Healthy Baked Mostaccioli {Paleo}

This Healthy Baked Mostaccioli {Paleo} is our toddler’s #1 favorite meal—she LOVES it! An easy gluten-free meal with a hidden layer of spaghetti squash, ground beef, & savory sauce are all a part of this Italian themed family casserole. 

This dish has slowly evolved over the past several years into the healthy, delectable meal it is today. My husband, William, first made a dish similar to Healthy Baked Mostaccioli {Paleo} for my birthday. He’s so sweet. It was so good, but now . . . Wow!

After a long, stressful and hectic day in the Emergency Department where I work as a Registered Nurse—and 20 weeks pregnant with our first child—I couldn’t wait to get home and put my feet up. When I walked in the door, I smelled this amazing dish that William had completed, served with Italian salad, focaccia bread, and a “trip to Rome.”

The “trip to Rome” was a fitting documentary on the Vatican for dessert after our Italian Dinner. It was one of the most thoughtful birthdays I’ve ever experienced. Given the exhaustion brought on by working while pregnant, I fell asleep only a few minutes into the documentary – yikes!

Healthy Baked Mostaccioli {Paleo} is easily made dairy free by omitting the parmesan cheese. As you can see, I didn’t put any cheese on the left-hand side of this easy casserole—our youngest daughter doesn’t tolerate dairy (even raw, organic, grass-fed dairy).

To make this family dinner Paleo, simply use the layer of spaghetti squash as the base (omitting the gluten-free noodles). Although it might seem bizarre to go noodle-free, we do this often and never miss them.

When I am preparing for the arrival of a baby, taking a meal to a family, or having new guests over for dinner this Healthy Baked Mostaccioli {Paleo} is my go-to meal. It freezes easily, travels great, & is always a crowd pleaser.

To freeze this easy Paleo family casserole:

1. Prepare per the recipe instructions & freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw & allow approach room temperature before baking in the oven as usual.
2. If you are short on freezer space (like me!), then you can prepare the meat topping and freeze it in gallon plastic bags. Then prepare the spaghetti squash & freeze in gallon plastic bags. When you need a super fast meal, you can thaw the meat topping & squash; just assemble quickly in a 9 x 13 pan and dinner is ready to place in the oven.

These are the hands of our (almost) 3-year-old daughter, Avah. The night I made this Healthy Baked Mostaccioli {Paleo} for the blog my husband was working a long shift in the operating room & Avah couldn’t stand watching her favorite meal be photographed any longer. She was so eager to get the food close to her that she almost spilled the entire thing in her lap.

This easy Paleo family casserole goes great with:

• A cool glass of filtered water
• Cheese-less Cheesecake or Black Bean Brownies
• The Little Green Salad

Don’t forget to pin this HEALTHY BAKED MOSTACCIOLI {Paleo} to your favorite Pinterest board for later!

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Healthy Baked Mostaccioli {Paleo}

This Healthy Baked Mostaccioli is our toddler's #1 favorite meal -- she LOVES it! A Paleo meal with a hidden layer of spaghetti squash, ground beef, & savory sauce are all a part of this easy Italian themed family casserole. 

Course Freezer Meals, Kid Food, Main Dish

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes

Servings 8

Calories 125 kcal

Author Rashele Birmingham

Ingredients

Base layer (noodles &/or squash)

• 10 oz spiral noodles (optional) gluten-free, organic
• 2 lg spaghetti squash see notes
• 1 15 oz tomato sauce organic, non-BPA can
• 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning, dried

Ground Beef & Sauce

• 1.5 pounds ground beef grass-fed
• 1 tsp sea salt Celtic or Himalayan
• 1 tsp coconut sugar
• 1/2 tsp paprika ground
• 1/4 tsp turmeric ground
• 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning, dried
• 1/2 tsp oregano, dried dried
• 1 15 oz can tomato sauce organic, non-BPA can
• 1 14.5 oz black olives sliced
• 3/4 cup parmesan cheese shredded, organic, optional
• 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese shredded, organic, optional

Instructions

Base Layer (noodles &/or squash)

1. Lightly grease 9 x 13 pan (avocado oil, refined coconut oil, lard, or tallow). Preheat oven to 350 F. 

2. Using noodles of choice (or omit for Paleo option), cover the bottom of 9 x 13 pan in a single layer of uncooked noodles.

3. Meanwhile mix prepared spaghetti squash with 1 can of tomato sauce & Italian seasoning. See recipes notes for link to How to Cook Spaghetti Squash!

4. Carefully spoon spaghetti squash mixture on top of noodles & spread until it is a fairly even layer. 

Ground Beef & Sauce

1. Brown grass-fed ground beef in large saucepan over medium heat.

2. Add seasonings & mix until well combined. 

3. Add tomato sauce, olives, & mozzarella cheese (if desired). Mix until well combined. Simmer 5-10 minutes (optional). 

4. Spoon ground beef/sauce mixture on top of the spaghetti squash layer. Spread until it is an even layer in the pan. 

5. Top with parmesan cheese (optional). 

6. Important: if you used uncooked noodles be sure to add 1/2-3/4 cup of water by simply pouring the water evenly over the casserole right before baking. This will ensure the noodles cook well. 

7. Bake at 350 F x 30 minutes.

8. Cool 10 minutes before serving. This meal is a wonderful freezer meal; see blog post for details & options for freezing. 

Recipe Notes

1. How to Cook Spaghetti Squash {4 Easy Ways}
2. Paleo option: when using only spaghetti squash as the base of this Healthy Baked Mostaccioli be sure to use a colander to drain excess fluid from the spaghetti squash. 
3. Gluten-free option: when using spaghetti squash on top of uncooked noodles it is NOT necessary to drain the extra fluid off the squash as it will aid in the noodles being cooked to perfection. 
4. To learn how to get your hands on grass-fed (almost organic) beef for less than $5/pound (e.g. steaks, prime-rib, roasts) read my post on How To Buy Grass-Fed Beef.
5. Nutrition facts are based on the Paleo option which omits noodles & cheese.

Tools used to make this recipe (click on photo or link to learn more):

1. 9 x 13 glass pan: A simple addition to your kitchen that will be used over and over again!
2. Stainless Steel Slotted Turner: A healthy alternative to plastic cooking utensils.
3. Stainless Steel Frying Pan: A healthy alternative to non-stick pans.

Don’t forget to pin this HEALTHY BAKED MOSTACCIOLI {Paleo} to your favorite Pinterest board for later!