This Paleo + Whole30 creamy garlic spaghetti squash casserole is so saucy and delicious! Do you long for a creamy, dairy-free sauce packed with garlicky goodness? Well, look no more! Plus, this dish is made with spaghetti squash, which is a much healthier casserole option. Go ahead, get your squash on, and make a big old pan of this filling and flavorful casserole!
Making Life Easier
We love anything that makes life easier, and finding ways to be more efficient and effective in the kitchen can make such a huge difference in how we feel about cooking and preparing meals. I didn’t always love being in the kitchen, but once I started to plan more and find ways to create delicious meals with the least amount of effort, I really started to love cooking and spending time in the kitchen!
Looking for more spaghetti squash recipes? Check out this roundup of 10 Cozy Spaghetti Squash Recipes!
We love this creamy garlic spaghetti squash casserole because there is only about five minutes of prep time, and the hardest part is really cutting the spaghetti squash! Seriously, isn’t that the worst part? Did you know that if you ask someone working in the produce section at the grocery store, they will cut it in half for you?! Yep, there’s a time saving (and potential ER trip saving) tip for you right there! Just saying.
Creamy Garlicky Goodness
This casserole is full of creamy garlicky goodness that just hits the spot! You won’t even notice the spaghetti squash isn’t real noodles, and if you use a spicy Italian sausage, you’ll also get just a touch of heat to go with the creamy deliciousness. We love making a big pan of this to have leftovers on hand because sometimes it feels like the leftovers are even better!
Quick + Easy Meals
While this recipe isn’t a 30 minute meal, we love that it makes enough for leftovers, which can easily be reheated for lunch or another dinner. You could also make and freeze this casserole, and then pop it in the oven to reheat when you are in need of an already made meal. Just note that it may turn out a little more watery than when eaten fresh, and it should be good in the freezer for 1-2 months in an airtight container. We love meals like this since the effort is totally worth the time saved on another day!
That’s what our Paleo Meal Plans are all about – making you more efficient in the kitchen! Need a little help getting organized or just want to reclaim some of your free-time? Check out all the details here!
Some Other Casseroles To Try
- Easy Taco Casserole
- Spaghetti Pizza Casserole
- Chicken and Broccoli Casserole
- Creamy Bacon Ranch Chicken Casserole
- BBQ Chicken Casserole
- Creamy Chicken Casserole
Your Turn To Try Our Creamy Garlic Spaghetti Squash Casserole
Ok, now it’s your turn! Make a big pan of this creamy garlic spaghetti squash casserole and enjoy the goodness. Let us know how it goes by leaving a comment below. Take a photo and tag us on Instagram @realsimplegood, so we can check it out! And make sure to give us a follow if you don’t already. Let’s stay connected!
Creamy Garlic Spaghetti Squash Casserole (Paleo, Whole30, GF + Dairy-Free)
Ingredients
- 1 medium spaghetti squash
- 4 cups broccoli florets
- 1 lb ground Italian sausage, (regular breakfast or Chorizo work too)
- 2 cups mushrooms, sliced
- 1/4 cup arrowroot flour
- 2 tbsp minced garlic
- 16 oz coconut milk
- Salt and pepper, (about 1 tsp each)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400° Fahrenheit.
- Slice the spaghetti squash lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Place the two halves face-down on a baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes.
- While the squash is cooking, get the sausage going. Heat a large pan over medium heat and add in the sausage. Break it into pieces with a spatula and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and cooked through, about 8 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside. Reserve at least 1 tbsp of fat in the pan for the sauce you’ll make later.
- Remove squash from oven after 30 minutes and set aside to cool. Keep the oven on at 400°.
- While the squash is cooling, prepare the creamy garlic sauce. Whisk together coconut milk and arrowroot flour in a bowl or jar and set aside.
- Heat the same pan you cooked the sausage in over medium heat. Once hot, add mushrooms and cook until they begin to soften, about 2 minutes. Add in minced garlic and mix well with the mushrooms, about 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.
