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This Whole30 recipe is a Tuscan Spaghetti Squash Casserole the entire family will love! Roasted squash, kale, and tender ground sausage are smothered in a creamy, dairy-free garlic sauce and oven-baked to delicious perfection. This easy recipe is dairy-free, gluten-free, healthy comfort food at its finest!
This post was updated with new photos and copy on October 2nd, 2021.
What Makes This Recipe Great
This Whole30 Tuscan Spaghetti Squash Casserole Recipe might be one of my new favorite recipes! I used a combination of garlic, cashews, and coconut milk to create a creamy, Alfredo-like sauce without any dairy!
Spaghetti squash is a superhero vegetable. It is versatile, healthy, and really absorbs the flavors you’re cooking with because it is so mild. It’s the perfect substitute for pasta and potatoes because it has the same hearty textures, but with a fraction of the carbs.
If you’ve avoided using this squash in your recipes because it seems difficult, this recipe is for you! You’ll find out how to cut spaghetti squash, how to cook spaghetti squash, and how to use this low-carb veggie in a delicious casserole.
If you love spaghetti squash recipes, try my Whole30 Spaghetti Squash Carbonara, Whole30 Sloppy Joe Bowls, or Eggplant Parm(less) Spaghetti Squash Casserole!
Ingredient Notes
For a full list of ingredients, please see the recipe card below.
Spaghetti Squash Casserole
- Sausage: You can either make your own using ground pork, or use store-bought Italian sausage. If making your own sausage, you’ll need fennel seed, ground sage, thyme, white pepper, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and allspice.
- Kale: If you aren’t a fan of kale, you can sub in spinach or your favorite greens!
- Spaghetti Squash: I like to cut my spaghetti squash in half horizontally. This is the opposite of how most people do it! It creates longer “spaghetti-like” strands this way. Scoop out the seeds and that’s it!
Creamy Garlic Sauce
- Cashews: If you have a high-speed blender, there is no need to soak the cashews. If you don’t have a high-powered blender, soak the cashews for at least one hour. This will help them get really smooth.
- Garlic: Use fresh garlic cloves or a jar of minced garlic.
- Coconut Milk: I use a can of full-fat, unsweetened coconut milk. It often separates in the can, so be sure to whisk it before using it.
- Lemon Juice: Freshly squeezed lemon juice is always preferred, but a jar of lemon juice will work in a pinch.
- Red Pepper Flakes: Use more or less depending on preference for spice.
- Salt and Pepper: Use to taste.
Recipe Step by Step
- First, preheat your oven to 400.
- I like to cut my spaghetti squash in half horizontally. This is the opposite of how most people do it! It creates longer “spaghetti-like” strands this way! Scoop out the seeds and lay both squash halves cut-side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake the squash for 35-40 minutes (depending on the size of the squash you may need more time – you’ll know it’s done when you can easily pierce it with a fork!).
- Meanwhile, make the sausage. Heat a large sauté pan or skillet over medium heat and add all sausage ingredients. Stir/cook for 5-7 minutes until browned and cooked through. Drain the fat. Add the kale and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes until it begins to wilt. Set the pan aside.
- Make the creamy dairy-free garlic sauce: Combine all of the sauce ingredients in a high-speed blender and blend on high for 30 seconds or until it is very creamy. The cashews do not need to be soaked beforehand unless you do not have a high-speed blender.
- Once the squash is cooked, remove it from the oven and use a fork to remove the strands. Add the squash and the garlic sauce to the pan with the sausage and kale. Mix it well. Transfer to a baking dish and bake at 400 for 15 minutes, or until the sides and bubbling and it’s warmed through.
- Serve and enjoy!
Mary’s Tips & Tricks
- Protein: You can use ground chicken or ground turkey instead of pork.
- More Spice: For extra heat, simply use an extra few dashes of red pepper flakes! On the flip side, to make this less spicy, omit the crushed red pepper or add slightly less.
- Nut-Free: Unfortunately the cashews help to make this creamy garlic sauce super creamy without the dairy. I haven’t tested it with any nut-free substitutions.
Storage Tips
- Make Ahead: Prepare the spaghetti squash according to the instructions in steps 1 and 2. Then, store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. When you are ready to make the casserole, start at step 3.
- Leftovers: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave or in a skillet on the stovetop.
Serving Tips
- This is a dairy-free recipe, but if you want, you can top it with cheese like parmesan cheese or mozzarella cheese. Use dairy-free cheese if preferred.
Recipe FAQs
Spaghetti squash is an excellent, low-carb substitute for pasta. A whole spaghetti squash has about 10 total grams of carbs. If you are wondering if spaghetti squash is keto, the answer is yes! Because it has about 2 grams of fiber, the net carbs for a whole spaghetti squash are 8 grams!
