Sometimes you just want pasta — and sometimes you want full-on comfort food. That craving is exactly what inspired this Resistant Starch Italian Spaghetti Bake. It delivers all the familiar flavors of classic spaghetti, but baking it in the oven transforms it into a warm, cheesy casserole that’s perfect for cozy dinners and family gatherings.
The real bonus is how the pasta is prepared. By cooking the spaghetti ahead of time and allowing it to cool, the starch becomes resistant starch, which helps prevent blood sugar spikes. You can take it a step further by using low-carb spaghetti, making this dish even more blood-sugar friendly without sacrificing taste or texture.
This spaghetti bake includes everything you love about traditional Italian spaghetti: rich sauce, plenty of cheese, and a few extra additions that make it casserole-worthy. It’s always a hit at potlucks, and it freezes beautifully. When I make it, I usually prepare two: one to enjoy right away and one to stash in the freezer for a busy night or those evenings when cooking just isn’t happening (or when it’s my husband’s turn to make dinner).
Serve it with a simple salad and dinner is done, comforting, satisfying, and ready whenever you need it.
Ingredients
2 packages spaghetti
1-1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 green pepper, chopped
2 onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1 pkg. pepperoni, chopped
1 8-oz canned mushroom
1 can sliced olives
1/2 tsp. dry basil
1/2 tsp. dry oregano
1/2 tsp. seasoned salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
1 16-oz. container ricotta cheese
4 cups mozzarella, shredded
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
Instructions
Cook the spaghetti according to package directions. When it is done, drain and cool. Place the spaghetti in a resealable bag or container. Store it in the fridge for 24 hours to make it resistant starch.
When ready to prepare the casserole, brown some ground beef in a large pot. Drain the grease.
Add the green pepper, onion and garlic. Saute until the vegetables are soft.
Stir in Worcestershire sauce, red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.
Add the spaghetti sauce, pepperoni, mushrooms, olives and remaining seasonings.
Spoon one cup of the meat mixture into two 9×13″ pans. Alternatively, you could divide the casserole into 4 8×8″ pans for a smaller amount, yielding 4 smaller casseroles. This is usually what I do for my small family. Remove the spaghetti from the refrigerator and spread 1/4 of it over the sauce in each pan.
Spread the ricotta over the top of the ricotta and sprinkle with mozzarella and parmesan. Repeat the layers, ending with the Parmesan.
At this point, you can freeze the casserole. I like to bake one for dinner and the other I will freeze. To freeze, cover the casserole well. To reheat the frozen Spaghetti Bake, thaw it first; then, bake it. Bake covered at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Remove the cover and bake another 5-10 minutes.
If you like this recipe, you may also like the following recipes:
Low-Carb Chicken Spaghetti Casserole
Low-Carb Red Chicken Spaghetti
Resistant Starch Italian Spaghetti Bake
Equipment
- 1 knife
- 1 large pot
- 1 skillet
- 1 Large spoon
- 2 9×13" pans or 4 8×8" pans
Ingredients
- 2 packages spaghetti
- 1-1/2 lbs. ground beef
- 1 green pepper chopped
- 2 onions chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire
- 1 tsp. red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 jar spaghetti sauce
- 1 pkg. pepperoni chopped
- 1 8- oz canned mushroom
- 1 can sliced olives
- 1/2 tsp. dry basil
- 1/2 tsp. dry oregano
- 1/2 tsp. seasoned salt
- 1/4 tsp. pepper
- 1/4 tsp. garlic salt
- 1 16- oz. container ricotta cheese
- 4 cups mozzarella shredded
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Cook the spaghetti according to package directions. When it is done, drain and cool. Place the spaghetti in a resealable bag or container. Store it in the fridge for 24 hours to make it resistant starch.
- When ready to prepare the casserole, brown some ground beef in a large pot or skillet.
- Drain the grease.
- Add the green pepper, onion and garlic.
- Sauté until the vegetables are soft.
- Stir in Worcestershire sauce, red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.
- Add the tomato sauce, pepperoni, mushrooms, olives and remaining seasonings.
- Spoon one cup of the meat mixture into two 9×13″ pans.
- Remove the spaghetti from the refrigerator and spread 1/4 of it over the sauce in each pan.
- Spread the ricotta over the top of the ricotta and sprinkle with mozzarella and parmesan.
- Repeat the layers, ending with the Parmesan.
- At this point, you can freeze the casserole. To freeze, cover the casserole well. To reheat the frozen Spaghetti Bake, thaw it first; then, bake it. Bake covered at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Remove the cover and bake another 5-10 minutes.