- Next, whisk up the coconut milk mixture again and add to pan, stirring constantly for 2 minutes. The sauce will bubble and thicken, keep stirring to prevent burning. After 2 minutes turn heat off and stir in salt and pepper.
- Now, put it all together. With a fork, scrape out the spaghetti squash “noodles” into a medium casserole dish. Add the cooked sausage, broccoli, and creamy garlic sauce. Mix everything together well.
- Place back in the oven to bake for 15 more minutes. Remove and serve.
I substituted the broccoli with fresh baby spinach and sprinkled grated mozzarella cheese on top before putting everything in the oven. It was delicious!
So happy it was a hit! Thanks so much for coming back to share what you did and how it went! 🙂
What can I substitute for coconut milk if I’m allergic?
You can use whole milk or another nut milk if you’re dairy free. The other nut milk just won’t be as thick for the sauce.
Thank you for a great recipe! I may’ve missed this in another comment, but would this freeze and reheat okay or not so much because of the water content in the squash?
Hi Whitney – This dish freezes just fine and can be reheated in the microwave or on the stovetop after thawing. If any excess water is present after thawing, just drain it out. Enjoy!
Wonderful, thank you!
I am not one to usually leave comments (but I really should start as I value them quite a bit when choosing a recipe!)…but WOW this was amazing. I started it yesterday with the intention to prep and then do the final cooking at dinner time, but everything smelled/looked so good I cooked it at 2pm and had my first bowl as soon as it came out of the oven. I then had some leftovers for breakfast again! This will definitely be a go-to for our farm share spaghetti squash!!
We’re so grateful you tried our recipe and came back to share how it went! We love hearing that you enjoyed it so much! 🙂
I am on AIP protocol so I omitted pepper and subbed grass fed ground beef. This was a satisfying dinner that I will make again. Thanks for the recipe.
You’re very welcome Kathy, thanks for coming back to leave a rating and review 🙂
I can’t wait to try this! My hubby and I love spaghetti squash! We cook the squash in our insta pot. Slice around instead of long ways…gives longer noodles.
Add 1/2 cup of water and pressure cook for 7 minutes.. perfect every time!
I’ll let you know how it turns out!
Yes, the IP is great for cooking spaghetti squash. We hope you enjoy the recipe!
Question. Do you precook the broccoli?
We make the recipe as written and it results in crisp-tender broccoli. If you prefer it cooked more you can pre-cook it.
We have made this a few times and it never disappoints! It’s a quick and easy, hearty meal for the week when things are crazy with the kiddos. I added some shallots and some crushed red pepper this last time to spice it up and it was awesome! Highly recommend!
So glad you are enjoying this one, thanks for coming back to leave a rating and review 🙂
We’re fairly new to Keto (about 6 mons.) and I’m always looking for new recipes. This one is a winner! Delicious and easy. Made it as is. My husband said it’s on top of his list of his favorite meals.
That’s so great to hear! We love hearing it was a hit for the both of you! Thanks so much for giving our recipe a try and for coming back to share how it went. We appreciate hearing from you. And we hope you find lots of recipes to love on our site! 🙂
Soooo good. I have been making this one often for months and love it. This time I made it with chorizo instead of Italian sausage and it was DELISH.
YUM! Chorizo sounds so good for this one. We’ll have to try that next time we make it! Thanks so much for coming back to leave a rating and review. Appreciate your support! 🙂
Sutton ad Peter gives it 5 plus stars. Great flavor combination! After 2 meals we froze the leftovers. This recipe will be on repeat!
We’re so happy it was a hit! Thanks for giving it a try and coming back to leave a review! 🙂
Most delicious meal we’ve had in ages! Easy to prepare with incredible flavor. This is going in our rotation!! Can’t wait to make it again!
