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Smart Nutrition with Jessica Penner, RD

Smart Nutrition with Jessica Penner, RD

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Home / Recipes / Creamy Enchilada Casserole with Spaghetti Squash

Creamy Enchilada Casserole with Spaghetti Squash

Dinner, Meatless, Recipes

Enchilada Casserole with Chicken and Spaghetti Squash
Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Veggies are the star of this creamy healthy enchilada casserole with chicken and spaghetti! Eat as is or use to fill tortillas for a tasty handheld version!

Are you familiar with food guides such as the USDA’s Choose My Plate,  The Plate Method from the Canadian Diabetes Association, or Canada’s Food Guide? In theory, I’m totally onboard with these concepts. The main idea is to fill half your plate with veggies, a quarter with a meat or alternative, and the other quarter with a grain or starch alternative.

This is fine if you are a traditional meat and potatoes type of person and eat segmented meals.

I am not.

As you can see from browsing the recipes on Smart Nutrition, I’m more of a casserole, stew, soup, one pot type of girl.

For the most part, I wouldn’t worry too much about whether half your stew is made up of veggies or not. Try to choose recipes that are primarily plant-based and you’ll be fine. But if you want to check out how some of your go-to favourite recipes compare for food groups, check out EaTracker. On this website, you can enter in the ingredients for your recipes and the software will analyze how many servings of each food group are in each portion.

As an example, here’s the data for this Creamy Enchilada Casserole with Spaghetti Squash:

  • Fruits and Veggies: 1.5
  • Grains and Alternatives: 0
  • Dairy and Alternatives: 0.4
  • Meat and Alternatives: 0.6

Neat, eh? Or is that just nerdy fun for a Dietitian?

enchilada casserole with chicken and spaghetti squash plated beside the casserole dish

Why This Enchilada Casserole with Chicken is a Smart Choice

Surveys consistently show that most people do not consume enough fruits and vegetables. This survey from Stats Canada conducted in 2014 reveals that less than 40% of the population across all ages and genders eat a minimum of 5 servings a day! In my province only 31% of people make the minimum.

This recipe swaps out tortillas (a grain choice) for spaghetti squash (a veggie choice). This instantly boosts your total veggie intake for the day!

I’m definitely not anti-grain though! Use the leftovers to fill tortilla wraps for a convenient lunch!

If you give this recipe a go, let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, or snap a photo and tag it with #smartnutritionrecipes on Instagram!  I’d love to see your creations! Knowing someone has enjoyed one of my recipes always makes my day brighter. 

enchilada casserole with chicken and spaghetti squash plated beside the casserole dish
5 from 7 votes

Creamy Enchilada Casserole with Spaghetti Squash

Print Recipe
A complete meal in one dish! Each portion has 1.5 servings of veggies.
Prep Time:30 mins
Cook Time:1 hr 20 mins
Total Time:2 hrs
8

Ingredients

  • 1 medium-large spaghetti squash
  • 1 tbsp canola oil
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 1 cup cream cheese softened
  • 1 cup salsa
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • ¾ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp cumin
  • 1 red pepper chopped
  • 1 ½ cups of cooked black beans OR 1 can of black beans drained and rinsed
  • 2 cups of cooked and diced chicken I used a rotisserie chicken
  • 1 cup frozen corn defrosted
  • 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Slice the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and remove the seeds and stringy bits.
    spaghetti squash, sliced in half, seeds removed, prepped for roasting in the oven
  • Place cut side down in a 9×13 pan. Fill to about ½ inch with water. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until a knife can easily slide all the way through. Using a fork, scrape out the strands from the peel.
    spaghetti squash, cut in half, in baking dish with 1/2 an inch of water. Ready for roasting.
  • Heat the oil over medium low in a frying pan. Add the onion. Saute until soft. Add the garlic and saute another minute.
    sauteed onions and garlic in a frying pan
  • These two steps can be done a day ahead so that the recipe comes together faster.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the softened cream cheese, salsa, eggs, chili powder, salt, and cumin.
  • Add in the red pepper, black beans, diced chicken, corn, onion mixture, and spaghetti squash strands.
    ingredients for enchilada casserole in a bowl
  • Spread even in the 9×13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes. Remove and sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Turn oven to broil and bake for another 5 minutes, or until the cheese bubbles and starts to turn brown.
    enchilada casserole with chicken and spaghetti squash, ready to go in the oven

Nutrition

Calories: 384kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 108mg | Sodium: 881mg | Potassium: 538mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1587IU | Vitamin C: 26mg | Calcium: 292mg | Iron: 2mg
Course: dinner
Cuisine: TexMex
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 384kcal
Author: Jessica Penner

Love spaghetti squash? Here’s another recipe!

