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Garlic Butter Chicken Meatball Stuffed Spaghetti Squash. A seasonal take on everyone’s favorite pasta and meatballs. Roasted spaghetti squash stuffed with a creamy béchamel sauce. Then infused with homemade Italian-style chicken meatballs and sweet buttery roasted garlic. Everything is baked together until the cheese is melted and the meatballs are cooked perfectly. And it’s all made on just one sheet pan! This is an easy, delicious, and healthier way to enjoy pasta and meatball night.
Say hello to what might be Creighton’s favorite recipe of all time. Just watch my Instagram stories for this recipe. At the end, you will see his love for this recipe. He says it’s like a cheesy meatball sub sandwich only minus the carb-heavy bread (which he tries to avoid).
I’m not sure why he refers to a meatball sandwich and not pasta, but whatever the case, Creighton thinks this is his favorite recipe to date. He’ll be watching the video of this recipe tonight and wishing so badly he could eat this again for dinner.
There’s certainly a lot of all-around love for this recipe. It’s going to be a hard one to top.
I certainly don’t think meatballs and spaghetti squash are a new concept by any means. It’s the way I’ve cooked everything together that I think is a little more special. And while the recipe takes over an hour to create, it’s mostly just time allowing the squash to roast in the oven. This will typically take anywhere from 30-45 minutes depending on the size.
The process is actually relatively simple. Bake the squash with cheese. Then while the squash gets a head start in the oven, mix and form the meatballs. Then add the meatballs to the pan, and cook again.
Using the roasted garlic, make a garlic butter. Then slather it all over the cheesy meatballs and the squash. Use a fork to scrape up the squash and enjoy this wonderful goodness.
Onto the finer details
Step 1: mix the cheese sauce
I love to use a blend of fontina, mozzarella, provolone, and parmesan. Sometimes I’ll use a gouda in place of fontina. It’s a really nice mix of creamy cheeses, but the provolone adds all the flavor, so don’t skip that one. Of course, you can also use your own favorite blend of cheese. Or even pick up a pre-shredded mix from the store to keep things really easy.
Mix the milk with the mozzarella cheese, spinach, and sun-dried tomatoes. This is our cheese sauce.
Step 2: season and stuff the squash
Ideally, find two smaller spaghetti squash. Think of each half as a personal spaghetti squash boat.
Cut the squash in half, pull the seeds out, and place the squash on a sheet pan. Now season with salt and pepper, add the parmesan cheese, and then the cheese mixture from above.
Arrange a handful of garlic around the squash, then bake everything to get the squash cooking.
Step 3: mix the meatballs
I make mine using ground chicken, Italian seasoning, dijon, and parmesan cheese. Just mix everything together and roll it into meatballs.
Pull the squash from the oven and add the meatballs to the pan. Bake again to cook the meatballs while the squash continues to cook.
Step 4: add cheese and mix the garlic butter
Grab the pan from the oven one last time. This time remove the garlic from the pan. Set the garlic aside.
Next, top the squash with additional cheese and place the cooked meatballs into/on top of the squash. Bake to melt the cheese.
While the squash and meatballs are cooking in the oven, chop the roasted garlic, then mix it with butter and fresh herbs. I love to use a mix of basil, oregano, thyme, and sage.
When you pull everything out of the oven, don’t be worried that the sauce looks soupy. Once you scrape the squash into strands of spaghetti and mix it together with the sauce it’s so delicious.
Spread the garlic butter over the meatballs and mix the rest into the squash. Use a fork to pull the squash into spaghetti. The smell alone will make you so excited.
This is a great recipe for busy weeknights when you want something warm and cozy, but still full of protein and vegetables.
Or serve this up to guests at your next dinner gathering. Either way, it’s perfect for autumn!
Looking for other autumn squash recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Butternut Squash Pasta Carbonara with Rosemary Bacon
Creamed Spaghetti Squash with Browned Butter Walnuts
Roasted Garlic Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Boats
Creamy White Bean Noodle Soup with Rosemary Bacon.