I made this recipe a lot I love how it tastes and even my Husband likes it when I made it the first time on the start of my paleo lifestyle my husband was very sceptical because of coconut milk and to tell the truce so was I but mmmhhhhmmmm yummy I am making it right now again thank you for this great recipe
We’re so glad it’s a hit for you both! 🙂
This is a delicious whole30 recipe especially when you are craving some kind of creamy pasta but can’t have it! It is also a fabulous meal prep for a good 4-5 days of lunches or dinners! I recommend this to everyone for a yummy garlicky and creamy meal but also healthier!
We love hearing that it hits the spot! Thanks so much for giving it a try and for recommending! 🙂
This is such a delicious recipe!!! I meal prepped this for a week of food while doing whole30 and I will definitely be making it again!!! I love pasta and this is a fabulous alternative to that craving! 👍😋
We think it hits the spot too when we have a pasta craving! Glad you’re a fan! Thanks for coming back to share! 🙂
Absolutely delicious! Very easy to make and reheats nicely. This is going to be a regular in our meal rotation.
Delicious! making healthy taste indulgent!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for coming back to let us know! 🙂
Love the creativity here! What alternative gluten-free flour alternatives would you recommend?
Hi Susan – Arrowroot or tapioca starch work best. Corn starch could work as well.
I am so thrilled with this recipe! Everyone loved it, was easy to tweak using leftover turkey we had and tastes so wholesome!
This was delicious! I used breakfast sausage instead and I added a little Italian seasoning to it. Also, I used a can of Goya coconut milk (13.5 oz) and a little less than 1/4 cup of all purpose flour. I mixed that together before adding to the mushrooms and garlic. Everything else I had precooked. Came out amazingly creamy and very tasty!!!
We made this tonight using Thai Kitchen coconut milk and I added garlic powder and Italian seasoning. The end result was very creamy, but it has a strong coconut flavor which is why I am giving the recipe 3 stars. Next time I will try almond milk.
Absolutely delicious! I added a red onion with the mushrooms but otherwise followed the recipe. I will use this recipe as a launching pad for other meals: chicken Alfredo, increase the veggies for a vegetarian meal, etc. Thank you very much, I look forward to trying more of your recipes!
We are thrilled to hear you enjoyed it! And totally agreed that you can use it as starting point and go lots of different directions! Thanks so much for coming back to share and leave a review!
Arrowroot powder was too much, perhaps 2 Tbsp. !/4 Cup ruined recipe.
We have made this recipe many times and the arrowroot didn’t ruin the recipe. Sorry to hear that yours didn’t turn out.
Oh bummer! I’ve found that if I leave the sauce on too high of heat for too long it gets very thick. Maybe try a lower temp next time.
Good to know. Mine was super thick as well, but turned out good.
I wish I had read the comments before. Mine came out very watery and I think that is because my broccoli was frozen when I put it in. I also think I left my coconut milk and flour too long over on the stove. It was very sticky. Otherwise, it was great! I added some hot sauce. When I am not doing whole30 I could see adding some parmesan cheese too.
Yes, the recipe calls for fresh broccoli not frozen. The coconut milk does get kind of sticky but glad you liked the flavor 🙂
Loved this recipe! Simple, easy and will definitely go on our fall rotation.
Just made this recipe for my weekly lunch prep and it is SO good!! I substituted the sausage for chicken breast and added some lemon zest for some brightness. Overall easy recipe to make and I am excited to eat it all week!!
Yummy! Made recipe as is the first time and felt it was a good base, but needed a little more pizzazz in the flavor department. I added some dried sage, thyme, Italian seasoning, and cayenne to the sauce the second time around and this made the dish much more flavorful. I’ll definitely make again with these seasoning additions.
Absolutely delicious
What are the nutritional facts of this recipe? It looks awesome!
Hi there, we don’t track the nutritional info on all of our recipes. We’ve found since moving to a real food lifestyle that we don’t have to track and it’s liberating to not be tied to numbers. If you needed the info you could use an online calculator like My Fitness Pal.
