Broccoli Cheddar Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

This Broccoli Cheddar Stuffed Spaghetti Squash is the best dinner recipe for when you’re craving some slightly lightened-up comfort food! Inspired by the classic broccoli cheddar soup, this meal features steamed broccoli, sautéed chicken and a simple cheddar sauce, all stuffed inside some perfectly roasted spaghetti squash. It’s creamy, dreamy and loaded with protein, fiber and healthy fats!

When I made this for dinner the other night and posted it on my IG story, I got a ton of responses requesting the recipe. So, I had to remake it the next day to film for you! However, this has NOT been my week and the spaghetti squash I bought was fully rotten – check out my IG video for evidence lol. My lovely husband graciously went and got me a new one that happened to be perfect, so the third time was the charm! I really love how cozy and comforting this Broccoli Cheddar Stuffed Spaghetti Squash is, while still packing in some nutrients. I hope it ends up on your dinner menu sometime soon!

Why You’ll Love this Broccoli Cheddar Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

• It gives you that nostalgia of Broccoli Cheddar soup from Panera!
• Everything is just cuter when it’s stuffed inside a spaghetti squash boat.
• This Broccoli Cheddar Stuffed Spaghetti Squash packs in some sneaky fiber from the broccoli and spaghetti squash.
• It’s high in protein from the chicken breast, cheese and milk.
• This meal feels like the perfect winter comfort food.
• It’s a healthier dinner that will please even the people who claim not to like spaghetti squash or broccoli!

What You Need to Make this Broccoli Cheddar Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

• Olive Oil or Cooking Spray: For roasting the spaghetti squash and sautéing the chicken and onions.
• Spaghetti Squash: A really big one (4-5 lbs). If you can’t find one this big, just use 2 smaller ones so that you have enough room to fit all the broccoli cheddar chicken filling.
• Broccoli: About 1/2 lb (8 oz) of florets. Make sure to cut each of the large florets down into really small florets so that they’re bite-sized and cook faster.
• Chicken Breast: Cut into bite-sized pieces. Let them sit in salt for a while to make it more tender – learning about this in the book Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat! To save time, you can also substitute an equal amount of shredded rotisserie chicken.
• Onion
• Garlic
• Butter: This is used to make the roux for the cheddar sauce. I prefer unsalted butter.
• Gluten Free 1-1 Flour: The secondary ingredient for the roux. You can use either gluten free 1-1 flour or normal all purpose flour if you’re not gluten free.
• Milk: I use 2% but whole milk will also work. Make sure it’s at room temperature prior to adding it to the pan. You can do this by leaving it out on the counter for a while, or, if you’re in a pinch, submerge your glass of milk in a warm water bath.
• Chicken Broth: As needed, to thin out the cheddar sauce. You can substitute this for more milk.
• Cheddar Cheese: Freshly shredded sharp cheddar cheese is best! Try to ensure this is close to room temperature as well so that it easily melts into the sauce.
• Salt & Pepper: Season to taste. Don’t be scared of adding a LOT of salt!
• Fresh Parsley: Optional, as a fun garnish.

How To Make this Broccoli Cheddar Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

Roast the Spaghetti Squash:

Start by preheating your oven and preparing your spaghetti squash. Cutting the spaghetti squash can often be the hardest part! I find that if I’m using a sharp enough knife, I’m able to cut through it just fine…but if you’re struggling, you can also microwave it for a little bit to soften up before cutting. Then, cut in half lengthwise and remove all the seeds and stringy parts.

Then, place the spaghetti squash cut-side-down on a baking sheet and poke the skin all over with a fork. Flip over, spray with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Then, flip cut-side-down again and bake at 400F for about 35 minutes. If you’re using smaller spaghetti squashes, start checking them around 25 minutes.

Cook the Broccoli & Chicken:

Meanwhile, season your chicken heavily with salt and let it sit at room temperature. This will help to make it more tender! The more time it’s sitting in the salt, the better. Next, bring a pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add the broccoli florets and cook for 3 minutes or until tender but still have a crunchy bite to them. Drain and set aside.