Mustard Herb Chicken and Creamy Orzo
Crockpot Crispy Buffalo Chicken Tacos with Jalapeño Ranch
Slow Cooker Saucy Sunday Bolognese Pasta
Slow Cooker Herbed Chicken and Rice Pilaf
Crockpot Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Bolognese
Crockpot Garlic Butter Chicken Meatballs with Creamy Orzo
Lastly, if you make this Garlic Butter Chicken Meatballs Stuffed In Spaghetti Squash be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Garlic Butter Chicken Meatballs Stuffed In Spaghetti Squash:
Servings: 4
Calories Per Serving: 577 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups whole milk or heavy cream
- 6 ounces frozen chopped spinach, thawed/squeezed dry
- 1/2 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella or gouda
- 2 spaghetti squash, halved and seeds removed
- 1 1/4 cup grated parmesan
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 8 cloves garlic
- 1 1/2 pounds ground chicken, pork, or turkey
- 3 tablespoons Italian seasoning
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 cup shredded provolone cheese
- 6 tablespoons salted butter
- 1/2 chopped fresh herbs, basil, thyme, oregano/ sage (fav mix)
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 425° F.2. In a bowl, mix together the milk, spinach, tomatoes, and mozzarella. Season with chili flakes, salt, and pepper.3. Place the squash on a baking sheet and season the cut sides with salt and pepper. Sprinkle 1/4 cup parmesan cheese into the bottom of each squash. Then evenly divide the milk/cheese mix among the squash cavities. Cover with foil, bake 15 minutes. 4. Meanwhile, mix the chicken, Italian seasoning, dijon, and 1/2 cup parmesan in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Mix to combine. Coat your hands with oil, and roll the meat into tablespoon-size balls (makes 15-16 meatballs). 5. Remove the squash from the oven, remove the foil. Arrange the meatballs around the squash. Bake another 15 minutes, until the meatballs are cooked. 6. Grab the squash. Remove the garlic from the pan. Sprinkle the provolone cheese over each squash half. Put the meatballs on top of the cheese. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until the cheese is melted. 7. Chop the garlic and mix with the butter and herbs in a bowl. Spread the butter over the meatballs, then use a fork to scrape the squash into strands, mixing the cheese with the squash. Enjoy!
Notes
Roasting the Squash: if your squash is on the larger side, pre-roast it for 20-30 minutes before adding the cheese mixture.
This recipe was amazing as usual. I was confused on where to take the garlic off the sheet pan and the spinach mixture is on the squash so I ended up cooking the squash prior to adding the spinach mixture and shredded the squash prior. Ot turned out beautifully. Great recipe! I’m quite literal and need specific instructions.
Hey Megan! Thank you so so much! Love to hear that you’re enjoying this recipe 🙂 xT
This was very good. I had no sundried tomatoes so I added jarred roasted red pepper instead. No mozzarella so I substituted with Monterey Jack. Also used fresh spinach. I was surprised my husband really liked it.
Hey Susan,
Wonderful!! So glad to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for making it! Happy Thanksgiving! xT
Has anyone used small quarters tomatoes instead of sun-dried? I don’t have it on hand and don’t want to go buy it. Is it better to just leave it out? Adding quartered/mini tomatoes might make it too watery?
Hi there,
I might skip the tomatoes, I worry they would make this dish too watery:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING!!!!
I pre-roasted my squash for about 40 mins, then followed the recipe. So amazing!!!! Highly recommend!!
Hi Celeste,
Happy Friday!! I am so glad to hear that this recipe was delish, thanks for trying it and your comment! xT
This recipe needs to be revised and edited. Firstly, the instructions don’t tell you when to put the garlic in with the squash. Second, how many herbs go in the herb butter? All it says is 1/2. And third, do you remove the meatballs after the provolone melts in order to scrape the squash? Or do you scrape the squash with the meatballs in it? And, do the meatballs cook for 30 minutes total? Overall it’s a poorly worded recipe and quite confusing.
