"Chicken" Parmesan with Spaghetti Squash

Are you looking for the yummy goodness of an Italian meal without the extra calories?  If so, then you have come to the right place.  Looking through a Weight Watchers cookbook (yes, I still use cookbooks), I got the idea to use turkey cutlets instead of chicken breast for something different.  I also decided to jump on the spaghetti squash bandwagon and give that a try while I was going for a healthy and relatively quick and hearty meal. 


Everything in this recipe cooked pretty quickly with the exception of the spaghetti squash. That required around 45 minutes in a 375º oven. So start that first. 

** Cook's Tip** When trying to halve an odd shaped item, cut the ends off so that it can stand upright. 

This is what it looks like inside once it is sliced in half - the texture and look are similar to a pumpkin.

I used a spoon to remove the seeds….  and guess what?  I can feed them to the chickens as a treat!  They LOVE treats!

Rub it down with some olive oil, salt and pepper, add some water to the pan and pop it in the oven and let it go…  in the meantime start working on the rest of your meal.

**Cook's Tip** You can cook the squash either skin up, or skin down - I chose skin up. 

I asked my local butcher for thin cutlets, but I still opted to use my mallet (or rolling pin) to make the meat thinner. We aren't fans of thicker meat, plus thick meat adds to the cooking time. 

I sprinkled the cutlets with salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder.  Then brushed the meat with an egg white and gave the turkey a good coating of Italian bread crumbs.  I let the meat rest for a few minutes while I chopped some veggies and got my skillet nice and hot. 

Before frying the cutlets, I got this nice medley of veggies and garlic cooking.

At this point it was also time to give the spaghetti squash a gander to see if it was done (it was) and let it have enough time to cool so that I could handle it enough to serve it. 

Finally…  start cooking the cutlets.  Notice the veggies in the back sautéing? Yumm...

** Cook's Tip**  When the oil in the pan has a rippled look to it, that is the perfect time to start the meat.  Otherwise, you won't get the nice sizzle, or crust that you might be looking for. 

Cook the turkey about 5-6 minutes on each side.  Or until you cut it and the juices run clear. 

Now it is time to scrape out the spaghetti from the squash!

I can't get over the resemblance… 

Maybe it's because I'm a first timer, but I was amazed how much this looked like spaghetti!!  Though, as a side note, to compare it to "normal" spaghetti, it was a little on the al dente side, and even had a bit of a crunch.  We liked it, but if that doesn't appeal to you, cook the squash longer. 

Plate it all up, add some parmesan cheese…. and there you have it! Healthy(er) "Chicken" Parmesan.

Ingredients:

Turkey Cutlets - I used 2

Spaghetti Squash - about 1 pound

Onions (2)

Green Pepper (1)

Diced Tomatoes with Italian Herbs

Chopped Garlic (1tbsp)

Egg White (1 egg)

Italian Breadcrumbs 

Parmesan Cheese

Salt, Pepper, and other desired seasonings

Sorry for not having exact measurements for most of the ingredients.  I tend to just eyeball things as I go along. Seasonings that we like, I put a lot of, ones that we don't just a sprinkle for flavor. Trust in yourself and your ability to make a delicious meal.

I'm going to channel my inner Julia Chid and leave you with her famous quote:

"Bon Appetit"