Sage Butter Spaghetti Squash with Chicken

 

     Hey again! I don't normally love squash but spaghetti squash is sometimes a limited exception. This recipe, the sweet flavors of the squash go so well with the sage and garlic. The pecans and goat cheese are there to add richness and texture making it more interesting to eat. 

     I took he picture that was cute and plated and realized I didn't want to eat it that way. So I chopped the chicken up to about the size of the chopped pecans and loved it that way. I wrote the recipe to reflect how I preferred eating it, not how it is in the picture. The ingredients are the same, chopping it just makes for a better eating experience. 

     For protein, I used some leftover rotisserie chicken. Any cooked chicken is great here. 

Sage Butter Spaghetti Squash

1 small spaghetti squash

4 strips bacon, cooked and drippings reserved

1 stick butter

1 oz. plain goat cheese

1/4 c. toasted pecans

2 sprigs fresh sage

1/2 tsp. freshly cracked black pepper

2 cloves garlic, grated

3 dashes mace

Cooked chicken, Rotisserie is good, chopped small

Heat the oven to 400*F. 

Slice the spaghetti squash into 1-inch rings. Remove the seeds from the middle and place on a baking pan. Brush with some of the bacon drippings and sprinkle lightly with salt. Place in the oven and roast for 40 minutes, or until the spaghetti squash is just tender. You want to be able to squish it into individual threads but not be so cooked it's soggy. 

While the squash is roasting heat the butter in a medium saucepan with the sage leaves and black pepper. Once the butter is starting to brown add the remaining bacon drippings, the garlic, and the mace. Heat an additional minute and then remove from the heat. Set aside. 

Once the spaghetti squash is cooked remove from the pan and cut the skin away. Smash the spaghetti squash to separate the strands and add to the pan of butter along with the chicken, toss to coat. 

Top with the crumbled bacon, toasted pecans, and goat cheese. 

Enjoy!