Dairy-free Spaghetti Squash Chicken Alfredo

Can you hear it? This Dairy-free Spaghetti Squash Chicken Alfredo is calling your name.

Healthy comfort food lovers unite!

We’re so excited you’re here because this week we’ve partnered with our friends at Vitamix and The FeedFeed to bring you this Dairy-free Spaghetti Squash Chicken Alfredo recipe that’s perfect for meal prep! It reheats beautifully and makes enough for a meal plus leftovers. It’s also designed to make the most of your time because we know you don’t want to spend all day in the kitchen. Win-Win-Win.

This Dairy-free Spaghetti Squash Chicken Alfredo is about to become your everything. Seriously, your everything. Not only will you get a big dose of healthy veggies thanks to the spaghetti squash standing in for pasta, but you’ll also get the most luxuriously creamy alfredo sauce that’s 100% dairy-free with far less fuss than making a traditional cream sauce.

Curious how that can be?

Here’s my secret: I owe that ultra-creamy consistency to raw cashews and my new favorite appliance, the Vitamix Venturist V1200 High Performance Blender. ((Swoon)) I’ve long been a Vitamix fan having purchased my first Vitamix ten years ago, so the fact that I am this excited about a new one should tell you something (<< I almost typed that in all caps, THAT’s how excited I am).

Is my old Vitamix still running? You bet it is, and I’ve put it through the wringer over the past decade – making everything from soups to smoothies to butter to sauces and even using it to grind my own flours back in my bread-making days. It’s been worth every single penny. So why the upgrade? Well, as my life as full-time mom and full-time food blogger continues to get busier I need a machine that can do just a little more for me – like chop an onion while I peel the garlic. Or blend just enough smoothie for one kid while the other stands with the freezer drawer wide open deciding what she wants in hers (because WHY would they want the same thing?!). I also want my Vitamix to fit under my cabinet to free up a little more room on the counter when I’m in full on meal prep mode and counter space becomes precious real estate (my old one does not fit under the cabinet because it’s too tall). And that countdown timer? Priceless when I’m juggling fifteen things at once. The tamper holder? Brilliant. No more rooting through drawers to find it when I need it because now it’s right there where I need it…saving space. And don’t get me started about the blade scraper. No more wasted nut butter or alfredo sauce because I can’t reach it with a spoon.

And that’s exactly what the new Venturist V1200 blender from Vitamix has given me – more tools, more functionality and more power at my fingertips (you know this thing can boil soup in just minutes, right? It can.)  Did I mention that for all my fellow Costco fans that this blender is exclusive to Costco? Now you can stock up on your favorite real food finds and pick up the only blender you’ll ever need all in one place. It might be the best investment you’ll ever make.

Why Vitamix?

If you’ve ever tried to use a lower power or budget-priced blender to make a smoothie or a smooth and creamy sauce or soup only to find chunks remaining, then you can probably guess why I’m such a huge fan of the Vitamix. Not only can you make the smoothest smoothies and sauces you can also make chunky sauces and salsas and even make your own nut butters. Yes, you can make nut butters as chunky or as creamy as you like without having to stop and scrape down the bowl or worry about using too many or too little nuts because now you have options (Bonus: you know EXACTLY what’s inside ingredient-wise).

The new Vitamix Venturist V1200 comes with a generous 64-ounce blending canister PLUS a 20-ounce and 8-ounce container with a detachable base and lids. This means you can now do more with your already ultra versatile high-powered blender. I really could go on forever about all the things I love about this machine but I know you came for the Dairy-free Spaghetti Squash Chicken Alfredo recipe so let’s get to that and I’ll show you just one way to put this machine to work in your own kitchen.

Basically, here’s how it went down in my kitchen the other day.

I started by giving a cup of raw cashews a 30-minute soak in hot water while I prepped the spaghetti squash and chicken. Once the squash and chicken were in the oven to bake I gathered the other ingredients I would need for the sauce (garlic, salt, nutritional yeast and almond milk). When the chicken was done after 25 minutes I removed it from the oven and covered it with foil to rest and stay warm. To make the sauce, I added the drained cashews, garlic (peeled but still whole << because you can do that in a Vitamix!), salt, nutritional yeast and almond milk to the blender canister. I used the 64-ounce canister for the photos but you can also use the smaller 20-ounce container)

I then secured the lid and blended everything on high for 1 minute then tasted the sauce and decided I wanted a little more garlic and salt so into the blender when another clove of garlic and a pinch of salt before blending again. I then left the sauce to hang out while I tended to the spaghetti squash.

Perfectly roasted spaghetti squash! I roasted this 3 lb. spaghetti squash by placing it cut side down on a rimmed baking sheet at 400℉ for about 55 minutes or until it was soft to the touch and the flesh was tender (but not mushy). For a step-by-step tutorial on how to cut, clean and roast the perfect spaghetti squash, click here. 

Using a fork, I gently scraped the flesh into a large skillet (you can also use a bowl). See how pasta-like those stands of squash are? My mom was my recipe tester the day I made this and you know what she said after her first few bites? She said, “I just love how thin these noodles are.”  I told you it was a great substitute for pasta – I even fooled my pasta-loving mama with this dish.