Bring a large pan (I prefer to use stainless steel for this) to medium-high heat. You can tell your stainless steel pan is hot and ready to use when water beads up and “dances” around the pan vs just evaporating. Then, add enough oil to coat the pan and let that heat up. Once hot, add the chicken and spread out evenly – try to avoid as much overlapping as possible. Do not disturb the chicken for the first 2-3 minutes! Once golden on one side, flip the chicken and continue cooking for 2-3 more minutes. It will continue cooking when it goes in the oven, so it doesn’t need to be fully done. Remove chicken from the pan.

Make the Cheddar Sauce:

Next, reduce heat to medium and add a bit more oil to the pan. Then, add in the onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, for about 3 minutes. Add in the garlic, and cook for 1 more minute util fragrant. Add the butter to the pan and let it melt. Once melted, add in the flour and whisk constantly for 2-3 minutes, until the flour smell is gone. Then, little by little, whisk in the milk. If it’s too thick at this point, add in the remaining broth (or milk).

Then, reduce heat to a simmer and add in the shredded cheddar. Stir until the cheese is melted and smooth. Taste and season with salt & pepper as needed. Add back in the cooked chicken and broccoli.

Stuff the Spaghetti Squash:

Once the spaghetti squash is done roasting, use a fork to remove some of the strands. Add them to the pan along with the cheddar sauce, chicken and broccoli. Toss to coat. Then, stuff the mixture inside the spaghetti squash boats, top with some more shredded cheddar and bake for 10 more minutes. I like to broil it for an additional few minutes at the end to get it golden. Then, top with some chopped parsley & enjoy!

What is a Roux?

A roux is a mixture of equal parts flour and fat (in this case, butter). It’s the base of the cheese sauce in this recipe and it helps to thicken it up! It may seem intimidating at first, but it’s really pretty simple (as long as you don’t forget to add the butter like I did in this video lol). To keep this recipe gluten free, I chose to use Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-1 flour (it’s my fav!) but if you’re not gluten free, you can of course use normal all purpose flour as well.

Can I Substitute a Different Milk like Skim, 1% or Almond Milk?

Technically, you could but I don’t recommend it! I always have 2% on hand so that’s what I used, but whole milk would be even better for a richer flavor and creamier texture. If you go any lower in fat percentage, the results just won’t be as yummy. But, let me know if you end up trying it!

Troubleshooting:

I want to point out that the cheddar sauce does tend to get thinner when stuffing it inside the spaghetti squash and baking. I’m assuming this is most likely because spaghetti squash naturally has excess water in it, so this comes out when you bake it and it results in a slightly watered down cheese sauce. From a taste perspective, it doesn’t really change anything – still delicious! But you may notice that the sauce spills out of the spaghetti squash a bit (especially if your spaghetti squash is not sitting level on the baking sheet).

If this bothers you, you can instead serve the broccoli cheddar chicken mixture on top of the roasted spaghetti squash, rather than stuffing it inside and baking it again. This way, the sauce will retain its thicker texture. Please refer to my note in the recipe guide for further guidance on this

Find the full recipe below. As always, please let me know if you tried it by commenting below or tagging me on Instagram, @munchinwithmaddie_.

Looking for more Cozy Dinners?

• Jalapeno Popper Chicken Casserole
• Leftover Turkey Tuscan Orzo Skillet
• Creamy Chicken, Mushroom & Wild Rice Soup
• Turkey Enchilada Skillet
• Butternut Squash Feta Pasta with Chicken Sausage and Kale

5 from 1 vote

Broccoli Cheddar Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

This Broccoli Cheddar Stuffed Spaghetti Squash is the best dinner recipe for when you're craving some slightly lightened-up comfort food! Inspired by the classic broccoli cheddar soup, this meal features steamed broccoli, sautéed chicken and a simple cheddar sauce, all stuffed inside some perfectly roasted spaghetti squash.