This recipe is not vegan due to the sausage, however, simply remove the animal protein from this recipe and it is vegan!
Try These Easy Whole30 Casseroles…
Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Casserole
Tuscan Spaghetti Squash Casserole
Ingredients
Sausage (If making your own)
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1 tsp fennel seed
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp ground sage
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1 tsp white pepper, black is fine if you don’t have it
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp all spice
Creamy Garlic Sauce
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 cup raw cashews
- ¾ cup water
- ½ cup full-fat coconut milk, Coconut milk separates in the can, so make sure to whisk it well before measuring!
- ½ lemon, juiced
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- ¼ tsp pepper
Remaining ingredients
- 1 large spaghetti squash
- 4 cups kale, stems removed, coarsely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400. Cut your squash in half (I like to cut it in half horizontally which is different than how most people do it, but it creates longer “spaghetti” strands this way!) Scoop out the seeds and lay both halves cut-side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake the squash for 35-40 minutes (depending on the size of the squash).
- Meanwhile, make the sausage: Heat a large saute pan over medium high heat and add all sausage ingredients. Stir/cook for 5-7 minutes until browned and cooked through. Drain fat. Add the kale and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes until it begins to wilt. Set the pan aside.
- Make the creamy garlic sauce: Combine all sauce ingredients in a blender and blend on high for 30 seconds or until very creamy. The cashews do not need to be soaked beforehand.
- Once the squash is cooked, remove it from the oven and use a fork to remove the strands. Add the squash and the garlic sauce to the pan with the sausage and kale. Mix well. Transfer to a casserole dish and bake at 400 for 15 minutes or until sides are bubbling and it’s warmed through. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Mary’s Tips & Tricks
- Protein: You can use ground chicken or ground turkey instead of pork.
- More Spice: For extra heat, simply use an extra few dashes of red pepper flakes! On the flip side, to make this less spicy, omit the crushed red pepper or add slightly less.
- Nut-Free: Unfortunately the cashews help to make this creamy garlic sauce super creamy without the dairy. I haven’t tested it with any nut-free substitutions.
Storage Tips
- Make Ahead: Prepare the spaghetti squash according to the instructions in steps 1 and 2. Then, store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. When you are ready to make the casserole, start at step 3.
- Leftovers: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave or in a skillet on the stovetop.
Serving Tips
- This is a dairy-free recipe, but if you want, you can top it with cheese like parmesan cheese or mozzarella cheese. Use dairy-free cheese if preferred.
Nutrition
All nutrition facts are an estimate and automatically calculated. While I fact check them using My Fitness Pal, please note that they may not always be 100% accurate and depend on ingredients used. Weigh your total and divide by the number of servings for the most accurate grams per serving size.
Another hit by Mary! Doubled the sausage with a big spaghetti squash and it turned out great.
Thanks Lauren!!
Wow! This is amazing! 5 stars! We loved it!
Thanks Melody!
We love this recipe!!! Is it ok to use unsalted roasted cashews instead of raw cashews as I usually have those on hand?
Thanks for such a tasty main dish!
Hi! It will change the consistency and flavor a bit, but you can use them!
This is easily one of our top five dinners of all time! So creamy and delicious (and somehow healthy?!).
Do you think this would freeze okay? Currently meal-prepping for when our baby arrives and we’d love to have a batch of this in the freezer! Thank you!
Hi! I think it should freeze fine. Thanks!!
I have been making this for years. Instead of kale, I use spinach just because of preference. A twist I like to do is cook it on our smoker which adds a delicious smokey flavor, especially the next day as leftovers.
Yum! Thank you!
One of our go to meals. Like so many things, even better the next day.
thank you Shari!
I love this casserole! I sub’d almond milk for the coconut milk and water since I didn’t have coconut milk and it worked perfectly. This is so easy to make and so flavorful. I meal prepped this for lunch this week and can’t wait to eat it all week!
So glad it worked out for you – thanks Chelsea!
Hi Mary! This recipe is one of my family’s favorites- even my 2 year old! We have it on regular rotation and share it with others often. Thank you for your delicious recipes!!
Thank you Ellen!
This is one of our favorite weekday meals. My husband just told me this is his favorite thing that I make! It’s comforting and I don’t feel guilty eating a lot of it since it’s mostly vegetables. So good!!
Thanks Angela!
Love this recipe! We add lots of garlic because we love it. It’s an all the time staple. But, especially fall & winter for squash season. What’s the serving size for the nutrition facts listed?
It’s for 1/4 of the casserole! So glad you love it!