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Make this Baked Spaghetti Casserole with Palmini Pasta for a delicious comfort food dish that’s perfect when you want pasta without the carbs! Or make the recipe with Fiber Gourmet Light Spaghetti or whole wheat spaghetti if you don’t mind a few more carbs!

PIN low-carb Baked Spaghetti Casserole to try it later!

Spaghetti Casserole on plate and baking dish in background

My niece Kara and I loved this low-carb version of Baked Spaghetti Casserole that has Palmini Angel Hair Pasta, Italian Sausage, Ricotta Cheese, Mozzarella, Rao’s Pasta Sauce and the perfect seasonings. We made this after we’d been experimenting with Palmini Pasta, and we’ve made some tasty recipes with the noodles made with hearts of palm, learning some tricks along the way to give the best flavor with this interesting ingredient.

And baked spaghetti is the kind of comfort food dinner that won’t taste a bit like it’s low in carbs! And it makes eight generous servings, so you can have it again another time, or even put some in the freezer!

And when Kara tried this out on her family, not even the kids could tell it wasn’t regular pasta! But the Palmini Pasta is pricey, and if you don’t care as much about the carbs you can make this recipe with Fiber Gourmet Light spaghetti or whole wheat spaghetti. You can find instructions in the post for making this with Fiber Gourmet Light Spaghetti or whole wheat spaghetti, but those versions will not be gluten-free.

What ingredients do you need?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

can of Palmini Angel Hair

Why did we use Palmini Angel Hair for this recipe?

The Palmini Angel Hair (affiliate link) is actually more like thin spaghetti and it comes in cans or packages. It worked perfectly in this recipe, but you could also use Palmini Linguini if that’s what you have. And I know there are other brands of pasta made with hearts of palm; I haven’t tried those but I feel sure they would also work.

Do you need two packages of Palmini for the Baked Spaghetti Casserole?

One drawback to the Palmini Pasta (affiliate link) is definitely the cost, and we were hesitant to use two cans (or packages) in one recipe. But we really did need that much pasta, and this recipe makes eight generous servings (or more if you’re feeding kids or people with smaller appetites.)

How to add flavor to the Palmini Pasta?

We experimented with this recipe a couple of times to get it just right. Kara and I both feel that either pre-cooking the Palmini Pasta in boiling water or cooking it in the sauce you’re using for the recipe is essential for good flavor and texture. In this recipe the noodles were rinsed, cut into shorter pieces, then layered into a casserole dish, covered with a flavorful Italian Sausage sauce sauce and cheese, and baked in the oven until it was bubbling hot. That relatively long cooking time really flavored the noodles!

How low in carbs is the Baked Spaghetti Casserole?

If you make this baked spaghetti with Palmini Pasta, it has about 11.5 net carbs per serving. (With Fiber Gourmet Light Spaghetti it has about 22 net carbs and with whole wheat pasta it has about 25 net carbs.)

What Pasta Sauce Did I Use for Baked Spaghetti Casserole?

I’m a huge fan of Rao’s Pasta Sauce (affiliate link), which is low in carbs and doesn’t have added sugar.

What Italian Sausage did I use for Baked Spaghetti Casserole?

We used sweet Italian sausage for this Spaghetti Casserole, but you can use the hot sausage if you’d like a bit more spice. We used pork Italian Sausage but turkey sausage would be great if you can find it. This casserole can also be made with ground beef if you prefer.

Does Baked Spaghetti Casserole freeze well?

After Kara and I perfected this recipe, we put some in the freezer to see how well it would freeze. And a week later when we thawed and heated it in the microwave we both thought it was just as good (if not better) after being frozen!

process shots collage for low-carb Spaghetti Casserole made with Palmini Pasta

How to make Baked Spaghetti Casserole:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe. These photos show the Spaghetti Casserole being made with Palmini Angel Hair. The complete recipe has instructions for making this with Fiber Gourmet Light Spaghetti or Whole Wheat Spaghetti. .)

  1. Spray a 9″ x 12 ” casserole dish with non-stick spray.
  2. Drain 2 cans Palmini Angel Hair into a colander, rinse well, use kitchen shears to cut Palmini into slightly shorter pieces, and let it drain well.
  3. While pasta drains, heat olive oil in a non-stick frying pan with high sides.
  4. Add the onion and saute about 5 minutes, until it’s softened and starting to brown.
  5. Add the garlic and ground fennel and cook 1-2 minutes more.
  6. Then add the Sweet Italian Sausage, squeezing it out of the links.
  7. Cook sausage until it’s browned, breaking apart with a turner as it cooks.
  8. When sausage is well-browned, add the pasta sauce and cook at a low simmer until the sauce is thick, about 15 minutes.
  9. Stir beaten eggs and Italian seasoning into the Ricotta (or cottage cheese) and measure out the grated mozzarella and Parmesan.
  10. In the casserole dish, make layers with 1/2 the Angel Hair pasta, 1/2 the reduced sauce/sausage mixture. 1/2 the Ricotta/egg mixture, and 1/2 the grated Mozzarella.
  11. Make another layer each of Angel Hair, sauce/sausage mixture, Ricotta/egg mixture, and mozzarella. Top with coarsely-grated Parmesan.
  12. Bake the casserole uncovered about 45-50 minutes, or until it’s bubbling and the top is nicely browned.
  13. Let sit for 5 minutes, then cut into squares and serve.

Spaghetti Casserole shown in baking dish

More recipes with low-carb or lower-carb Pasta:

Weekend Food Prep:

This Baked Spaghetti Casserole recipe has been added to a category called Weekend Food Prep  to help you find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!