Now it’s time for the star of the show – the dairy-free alfredo sauce. I mentioned earlier that you can actually heat foods in your Vitamix by allowing them to process at high speed for a few minutes. I turned the blender on for another 2 minutes while I set about slicing the chicken breasts that were waiting patiently undercover.

Alternatively, if you’ve transferred your squash to a skillet you can skip the extra blending and just heat the squash, sauce, and chicken over medium heat until heated through. Totally your call, I just wanted to share that nifty little trick of using the Vitamix to warm the sauce.

Don’t waste any of that creamy goodness! Since the blades of the large blender canister are not removable you’ll have to scrape as much from them as you can. Thankfully the new Venturist V1200 comes with a long-handled blade scraper that makes easy work of this task (and you don’t have to worry about slicing up your favorite rubber or silicone spatula with those really sharp blades).

Clean up is a breeze with the Vitamix. All you have to do is fill the container ⅓-½ full with warm water and a drop of dish soap and set the countdown timer for 1 minute. Blend on high, use a dishcloth to clean the lid and outside, rinse, and voila! A clean blender that’s ready for your next kitchen adventure.

Now, here’s the best part – stir in the chicken and basil, adjust salt and pepper to taste and serve. I served this with roasted green beans and cherry tomatoes to sneak in some extra veggies but you could serve it with a salad on the side,  toss it with cooked broccoli or even stir a bag of fresh spinach into the mix when you’re adding the chicken and basil.

See how ultra creamy that sauce is!?  The secret to that lux creamy alfredo sauce is, you guessed it, the Vitamix. I’ve tried making cashew-based sauces in other blenders, and even my food processor and none of them gave me that super smooth consistency that you want in a dairy-free alfredo sauce. Especially considering the fact that I don’t soak my cashews overnight – I just do a quick 30-minute soak in hot water while I prep the spaghetti squash and chicken. It’s really all you need when you’ve got this much horsepower on your side.

 

Pro Tip: The sauce can be prepped up to 3 days in advance and reheated when ready to use.

Now it’s your turn to reunite with an old comfort food love in this Dairy-free Spaghetti Squash Chicken Alfredo.

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Let's Get Cookin'

Dairy-free Spaghetti Squash Chicken Alfredo

• Author: The Real Food Dietitians
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 45 mins
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 6
• Cuisine: Whole30, Paleo, Grain-free, Dairy-free

Print Recipe

★★★★★ 5 from 12 reviews

Ingredients

• 1 large spaghetti squash (about 3 lbs.), halved lengthwise and seeds removed
• 1 ½ lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1 cup raw cashews
• 3 cups boiling water
• 2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
• 1-2 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
• ½ tsp. salt + more to taste
• ¾ cup unsweetened almond milk (or other non-dairy milk of choice)
• ½ cup fresh basil, thinly sliced; plus more for garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400℉.
2. Place cashews in a small bowl and cover with boiling water. Place a plate over the bowl to cover and allow to rest for 30 minutes while you prepare the squash and chicken.
3. Line two rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. On one sheet, place halved squash cut side down. Place chicken thighs on the other sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
4. Place baking sheets in preheated oven. Remove chicken after 25-30 minutes or when cooked through and no longer pink inside. Remove chicken and cover with foil or a plate.
5. Allow squash to bake for an additional 20-25 minutes or until tender. While the squash bakes it’s time to prepare the alfredo sauce.

To prepare the alfredo sauce:

1. Drain cashews and place in the canister of the Vitamix.
2. Add nutritional yeast, 1 garlic clove, lemon juice, ½ tsp. salt and almond milk.
3. Blend on high for 2 minutes. Taste and adjust salt as needed, adding the additional clove of garlic and blending again if you’d like a more garlicky sauce. Sauce should be warm from blending. If not, replace the lid and blend another minute until warm (this is where the built-in blend timer comes in handy!)
4. When squash is ready, carefully scrape flesh into a large bowl (or cast iron skillet) using a fork to create strands of ‘pasta’.
5. Add diced chicken and toss with alfredo sauce. At this point, if your squash has cooled and if you used a skillet you can either place the skillet on the stove top over medium heat for 5-6 minutes or until heated through or pop the entire skillet back into the still-warm oven for a few minutes to warm while you prepare a vegetable or salad side dish.
6. Stir chopped basil into spaghetti squash mixture just before serving. Top with additional basil, as desired.

Notes

All photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use our photos without prior written permission. If you wish to republish this recipe, please rewrite the recipe in your own unique words and link back to the source recipe here on The Real Food Dietitians. Thank you!

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1/6th recipe (about 1 ½ cups)
• Calories: 319
• Sugar: 8g
• Sodium: 306mg
• Fat: 14g
• Carbohydrates: 22g
• Fiber: 5g
• Protein: 28g

Do you own a Vitamix blender? What’s your favorite way to use it? Share in the comments below!

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About Jessica Beacom

Jessica is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist living in Boulder, CO with her hubby and two daughters. She's been described as a 'real food evangelist' and loves sharing her knowledge with others to help them break free of the diet mentality and find their own food freedom. In her spare time she enjoys CrossFit, telemark skiing, mountain biking, teaching herself how to play the banjo and camping out under the stars.