Our Keto Cheesy Baked Angel Hair Casserole is a combination of our two favorite dishes: spaghetti and lasagna. It’s layered with hearts of palm angel hair coated in olive oil, scallions and garlic; low carb marinara sauce (Rao’s) stirred into browned ground beef and Italian seasoning; eggs whisked into ricotta cheese and oregano; and topped with shredded mozzarella cheese. Comfort food that’s absolutely, positively delicious!
When Amy told us about Palmini Hearts of Palm Angel Hair, we were skeptical, to say the least. Imitation angel hair pasta that comes in a can? No. Way. So we picked up two cans at the grocery store, if only to prove her wrong. Um hmm. Score another victory for Amy. We followed the directions on the label to a tee – drain, rinse, and place in boiling water or heat with pasta sauce on the stovetop. After our first bite, family favorite pasta recipes we thought were gone forever were now back on the menu. This recipe is our first to use the pasta substitute, and we couldn’t be happier with the results.
I asked Amy if she remembered her grandmother’s spaghetti casserole and she said, “Are you kidding me? Of course I remember! It was soooo delicious.” We found the old recipe that originated from who knows where, stashed away in a recipe box. The recipe was pretty basic: spaghetti, tomatoes, tomato paste, onions, spices, and cheese. The spaghetti noodles were coated in large amounts of butter and chopped green onions and garlic, then layered with a meat sauce made from canned tomatoes and sugar. This was layered twice, and topped with cheddar cheese.
We’ve ramped up the flavor with a spicy sauce (we use Rao’s Arrabbiata Marinara, but any low carb marinara is great) and added a layer of riccotta sauce with ingredients borrowed from lasagna recipes. We’ve switched out the cheddar for mozzarella, the hearts of palm angel hair for the pasta, and stuck to the original method of preparation. Start a large pot of water to boil for the hearts of palm noodles, but first drain and throughly rinse in cold water. Boil the noodles for a solid 10 minutes to get a texture and taste that’ll make you believe you’re eating the real deal.
While the noodles are boiling, start the sauce. We use a pound of ground beef, but ground turkey and ground sausage will work great, too. We carefully drain off every bit of fat and water after browning the meat. Add your choice of marinara sauce and Italian seasoning and simmer for 5 minutes, giving the flavors a little time to meld.
To prepare the angel hair: Place olive oil in a skillet and heat over medium. Add onions and sauté for a minute or two, then add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the cooked, drained, hearts of palm into the skillet and coat. Make sure to remove the excess moisture in the hearts of palm before putting them into the skillet. Either paper towels or a dish towel works great.
In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs into the ricotta cheese and oregano. Now you’re ready to layer, baby. You’ll need a good-sized baking dish for this casserole, or you can split the ingredients into two smaller baking dishes. I use either a 9 x 12, 9 x 13, or an oval dish that has pretty much the same volume capacity.
Now layer ingredients: Bottom of baking dish – 1st layer: 1/2 of coated angel hair. 2nd layer: spread on 1/2 of ricota cheese mixture. 3rd layer: 1/2 of the meat sauce. 4th layer: 1 cup of mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers. Pop in a 350 degree F oven for about 30 minutes, or until cheese is starting to brown and sides are bubbling. Garnish with chopped chives, parsley, or your favorite herb. Give it 10-15 minutes to set, and your ready to serve.
LEFTOVERS – Unless you’re serving a large group, you’re going to have plenty of them. Store covered in fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in oven at 350 degrees F until hot. Or if you’re in a hurry, pop in the microwave. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in fridge for 24 hours prior to reheating.
Keto Cheesy Baked Angel Hair Casserole
With layers of easy-prep meat sauce, ricotta cheese and oregano, Hearts of Palm Angel Hair, and mozzarella cheese, our Keto version of traditional spaghetti and lasagna casserole will delight your entire family. Serves a crowd of 12, or half the recipe for a smaller group. Only 7 net carbs per serving!
- Large baking dish (9x12, 9x13, or large oval)
- Large and medium skillets
- Large saucepan
- 1 lb 80/20 ground beef (browned and drained)
- 32 oz low carb marinara sauce (Rao's, etc.)