Servings 6 people

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Total Time 50 minutes mins

Equipment

• baking sheet
• medium pot
• large pan
• whisk
• spatula
• cutting board
• knife
• large bowl

Ingredients

For the Roasted Spaghetti Squash:

• 1 large spaghetti squash 4-5 lbs*
• olive oil or spray
• salt + pepper

For the Steamed Broccoli:

• ½ lb broccoli florets cut down into very small florets
• salt

For the Sautéed Chicken:

• 1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into bite-sized pieces**
• salt
• olive oil

For the Cheddar Sauce:

• olive oil
• ½ yellow onion finely diced
• 2 large cloves of garlic minced
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp gluten free 1-1 flour (or normal AP flour)
• 1 cup milk (at room temp, I used 2%)
• ½ cup chicken broth (as needed, can sub more milk instead)
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (freshly shredded & at room temp is best)
• salt + pepper to taste

For Topping:

• shredded cheddar cheese
• chopped parsley

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400F. Cut spaghetti squash in half lengthwise. Then, remove all the seeds and stringy parts. Place spaghetti squash cut-side-down on the baking sheet and use a fork to pierce holes all over the skin.
• Flip the spaghetti squash over, spray the inside with cooking oil and season with salt and pepper. Flip the spaghetti squash cut-side-down again and transfer to the oven to bake for 25-35 minutes (time will vary based on size). The spaghetti squash is done when it easily strings apart with a fork and is al-dente when tasting.
• Meanwhile, add cubed chicken to a large bowl and season heavily with salt. Let that sit at room temp while you prepare the remaining ingredients. This will help make the chicken more tender and flavorful.
• Fill a medium-sized pot with water and bring it to a boil. Heavily salt the water. Once boiling, add the broccoli florets and let cook for about 3 minutes, or until vibrant green but still a little bit crunchy. Drain and set broccoli aside.
• Bring a large pan to medium-high heat. Once hot, add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken. Spread out evenly in the pan but then don't touch it for about 2-3 minutes. Flip the chicken and cook for another 2-3 minutes on the other side or until nearly done through (it'll continue cooking in the oven later). Remove chicken from the pan and set aside.
• Reduce heat to medium. Add a bit more olive oil. Then, add the onion. Sauté, stirring occasionally, for about 2-3 minutes. Then add garlic, stir, and cook for 1 minute longer.
• Add in the butter and let it melt. Then, add in the flour and whisk constantly for 2-3 minutes or until the flour smell has gone away.
• Slowly, add in milk little by little, stirring constantly. If it seems too thick, add in the additional 1/2 cup of broth (or milk), stirring constantly.
• Reduce heat to a simmer and add in the cheese. Stir until it's become fully melted and smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• ***SEE NOTE – Once spaghetti squash is done roasting, use a fork to remove some of the strands. Add them to the cheese sauce along with the cooked chicken and broccoli. Toss to coat it in the sauce.
• Stuff the mixture back inside of the spaghetti squash boats and top with a bit more shredded cheddar. Bake for another 10 minutes, then switch to broil for a few more minutes at the end to get it golden! Garnish with parsley & enjoy!

Video

Notes

*NOTE: If you can’t find one this big, get two smaller ones instead.

**NOTE: To save time, feel free to substitute an equal amount of shredded rotisserie chicken. Then, skip steps 3 and 5.

**NOTE: At this point, you have two options – 1) serve the broccoli cheddar chicken mixture over the cooked spaghetti squash or 2) stuff the broccoli cheddar chicken mixture back into the spaghetti squash boats and cook for about 10 more minutes. Either way is great! The one difference I notice is that with option 2, the liquid from the spaghetti squash causes the cheddar sauce to get a little thin. It may spill out of the spaghetti squash a bit if your spaghetti squash doesn’t sit perfectly level. If you go with option 1 instead, just make sure your chicken is fully cooked in step 5. 

Course: Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free

Keyword: Broccoli, Cheddar, Cheese, Chicken, Comfort Food, Gluten Free, Spaghetti Squash

Did you make this recipe?

Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and tag @munchinwithmaddie_ on Instagram and/or hashtag it #munchinwithmaddie.