Hi Ashley,
So sorry for any confusion! The garlic is to be roasted with the squash in step 3. The herbs is 1/2 cup of your favorite. You are going to remove the meatballs so that you can scrape the squash, the meatballs are then placed over the provolone in step 6. I hope this makes more sense and I apologize for any confusion, I can see why this might have been difficult to understand! xx
Looking forward to making this. But I agree with others the instructions should be rewritten. I’ve spent a lot of time rewriting it for myself, so I don’t mess it before I make it.
I pre cooked my spaghetti squash and then made as directed, hands down best thing I’ve ever made. Made it last night and I am absolutely blown away with how good this was. I’m having it for breakfast as we speak. I will make this again and again and again. You are a genius!!!!!
Hi Bri,
Love to hear that this recipe was delish! Thanks for making it and your feedback! Have a great weekend!🍁🍃
Oh. My. Stars!! This was incredible. I cooked the squash with the parmesan cheese a day before and then next day did the meatballs. Filled the squash with the spinach mixture, heated in oven then aded the cooked meatballs . I made this for company and it was a big hit!
Thank you so much for giving the recipe a try! Have a Happy Halloween! 🙂 xT
This is delicious. I did tweak a few things after reading the comments. I cooked the spaghetti squash w olive oil and salt and pepper, cut side down for 40 minutes on 400. It was perfect. Made the garlic cheese sauce. Then I stirred the squash really good, added sun dried tomatoes, stirred in cheese sauce and arranged meatballs on top, sprinkled parm cheese on top and baked again for 15 minutes or so. It was delicious and I will make again.
Thank you so much for trying out this recipe! So glad you enjoyed it! Have a great Halloween 🙂 xT
SUPER surprised at the comments… we LOVED this and I’m making it again tonight! I forgot to add the garlic to the pan, so I just skipped the butter/herb part all together and it was totally delish without it! I also had a BIG squash, so I baked it about 25 minutes ahead of time- maybe that helped? Not sure but still a fantastic recipe! YUM!
Thank you so much Jenny! So glad you enjoyed this recipe! xT
Delicious!! Just make sure to add the garlic when you throw the squash in the oven ( it’s not mentioned in the instructions)
I’m a huge half baked harvest fan! I was surprised to read the previous comments so I adjusted the recipe with that in mind – and it was amazing!!!
– Prepare chicken meatballs as noted (I made them beforehand and chilled in fridge)
– Bake the spaghetti squash with only olive oil/salt/pepper at 400 degrees for 40 minutes with cut side down on foil so that the extra. moisture comes out (it also becomes less mushy while baked at a lower temp)
– Meanwhile, skip the cheese recipe ahove and remove the spinach because it adds too much moisture. Instead, google a “garlic beschamel sauce” and prepare on the stovetop, adding the roasted peppers at the end.
– Be sure to put the meatballs in the oven so they bake for 25 minutes at 400 as well
– Take the roasted squash out after 40 minutes and add a scoop of the sauce in each, with 4 meatballs each. Sprinkle with fresh oregano.
– Then put back in oven and broil on low for 5 minutes.
Heaven!!!
Thank you for your comment! I appreciate it! xT
When does the garlic go on the pan?
Was not good, watery gooey mess. Not much flavor and baking times to cook the squash are not correct Not making again. Let’s stop putting butter on top of everything “we” do not love it. Please clean up your recipes and pay more attention to details. They have been really sloppy recently. Maybe don’t put out a recipe everyday 1-2 recipes a week would be enough and give you time to test them.
Oh no! I’m so sorry about that Jamie! Thank you for letting me know.
“We” do love it! The great thinking about cooking is that you can adjust recipes to your own taste.
Thanks Tieghan for this and all your great recipes that you share for free.
Kind of confused….step 6 remove garlic from pan?? I never put garlic in a pan….where is this step??
Same comment….garlic step is missing…..
Right?? In step 6 she tells you to remove the garlic from the pan but nowhere does she tell you to put it on the pan. 🤦♀️
It’s missing from the instructions but it’s listed under step 2:
Arrange a handful of garlic around the squash, then bake everything to get the squash cooking.