Garlic Butter Chicken Meatball Stuffed Spaghetti Squash.

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