This blog post has been compensated by Borden® Cheese. All opinions are mine alone. #BordenCheeseLove #CollectiveBias #Ad
Mmmm. Cheese. There aren’t many foods our little family readily agrees on, but cheese is one, so dinners like this cheesy chicken enchilada stuffed spaghetti squash make their way onto our table quite a bit.
Each of us is picky in our own ways. I’m very picky about meat but have never met a fruit or veggie that I don’t get along with well.
My husband, well, he will eat most meats, but he turns his nose up at some of my veggie habits. The man will not touch a mushroom, and he only eats bananas in the form of banana bread.
The Goose. Let’s just say she is the crux of the picky problem. I’m not sure how she survives. It’s gotta be on chocolate milk and bits of kid modeling clay.
I mean the list of food that this kid will eat and not just lick and throw promptly on the floor as she laughs evilly is short and includes cheese, cereal, popcorn, and sometimes black beans and chickpeas.
This makes meals with her… fun. And a little worrisome. I’m the furthest thing from a helicopter mom, but I want to make sure she eats and puts some healthy stuff in there. So I try to find ideas that combine the gooey, melty cheese that she eats.
So teaming up with Borden® Cheese to create this cheesy chicken enchilada stuffed spaghetti squash was perfect. Not only do I love the brand because they make delicious cheese, but for them love is so important. In fact, they believe love is always an ingredient.
And for me, that’s why I cook. I cook because I love my family. I cook because I love to. I cook because it makes me feel connected to my grandmothers who taught me how to cook some of my favorite recipes like my Nana’s vegetable soup.
I know, it sounds cheesy. Pun intended. I won’t apologize for it though for two reasons:
- Cheese NEVER needs to apologize.
- And it’s true. I express my love in the kitchen.
That’s why when my kid would rather feed her dinner to the dog than eat it, it’s a little discouraging. Because I do put so much thought and effort into what I make for us.
However, this was a winner. It may have been the extra cheesiness of the dish with the Borden® Cheese Sharp Cheddar Shreds and the Borden® Cheese Finely Shredded Four Cheese Mexican Shreds. It may have been the bit of zip that the dish has since she has proven time and time again that she is a fan of foods with some spice. It may have been that Goose thought the cow, Elsie, on the packaging was pretty amazing, so she spent the entire time I was cooking the meal saying, “Mooo. Mama, cow says Moooooo!”
She did that in the grocery store too. It was pretty funny when we went to Weis to buy the cheese. She made quite a few friends as she told them all that the cow says moo. Oh, to be 2 again and not shy. By the way, while I found my Borden® Cheese at Weis Markets, you can check here to see where it’s available by you.
Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Stuffed Spaghetti Squash
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 halves 1x
Description
Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Stuffed Spaghetti Squash
Ingredients
For the squash
- 2 spaghetti squashes
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
For the enchilada stuffing
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- ½ red bell pepper, diced
- 1 15 ounce can of black beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 cups of frozen corn
- 1 rotisserie chicken, shredded and with skin and bones removed
- 24 ounces of tomato puree
- Up to 1 cup of chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
- ½ cup each of Borden® Cheese Sharp Cheddar Shreds and the Borden® Cheese Finely Shredded Four Cheese Mexican Shreds
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- Juice of 1 lime
- 3 tbs of chili powder*
- 1 jalapeno, diced**
- 1 ½ tbs cumin
- 4 cloves of garlic crushed
For topping
- 1 cup each of Borden® Cheese Sharp Cheddar Shreds and the Borden® Cheese Finely Shredded Four Cheese Mexican Shreds
- Fresh cilantro if desired
- Lime if desired
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400. Slice spaghetti squashes in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds. Drizzle the inside of the squash with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place cut side down on a cookie sheet covered with aluminum foil and sprayed with nonstick spray. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until squash is tender. Remove from oven and let cool.
- While the squash is baking, heat a pot with 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. When the pot is warm, add in the peppers and garlic and cook until soft – about 5 minutes. Stir regularly.
- Add the shredded chicken, tomato puree, corn, black beans, and lime juice. Season with chili powder, cumin, and salt and pepper. Let cook until warmed through. If needed, add in chicken or vegetable stock to thin the mixture slightly.
- Remove from heat. Let cool slightly. While the stuffing is cooling, run a fork through the spaghetti squash to make “noodles.” Clean out the squash noodles and put the noodles into a large bowl. Pour on the chicken and vegetable mixture. Stir in cheese.
- Stuff the mixture back into the extra spaghetti squash shells. Top the remaining the squash halves with 1 cup each of Borden® Cheese Sharp Cheddar Shreds and the Borden® Cheese Finely Shredded Four Cheese Mexican Shreds. Return to oven and bake an additional 5-10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Serve hot. Top with fresh cilantro and more lime if desired.
Notes
*Adjust the amount of chili powder to your taste. If you don’t like heat, consider reducing the chili powder to a tablespoon.
**Jalapeno optional.
- Category: dinner
- Cuisine: Mexican, American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
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Tuesday 25th of July 2017
[…] Chicken enchilada stuffed spaghetti squash […]
Lindsey
Monday 27th of February 2017
What a unique recipe! Sounds super yummy too!
tineke - workingmommyabroad
Saturday 25th of February 2017
This sounds and looks amazing!!
Kate AL
Saturday 25th of February 2017
This looks and sounds awesome! My hubs loves anything with enchilada in the name, so we will definitely have to try this one out!
Lisa Grooms
Friday 24th of February 2017
OMG my mouth is watering! This looks SO good and I love spaghetti squash! Thanks for sharing, I will definitely have to make this!