Spaghetti Casserole on plate and baking dish in background
Yield: 8 servings

Baked Spaghetti Casserole

Prep Time 35 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes

This Baked Spaghetti Casserole with Italian Sausage can be made with Palmini Low-Carb Angel Hair, or use Fiber Gourmet Light Spaghetti or whole wheat spaghetti if you prefer. Either way, this is a comfort food meal that the whole family will love!

Ingredients

  • two 14 oz. cans Palmini Angel Hair (or use 8 oz. Fiber Gourmet Light Spaghetti or whole wheat spaghetti, broken into thirds)
  • 1 T olive oil (more or less, depending on your pan)
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
  • 2 T minced garlic (or less)
  • 2 tsp. ground fennel
  • one 19 oz. pkg. Sweet Italian Sausage (see notes)
  • 24 oz. jar Rao's Pasta Sauce  (see notes)
  • 2 cups Ricotta Cheese
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 2 tsp. Italian seasoning
  • 2 cups grated Mozzarella Cheese
  • 1/2 cup coarsely-grated Parmesan

Instructions

Instructions for Spaghetti Casserole with Palmini Angel Hair Pasta:

  1. Preheat oven to 375F/190C.
  2. Spray a 9" x 12 " casserole dish with non-stick spray.
  3. Drain 2 cans or packages Palmini Angel Hair into a colander placed in the sink. Rinse well, use kitchen shears to cut Palmini into slightly shorter pieces, and let it drain well.
  4. While the pasta drains, heat the olive oil in a non-stick frying pan with high sides.
  5. Add the chopped onion and cook about 5 minutes, until it’s softened and starting to brown.
  6. Add the garlic and ground fennel and cook 1-2 minutes more.
  7. Then add the Sweet Italian Sausage (or Italian Sausage of your choice), squeezing it out of the links.
  8. Cook sausage until it’s nicely browned, breaking apart with a turner as it cooks. (You might need a little more oil, depending on your pan.)
  9. When the sausage is well-browned, add the pasta sauce and cook at a low simmer until the sauce is very thick, about 15 minutes.
  10. Mix the beaten eggs and Italian seasoning with the Ricotta (or cottage cheese) and measure out the grated mozzarella and Parmesan.
  11. In the casserole dish, make layers with 1/2 the Angel Hair pasta, 1/2 the reduced sauce/sausage mixture. 1/2 the Ricotta/egg mixture, and 1/2 the grated Mozzarella.
  12. Make another layer each of Angel Hair, sauce/sausage mixture, Ricotta/egg mixture, and mozzarella. Top with coarsely-grated Parmesan.
  13. Bake the casserole uncovered about 45-50 minutes, or until it’s bubbling and the top is nicely browned.
  14. Let sit for 5 minutes, then cut into squares and serve. 

Instructions for Fiber Gourmet Light Spaghetti or Whole Wheat Spaghetti:

  1. Preheat oven and spray casserole dish as above
  2. I used 8 ounces of spaghetti, broken into thirds.
  3. Bring a medium sized pot of water to a boil, add 1 teaspoon salt, then add the pasta and cook until pasta is barely done (a little less than package directions.)
  4. Drain pasta well.
  5. Follow the rest of the directions as above, substituting the cooked Fiber Gourmet Light Spaghetti or cooked whole wheat spaghetti for the Palmini Angel Hair Pasta.
  6. Cooking time might be slightly shorter for the version made with spaghetti; I would start to check after 35-40 minutes.

    Notes

    The version with Fiber Gourmet Light Spaghetti will have about 22 net carbs per serving. The version with whole wheat spaghetti will have about 25 net carbs per serving.

    Use turkey or pork Italian Sausage, whichever you prefer.

    Use cottage cheese instead of Ricotta if you prefer.

    Use the lowest sugar pasta sauce you can find if you don't have Rao's.

    Italian Seasoning is a blend of dried basil, oregano, thyme, marjoram, and rosemary.

    This freezes well, so you can pull it out on those nights you need some comfort. It can also be kept in the refrigerator for at least a week. I reheated it in the microwave for about 2 minutes, but if you don’t have a microwave I would reheat in a small glass dish covered with foil.

    Recipe inspired by Baked Spaghetti at Budget Bytes.

    Nutrition Information

    Yield

    8

    Serving Size

    1
    Amount Per Serving Calories 415Total Fat 27gSaturated Fat 11gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 13.8gCholesterol 113mgSodium 1020mgCarbohydrates 13gFiber 1.5gSugar 3.5gProtein 28.5g

    Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

    Did you make this recipe?

    Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating (under the PRINT button in the recipe) or share a photo of your results on Instagram! THANKS!

    © Kalyn Denny
    Category: Casseroles
    square thumbnail image showing Spaghetti Casserole on plate and baking dish in background

    Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions: 
    When made with Palmini Low-Carb Angel Hair, this Baked Spaghetti Casserole with 11.5 net carbs would be approved for low-carb diets, probably even for Keto, and it would be gluten-free. The version with Fiber Gourmet has about 22 net carbs per serving; the one with whole wheat spaghetti has about 25 net carbs per serving. Both of those are not gluten-free.

    Find More Recipes Like This One:
    Use Casserole Recipes to find more family-friendly casseroles for dinner! Use the Diet Type Index photo index pages to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

    Historical Notes for this Recipe:
    This Baked Spaghetti Casserole recipe made with whole wheat spaghetti was posted in 2012. The recipe was updated to a low-carb version and improved with better photos and more information in 2021 and was updated again with more information in 2024.

    Pinterest image of Baked Spaghetti Casserole

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