This recipe is a keeper! Would you please share the caloric breakdown?
Glad you enjoyed the recipe! We don’t have the nutrition info, but you can plug the recipe into an online calculator if needed.
Made this today. Big winner. I added purple onion with the mushrooms and garlic. I also added cream cheese in the sauce and mozzarella cheese on top for the bake. It was a big hit!
This was unreal! I didn’t have mushrooms, so I used onion. I used honey garlic sausage and the flavors came out great. Delicious and so easy to make, thank you!
We’re thrilled to hear you enjoyed it! Thanks so much for giving our recipe a try and for taking the time to come back and share! 🙂
We make this at least once if not twice a month for dinner or meal prep for lunch. My husband says he can eat this everyday. I absolutely love the combination. It’s one of my favorite recipes from you guys!!!
So glad to hear that Lexi :).
This was simple, healthy and delicious. We literally had 0 leftovers!! Thanks for creating such a easy recipe that we can use to fuel our families with whole foods!
Thanks Ashlee, glad your family enjoyed the recipe :).
No need to cut the spaghetti squash raw…just poke holes all over with a knife and roast it whole. Much easier to cut when cooked! Can also do it whole in a slow cooker.
Hello! If not a huge mushroom fan would you suggest just opting out and only cooking garlic with the coconut milk? Was just curious ☺️
Hi Lauren – yes, that should be just fine without the mushrooms. Enjoy!
I just made this and YUMMY! I am not very good in the kitchen and it was an easy recipe to follow!
Happy to hear it was an easy and good one Ashley :).
I made this and it’s such a solid recipe. I now consider it a “go-to” I will return to as a trusty standby. I didn’t change a thing, either. Recipe is perfect, as is. Excited to try more of your recipes. 🙂
Thanks so much for the great review! We’re so happy you enjoyed our recipe and can’t wait to see what you try next! 🙂
This is delicious…especially if you are doing whole30 in the winter and are craving that warm creamy casserole.
I made this to have for lunch through out the week. Followed the recipe to a T!
Mine ended up a bit more soupy after it was baked (not in a bad way) so I have it over lightly sauteed kale to absorb some of the extra goodness. Definitely will make regularly, thank you!
You’re welcome, so glad you enjoyed the casserole!
This recipe looks great! I am allergic to coconut, what can I use as a substitute?
Would chicken broth work? water?
If you tolerate dairy, the best substitute would be heavy cream. I think chicken broth or water would be too watery and wouldn’t thicken up enough.
Aww
Hi! Can I do this with GF noodles? I’m too lazy to do a spaghetti squash tonight. haha
We haven’t tried that, but I’m sure it would work just fine.
What did I do wrong? I disliked this recipe intensely– it was very SWEET and tasted like coconut. UGH! When you think you’re going to be eating a nice savory, garlicky casserole made with your best ground pork (from Butcher Box!) and it comes out tasting like a coconut dessert gone wrong… so disappointing and a waste of my beautiful ground pork. Please tell me, what did I do wrong? I must’ve used the wrong coconut milk– other people said they didn’t taste the coconut. It didn’t have any added sugar… I don’t understand. Now I’m afraid to try any other recipes.
I’m not sure why this would turn out very sweet – other than the coconut milk. We use Aroy-D brand, Native or Thai Kitchen. These full fat milks are unsweetened.
This is truly a fab fav in my house. Except, I usually make it with chicken and my family loves it! Thank you!!!!
It would be great with chicken, and we love that it’s a hit for the whole family! Thanks so much for trying our recipe! 🙂
Hi – curious if you’ve made this with any other veggie noodles? I’m a texture person, so I’m nervous the spaghetti squash will get clumpy. Could I sub sweet potato noodles or Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi? Thanks!
