Yields:

8 Servings

Total Time:

1 Hour 15 Minutes

Calories:

353 Calories

Ingredients

For the chicken:

  • 3/4 cup whole wheat panko or almond meal
  • 3 TB grated parmesan cheese
  • 2 eggs
  • 4 large chicken breasts (about 8oz each), cut in half lengthwise
  • 8 slices low fat provolone cheese

 

For the spaghetti squash:

  • 1 large spaghetti squash
  • olive oil, salt & pepper

 

For the marinara sauce:

  • 2 TB olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 green peppers, roughly chopped
  • 2 carrots, shredded
  • 1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
  • 2 cans (28 oz each) crushed tomatoes
  • 4 tsp Italian seasoning
  • Salt & pepper, to taste

Directions

Step 1:

Preheat oven to 400F.  In a large sauté pan over medium high heat, add olive oil, garlic, green peppers, carrots, tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Cook until peppers are soft.

Step 2:

While sauce is cooking, use a knife or fork to poke holes in whole spaghetti squash. Then, microwave whole spaghetti squash for 3-5 minutes to soften before cutting.  

Cut spaghetti squash in half, lengthwise and place on baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and lightly season with salt and pepper. Bake at 400F for 40 minutes until slightly browned. Remove from oven and turn temperature down to 350F.

Step 3:

While spaghetti squash is baking, blend cooked sauce until smooth using an immersion blender. If you do not have an immersion blender, use a regular blender in small batches to blend sauce. Use caution as the hot sauce will let off steam and expand in blender.  Return sauce to pan and set aside for chicken parmesan assembly.

Step 4:

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.  Mix breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese in shallow bowl or plate.  In another shallow bowl, scramble raw eggs.  Coat each side of cut chicken breast with egg and follow immediately with dipping into the breadcrumb/cheese mixture and place on the baking sheet. Repeat with remaining chicken breasts.  

Step 5:

Bake at 350F for 15 minutes.  Remove from oven, top each chicken breast with a spoonful of sauce and 1 slice low fat provolone cheese.  Return to oven and continue baking until internal temperature reads 165 degrees. 

While chicken is baking, use a fork to separate baked spaghetti squash into “noodles.”

Step 6:

To serve, spoon “noodles” onto plate, top with marinara sauce and baked chicken breast.  Add fresh basil for extra flavor. Enjoy!

Chef’s Note:

The marinara sauce is very healthy and versatile!  Double the recipe and freeze to easily use in this or other recipes.

Nutrition Facts:

About 353 calories, 35 grams protein, 26.8 grams carb, 7 grams fiber, 12.5 grams fat (4g saturated fat), 768 mg sodium, 10.2 grams sugar