Ok so I can’t keep it a secret anymore. Well I wasn’t really hiding it, but I was too nervous to jinx anything. Yesterday I got lasik eye surgery. For the first time in almost two decades, I can see without glasses or contacts. I simultaneously want to scream joyously at the top of my lungs and cry my eyes out. I have, well had, terrible vision. I was considered legally blind without my contacts. I started wearing glasses at seven, and my eyes just continued to get worse. For my 10th birthday, I begged my parents to let me have contacts. Anymore I rarely wore my glasses, but to get lasik I had to wear them for almost a month! I’m happy to say it was completely worth it!! I can’t even describe what it is like to be able to see. I thought glasses and contacts would always be a defining characteristic for me. Not anymore.
Ok so now that I have gushed enough, let’s get to the food. Growing up this was one of my mom’s go-to dishes, and I hated it. Now you might be wondering why I would recreate a dish I don’t even like. Well in the many years since I was a child my tastebuds have changed immensely. One of the biggest changes is that I now like mushrooms. I figured why not give one of my childhood nemesis a go. I have challenged my tastebuds on other dishes I used to hate and found most of them I like. Except for peas. Yuck. I’m sorry I just can’t. Thankfully this dish was a winner, and I must apologize to my mom for all my complaints as a child.
Ingredients
- 1/2 spaghetti squash, approximately 4 cups
- 2 cups shredded chicken, leftover or from a rotisserie chicken
- 1 tsp ghee, I use OMghee brand
- 2 cups mushrooms, sliced
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1/2 cup green bell pepper
- 4 oz jar pimentos, drained
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 tsp flavor god everything*
- 1 tsp flavor god garlic lovers*
- 1 tsp sea salt, more to taste
- 1 tsp pepper, more to taste
- 3 eggs, beaten
- *If you don’t have flavor god, use this seasoning blend in place of both.
- 1 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- 1/4 dried basil
Directions
- Heat oven to 375 degrees.
- Cut squash lengthwise and remove the seeds and string bits from the middle with a spoon.
- Pop in the oven on a baking sheet rind side up for 35-40 minutes or until you can easily pierce the flesh with a fork.
- Remove from oven and let cool until you can pick the squash up by hand or with an oven mitt on.
- Take a fork and run it lengthwise along the squash’s flesh to create “noodles.”
- Lower oven to 350 degrees.
- While spaghetti squash is cooking, boil cashews in 3 cups of water for 30 minutes.
- In a large skillet sauté onion, bell pepper and mushrooms in ghee until mushrooms have cooked down.
- Once cashews are done, mix cashews, 3/4 cup cashew cooking water, chicken stock, flavor god everything, garlic lovers, salt and pepper in a blender until smooth.
- In a large bowl, mix shredded chicken, mushroom, bell pepper, onion, pimentos, cashew mixture and eggs.
- Grease a 9x13 casserole dish.
- Pour everything into dish and cook for 55 minutes to an hour.
x vanessa
TheOneNamedS says
I made this last week. It was “Okay”, not bad in any noticeable way, but also not spectacular. Overall it was surprisingly bland considering all that went into it. Any suggestions for boosting the flavor? Next time I’m going to try and add more mushrooms and some pancetta to give it more of a meaty flavor, hopefully that will help.
Vanessa says
Chicken Tetrazzini classically has a mild flavor, but the salt in this dish is very important. I used leftover rotisserie chicken which had a little salt to it. Before adding the eggs, I would taste the mixture and add more salt to your preference. The sea salt helps bring out all the other flavors in the dish. Hope this helps!!
April says
I just finished eating this and – yum! It was super easy, and very good. I agree that tetrazzini can have a naturally mid flavor, but I didn’t find this to be bland at all. Will definitely make it again. Thanks!
vanessa says
Yeah!! I’m glad you liked it!
Angela says
Anything else I could replace the Cashews with? We have a peanut/treenut allergy in the family OR can this be omitted completely?
vanessa says
The cashews help to give this casserole it’s creamy texture. You could try omitting it though!