Keto Spaghetti Casserole is the best comfort food you can make. It’s made with browned meat, Italian seasonings, marinara sauce, spaghetti squash, garlic, onions, and four kinds of cheese. It’s gluten-free, grain-free, low-carb, and keto.
We have always loved pasta at our house, but it’s not hard to figure out if you eat low carb, you can’t exactly indulge in a big helping of pasta. Instead, we have found wonderful and exciting alternatives that are just as comforting and delicious.
Trust me; I get it if you are scared to try spaghetti squash. So many people are right there with you, and I was a little leary to try it myself. However, it’s majorly easy to cook, and the flavor is mild enough you can mix it with any type of sauce successfully. When I saw the recipe for Million Dollar Spaghetti over at Yellow Bliss Road I knew I had to make a low carb keto version.
It’s a fabulous way to enjoy all your favorite pasta dishes without all the carbs. Plus, this keto spaghetti casserole is going to impress even those hard to please people too.
What You’ll Need To Make Spaghetti Casserole
The ingredients are very simple and go so good together you are going to want to add it to your monthly recipe rotation. At least that’s what we like to do.
- Diced onions and minced garlic cloves - both of these have so much flavor even in small quantities.
- Ground turkey or beef - either work well in this.
- Italian seasoning - or use a combination of basil and oregano.
- Marinara sauce - make sure to choose a variety with no added sugar or make your own with my keto marinara sauce recipe.
- Cooked spaghetti squash - notes on how to cook this versatile vegetable a little further down.
- Softened cream cheese - to kick this up an extra notch use garlic and chive flavored cream cheese.
- Ricotta cheese - I usually use whole milk ricotta but part-skim can work too.
- Grated parmesan cheese - or any grated Italian cheese such as romano.
- Garlic powder - I love roasted garlic powder.
- Mozzarella cheese - if you can shred your own to avoid additives.
How To Make Keto Spaghetti Casserole
Making a low carb spaghetti casserole is so easy, and the results are delicious. We like to take it to potlucks and make it for a simple dinner idea frequently too. Here are the easy to follow steps to get you started.
First Step: Begin by greasing a 9” x 13” casserole pan and set it aside. Turn on the oven to 350 degrees F.
Second Step: Use a large skillet and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Heat it over medium-high heat and saute the onions for three minutes. Add in the minced garlic cloves and saute for an additional minute or until it becomes fragrant. Then mix in the ground beef or turkey and use a spoon to break up the pieces and brown it. Sprinkle one teaspoon of the Italian seasoning and add the keto spaghetti sauce to the mixture. Combine and set aside.
Expert Tip: The absolute best kitchen gadget for breaking up browning meat is a potato masher. Really! Give it a try.
Third Step: Mix together the cream cheese, ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, garlic powder, and one teaspoon of Italian seasoning in a medium bowl. Mix well.
Fourth Step: Next, add half of the spaghetti squash to the bottom of the casserole pan. Spread it out, so it’s an even layer.
Fifth Step: Next, spread out half of the cheese mixture on top of the cooked spaghetti squash.
Sixth Step: Add the meat mixture on top of the cheese layer.
Seventh Step: Sprinkle on half of the mozzarella cheese and repeat the layers. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until it’s hot all the way through. Broil for the final 2 minutes to make the cheese bubbly and toasted.
How Do You Cook Spaghetti Squash?
While there are several options for cooking spaghetti squash, one method that works well every time is roasting it. You can simply cut it in half and get rid of the seeds. Then add a drizzle of olive oil and top with salt and pepper. You’ll need to pierce the squash with a fork and cook it upside down. It will usually take around 35-40 minutes to roast at 400 degrees. You will need to check it until it’s done, and you can easily scrape it, and it looks like spaghetti noodles.
Another option is cooking it in a pressure cooker. This is normally the method I use. I half the spaghetti squash, remove the seeds and cook in my Instant Pot on manual high pressure for 8 minutes. Click here for more info on how to cook spaghetti squash.
Keto Spaghetti Casserole Variations
In the mood for something different? Try out some of these yummy ingredients to take your spaghetti squash recipe to a whole new level of tasty!
- Black Olives - Chop up a few black olives and add them to the meat mixture. So amazing!
- Mushrooms - If you love mushrooms in your pasta, don’t forget to add them to this keto spaghetti casserole. You can simply add it to the meat mixture for the best results.
- Sausage - Swap out the ground turkey or beef for some sausage. It’s an incredible flavor that you can’t resist.
- Oregano - Sprinkle on some fresh oregano before serving. It will add a vibrance to the dish and tastes good too.
- Meatballs - Change out the ground meat for meatballs. We like to use my keto turkey meatballs.
- Italian Sausage - Replace some or all of the ground beef with crumbled sausage.
- Spinach - You can use spinach in addition to the spaghetti squash or in place of it.
Make sure to try this palmini baked spaghetti next!
