Spaghetti (Squash) in Garlic Gravy

 

So this Big Ol' Bowl of Deliciousness has been brought to you by the Goddess of Scrumptiousness:

http://goddessofscrumptiousness.tumblr.com/post/21091490328/spaghetti-in-garlic-gravy-with-herbs-and-lemon

Of course, hers and mine look a little bit different! I need a cool bowl and serving tools like hers I think! I found this recipe on Pinterest, a friend of mine posted it to Facebook and I immediately knew that it was a MUST MAKE!

As you know by now, not only am I gluten intolerant and thus I tweak most recipes to accommodate that. This one could easily be made with gluten free noodles, something I will do at another time (and I prefer the quinoa ones, the brown rice ones are always too sticky for my taste). The spaghetti squash was, as always, delightful! I am a sucker for squash!

So, I like my tomatoes oven roasted, so I just threw them in a cake pan and put them on the top rack of the oven for about 10-12 minutes while my spaghetti squash cooked.

'Maters fresh out the oven

To cook the spaghetti squash, I cut it in half, scoop out the seeds, coat it lightly with olive oil, and then place the halves face down on a tin foil lined cookie sheet. I bake it at 375 for about 45-55 minutes depending on the size. Mmmmm!

Now, time for the recipe!

Ingredients:

1 spaghetti squash

1 pound chicken breast fillets (skinless and boneless, sliced into 1 inch chunks)

For the chicken marinade:

1 teaspoons dried thyme

2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped (if using dried, use half of the amount)

Zest of 1 lemon

Juice of ½ a lemon

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon coarse salt (not table salt)

½ teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper

2 Tablespoons coconut oil (to sauté the marinated chicken)

-  Add all the marinade ingredients into the chicken and marinate for 20 minutes (if making this dish in pronto) or over night (if making this dish the next day… much better).

-  Saute the marinated chicken in coconut oil until cooked (about 4-5 minutes) then set aside.

For the garlic gravy:

½ stick (1/4 cup) grassfed unsalted butter

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

4 large cloves garlic, finely minced

2 Tablespoons almond flour (use coconut if you can, it will make a much better roux)

1 ½ cups chicken stock (I cut this down because almond flour did not thicken it the way I wanted)

1 Tablespoon fresh basil, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

¼ cup parsley, chopped (to sprinkle/finish the pasta) (I used dried parsley, it's what I had)

½ cup grated parmesan cheese

2 cups whole cherry tomatoes

-  Place sauté pan over medium heat and add butter and olive oil.

-  Saute garlic until fragrant and soft.

-  Add the flour and cook for a minute.

-  Add chicken stock and simmer gravy until thickened then add the chopped basil.

-  Season with salt and pepper.

-  Add the sauteed chicken in the gravy then toss the cooked spaghetti into this  sauce.

-  Add the cherry tomatoes and finish the dish with the chopped parsley and grated parmesan cheese (serve extra on the side).

I prepped my sauce ingredients ahead of time so it would be easier to throw them together at the end:

 

And here is the final product! It was DELICIOUS and I am DEFINITELY going to make this again, except I have an idea in mind. Stay tuned for my tweaks!