Hi there – we’ve actually updated the recipe to mix the flour with the coconut milk. If you whisk it well before you pour it in the pan, you definitely won’t have any clumps. With that said, I think sweet potato noodles would be the best sub. You will need to monitor the cooking time in the oven, as we haven’t tried this option. Let us know how it goes if you try it out!
Not good. I’m sad I spent all this time to make this, it took me over 3 hours. Overall, very bland, weird texture, and hated by the family. I followed the recipe exactly.
Sorry to hear this didn’t work out for you. We wish you the best.
This recipe was great. I made a few alterations. I used spicy chicken sausage. For my veggies I used asparagus, grape tomatoes, and spinach. For my sauce I used topica flour and almond milk. I also did a handful of parm cheese before placing in over.
Sounds delicious!
I loved this dish! Spaghetti squash is one of my new favorite ingredients and it is perfect for Whole30. This recipe in particular was an absolute show stopper and I will certainly be making it again and again and again!
So happy to hear that! Thanks for coming back to leave a review 🙂
This was amazing! Great leftovers too. I doubled the mushrooms because I’m a mushroom freak, added sauteed onions, steamed broccoli for a few minutes, added a few extra spices, used regular flour (it’s what I had on-hand) and it turned out fine. Topped with a bit of mozzarella cheese before putting into oven.
Very much a comfort food recipe. Thank you for the idea!!!
Oh I also blotted the spaghetti squash pretty good with paper towel to remove excess water before mixing together and putting into oven. I think this helped a lot.
So glad you liked the recipe!
This recipe was phenomenal! It will cure my craving for Alfredo. I’m not a huge fan of sausage, so I substituted chicken that I cooked in my instant pot. It worked great! Added a little crushed red pepper for some kick. The sauce was really heavy on my stomach, so next time I plan on using 1/2 full fat and 1/2 carton coconut milk. Recommend this recipe 100%!
Thank you!!
So glad you liked it, thanks for the comment and rating!
What’s the best way to prep this ahead and just re-heat at dinner time? Is it possible? Can i make the whole thing following the above directions and then just put it all back in the oven a couple hours later?
Yes, you can just prep the whole thing and pop it back in the oven later! You might have to increase the cooking time though, just check it after 15 minutes and cook it more if needed.
This is so delicious! I made it as written in the recipe except I steamed the broccoli ahead of time (team pre-cook!) and I added three whisked eggs! I have another similar recipe that uses the eggs, it creates an extra binding factor, adds great flavor, and a browned crust on top. It turned out great! I also used Almond flour, it was a great success!
Excellent, that sounds perfect!
Can I substitute almond milk for the coconut milk?
You can, it just won’t be as thick and creamy as it would using the full fat coconut milk.
Any ideas to sub in for mushrooms? I was thinking maybe spinach, roasted red peppers, and/or tomatoes?? I LOVE mushrooms but I want to take this as my contribution for dinner at a family gathering. My mother in law (loudly and persistently) hates mushrooms and I want them all to be impressed with my new way of eating and avoid any negative feedback.
The peppers would probably be best since the tomatoes and spinach might get too watery. Let us know how it goes if you try it!
Anxious to try this. Can you please clarify if I should use the entire can of coconut milk or just the thick part that rises to the top? I always seem to screw that up. Thanks!
It’s the entire can. If the cream has separated like you describe, it’s a good idea to blend the contents together to make a “milk” again. Enjoy!
Perfect. Thank you!
Hi! I am super excited about this recipe but I would like to swap the sausage out for a leaner meat like chicken. I read through a lot of your comments to see if there’d been any modifications but couldn’t find one for using chicken. Would you be able to advise me how to modify the making of the sauce without having the fat from cooking the sausage? I would love to be able to make this recipe. Thanks for sharing your awesome recipes with us!
You’d have to add in some oil/fat to the skillet to make the sauce work. I’d suggest avocado oil if you have it. Let us know how it goes 🙂
Your response time is AMAZING!!! Heading to the store now! Thanks so much and will definitely let you know how it turns out! xo!