the flesh with a fork - it should be long, thin, spaghetti like strands. Put the spaghetti squash in a large saucepan.
8. Add the sauce and the chicken to the saucepan and stir it all together until everything is well coated in sauce. I recommend having your saucepan over low heat while you are mixing everything together.

This recipe was such a bog hit at my house! Even the Bean liked it! It was totally comparable to a typical Alfredo cheese sauce, all while being so good for you!