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Keto Spaghetti Casserole
Ingredients
- ¼ cup finely diced onions
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1.5 pounds ground turkey or beef
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning divided
- 1.5 cups marinara sauce
- 2 cups cooked spaghetti squash
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9" x 13" pan and set aside.
- Spray a large saute pan with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute for 3 minutes. Add garlic and saute 1 more minute until fragrant. Add ground beef and saute breaking up until browned. Season with 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning and mix well with the marinara sauce and set aside.
- In a medium bowl combine cream cheese, ricotta cheese, parmesan, garlic powder, and the remaining teaspoon of Italian seasoning. Mix well.
- Place half the spaghetti squash in an even layer in the 9" x 13" pan.
- Evenly spread half of the cheese mixture over the top of the squash.
- Spread half the meat mixture evenly over the top of the spaghetti.
- Sprinkle with half of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat the layers. Bake for 30 minutes until hot. Broil for 2 minutes to toast the cheese.
Sharon Lambert says
How much is 1 serving considered as? Thank you
Taryn says
1/8th of the recipe. I do not weight individual servings. I just eye it up. You could weigh your baking dish before and after and divide by 8 for a more accurate measurement.
Brenda Soileau says
I just made this dish and WOW, I love it!! Tks
Catherine says
Taryn, this was EXCELLENT!!! Kids couldn’t even tell it was squash. I had tried spaghetti squash years ago when I was on weight watchers and just ate it with salt and pepper and it was awful, so I was reluctant to try it again. Thank you for sharing this recipe - it will go in my regular rotation. Seriously life changing.
Taryn says
I'm so glad you all liked it!
laura says
Mmmm SO delish!!
Scarlet says
Yum. Great idea to use spaghetti squash as a keto pasta substitute.
Glenda says
That looks absolutely scrumptious! And I never would have thought to use spaghetti squash. It's on my menu for the weekend. Our grandkids will be here and it's going to be a huge hit! Thank you!
Allison says
Delicious! The whole family loved it! Thanks for sharing.
Taylor says
This dish was a huge hit with my family! The spaghetti squash worked so great that we didn't even miss the pasta. Leftovers the next day were equally as delicious 🙂
Grace Stanphill says
Do you think this would work with riced cauliflower? I made your fantastic Meatzza Pizza with the riced cauliflower and you couldn't even tell it was in there. Frozen riced cauliflower would be so much easier than cooking a spaghetti squash. Thanks! And if you think it would work, how much riced cauliflower would you use?
Taryn says
Sure! You could probably mix in a small bag (like 12 oz) with no one noticing.
Priscilla says
Made this tonight with a ground soy substitute to make it vegetarian and it was amazing! So cheesy and delicious!
Sharon L. Clemons says
I added spinach to the ricotta, parmesan and cream cheese mixture and used Ragu Chunky garlic onion sauce (didn't have any marinara sauce). Boy, is this delicious!
Jondrea says
Can you sub anything for the spaghetti squash, like zucchini instead? My family has never been able to like spaghetti squash and it's a lot of prep and cooking for it not to be eaten. Everything else sounds yummy and I'm excited to make and taste it!
Taryn says
Yes, zucchini will work, I'd just recommend sprinkling with salt and draining the liquid it releases first.
corris says
hubby gave this a 👍👍! took a bit to prepare with having to cook squash, & meat, & then layer it. but it was worth the 30 minutes. almost tasted like lasagna. I did use cottage cheese instead of the ricotta as the days of dashing off to the market are gone. Used 3/4lb gd beef & 1lb hot italian sausage just cause. will put this is our regular menu rotation.
Taylor Comeau says
Loved this recipe! Reminded me of lasagna. I thriftily stretched this recipe to include a large spaghetti squash and 1 lb of meat with extra marinara. It produced larger portions/more leftovers. I also left out the ricotta and increased the parmesan since my family isn't a big fan of ricotta. Thank you for an amazing recipe Taryn.
Angela D. says
Made this tonight, exactly as written and everyone loved it!! Great taste and texture! This will definitely be a frequent meal for us!! Thank you!
Jan Clark says
This recipe looks good enough to eat . I just wish it was easier to print.
Taryn says
There is a button both at the top and in the recipe card to print it. You need to click that to get to the printable view.
Shell says
I used a bag of frozen spaghetti squash which I cooked in the microwave before adding to the dish
Grfox says
Loved it. Blended the ricotta til smooth. Family preference.
I cook my squash in boiling water til almost soft. Drain and fork. Then put in 1c or 2c packages and freeze. When thawed I squeeze the excess water out. It tastes the same as fresh cooked. I don’t buy larger than 8-10 “. To me the large ones taste strong.
Pat says
Could a bag of coke slaw mix be used instead of the spaghetti squash? If so would a reg size bag work..? Recipe looks delicious and would love to try it!
Taryn says
I think the flavor would be too strong.