Creamy Enchilada Casserole with Spaghetti Squash
  • 3 Cheese Spaghetti Squash Lasagna

October 26, 2020 · 18 Comments

Previous Post: « Strawberry Salsa and Cinnamon Chips
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Comments

  1. Julie says

    December 8, 2020 at 1:57 pm

    5 stars
    This was sooooo good. The whole family loved it and the leftovers were also great the next day.

    Reply
    • Jessica Penner, RD says

      December 19, 2020 at 8:29 am

      Awesome! So glad your family loved the recipe!

      Reply
  2. Kim Neufeld says

    October 28, 2020 at 7:50 pm

    5 stars
    Such a great way to get more veggies into my kids!

    Reply
    • Jessica Penner says

      November 6, 2020 at 10:50 pm

      Glad your family enjoyed it!

      Reply
  3. Nancy taggart says

    January 20, 2020 at 7:21 pm

    I made this and it was delicious! I substituted the corn with broccoli. Can it be frozen?

    Reply
    • Jessica Penner says

      January 24, 2020 at 11:18 am

      I have not tried it frozen, but I believe that would do very well frozen, so glad you enjoyed it!

      Reply
  4. Cheryl says

    November 5, 2019 at 7:03 pm

    5 stars
    I used cottage cheese and it was great!

    I should mention I use my vitamix for everything so – I blended the cottage cheese with the salsa and spices and eggs after chopping the onion in my vitamix. Figured it was dirty already. Then I used the tamper to mix the rest of the ingredients so I saved using a big bowl.

    So far I’ve just tasted one bite and it’s so similar to one I used to make with tortillas. There’s no recognition of spaghetti squash to me which is great because I don’t generally like it!

    This recipe is so great!

    Reply
  5. Sandy says

    October 22, 2019 at 5:31 pm

    5 stars
    Loved everything about this recipe! I will try Greek yogurt next time, per one of the comments, just to save calories.

    Reply
  6. Marian Wellman says

    September 5, 2019 at 2:44 pm

    I’m trying to go as low carb as possible, and I’m thinking the corn might be adding to the carb count. Any suggestions about that issue?

    Reply
    • Jessica Penner, RD says

      October 10, 2019 at 2:05 pm

      You could just skip the corn.

      Reply
  7. Katie Payne says

    April 4, 2019 at 9:51 am

    5 stars
    Yum! Light cheese on top, didn’t feel it needed much. Super sautéed the onion bell /pepper /garlic combo for added sweetness. Made without chicken, vegetarian style, so good! Teenagers added chicken and tomatoes to fill tortillas and loved it that way also. (They don’t know it’s squash!) Awesome!! Thank you! Looking forward to making again.

    Reply
    • Jessica Penner says

      April 18, 2019 at 8:33 pm

      Yum! Love those changes!

      Reply
  8. Morgan says

    November 25, 2018 at 6:27 pm

    5 stars
    Made this for the first time this evening. So good!! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • Jessica Penner says

      November 27, 2018 at 9:58 pm

      Awesome! Thanks for commenting!

      Reply
  9. gt says

    September 27, 2018 at 10:04 pm

    5 stars
    I used half cream cheese and half Greek yogurt and I added a few more spices. We enjoyed it and leftovers made delicious burrito filling. Thanks for the recipe.

    Reply
    • Jessica Penner says

      September 28, 2018 at 8:41 am

      Thanks for the feedback and suggested modifications! Great idea for using it as burrito filling: genius!

      Reply
  10. b says

    June 9, 2018 at 8:32 am

    I substituted fat free plain yogurt because I don’t care for cream cheese, not that I like yogurt either! However; by doing so I lowered my calories in the recipe and I do weight watchers so this took out unneeded points. I was a bit nervous because like I said, “I don’t care for yogurt either” but you did not taste the yogurt in this recipe. The recipe is very delicious!!

    Reply
    • Jessica Penner says

      June 11, 2018 at 8:51 am

      It’s always so good to hear about substitutions that work! Thanks for sharing!

      Reply

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