- 1.5 tsp Italian seasoning
- 4 14 oz Palmini Hearts of Palm Angel Hair (drained and rinsed)
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- ½ cup chopped scallions (or your fav onion variety)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 16 oz ricotta cheese (or cottage cheese)
- 2 eggs (large)
- 1.5 tsp dried oregano
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese (shredded )
Preheat oven to 350° F. Fill a large saucepan with water and heat on high. While the water is coming to a boil, brown ground beef in a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Drain off fat. Add the marinara sauce and Italian seasoning. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
Drain and rinse the canned Palmini Hearts of Palm Angel Hair and place in the boiling water for 10 minutes. While the angel hair is cooking, place a large skillet on stovetop over medium to medium-high heat. Add olive oil and sauté onions for 1-2 minutes, just until softened. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 additional minute. Turn heat to lowest possible setting.
Drain angel hair into colander and rinse with cool water. Using paper towels or cloth, squeeze out excess liquid. Place angel hair in skillet with oil, onions, and garlic. Stir until coated. Remove from heat.
In a medium bowl, mix together ricotta cheese, eggs, and oregano. Set aside.
To layer the casserole: Bottom layer: place ½ of coated angel hair noodles in baking dish. 2nd layer: using ½ of the ricotta cheese mixture, dollop spoonfuls over the angel hair and smooth with back of spoon. 3rd layer: spread on ½ of the meat sauce. 4th layer: sprinkle with 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat.
Bake, uncovered, for 25-35 minutes, until cheese is lightly browned. Tent if cheese begins to over-brown. Allow to rest 10-15 minutes before serving. Garnish with chopped chives or parsley.
12 servings total. Each serving approximately 200 grams or 6.8 oz
Meatless variety: in place of ground meat, use low carb veggies like chopped broccoli, mushrooms, or chopped zucchini, about 1 pound (two cups) (16 oz.) total weight.
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Love this!!!
Great to hear you love our casserole!
Making this tonight with linguine instead of angel hair (Palmini delivered the wrong cans!)…it still looks delicious and we can’t wait to try it. Love to Amy and your beautiful family…
Hi, Donna! Let me know how the linguine substitution worked for you as I haven’t tried them yet. Hope it was still delicious! Thank you for sending your love to us – right back at you!
Oh wow—still fabulous with linguine!! Leftovers were scrumptious even two days later!
Donna, I’m so happy it still tasted great with the linguine instead of the angel hair Palmini, and I agree about the leftovers! Thanks for letting us know.
I drain my angle hair in my salad spinner..
That’s a great tip! Thank you.
Can this recipe be frozen and cooked later I’m making for a Christmas get together and wanted to make ahead and freeze
Hello, Kim! Yes you can. You may have missed reading at the very end of the blog regarding freezing. Make sure you allow the casserole to thaw in fridge, then place on countertop an hour or two before baking. Bake until the sides are bubbling, and don’t forget to allow the casserole to rest for 10-15 minutes before serving. Hope it’s a crowd-pleaser!
This looks amazing!! Doing this tomorrow!! Thank you for your continued efforts to make us eat right and stay healthy! Enjoy all the recipes!! 👏🏻🙌🏻❤️
Thank you, Mary! Amy made it last night for dinner and said it was a big success – hopefully it will be in your house, too! Stay well.
Recipe looks wonderful. Where do you get hearts of palm angel hair?
I’ve found them on Amazon, at Publix, Trader Joe’s, Costco, and have been told Kroger and other grocery chains carry as well, Terri.
This is DELICIOUS!! What a game changer – haven’t had pasta in FOREVER and this was AMAZING!!! Thank you!!!!
I’m right there with you, Cathy! I’ve missed pasta more than anything, and now it feels like it’s back on the menu. I’m happy to hear you love our Angel Hair Casserole as much as we do, and the leftovers are amazing, too!
This looks delicious! Cant wait to try it. Just received the Angel hair in 12 oz pouches. (8 oz if drained) Not 14 oz as stated in recipe. Am only going to make a half batch, but hopefully 2-12 oz pouches will be ok and ill just put a little less of everything else?
Hi, Maureen! The 14 oz canned Palmini Hearts of Palm Angel Hair in recipe is 8 oz drained as well, so the substitution is spot on. Just half all ingredients and you should be great!
Made it today and the only problem is eating only 1 serving!!!! LOVE it!!! And love your recipes and website!! Thank you!!
Thank you, Maureen! I appreciate your kind words and support.
we have been on Keto for like 31/2 months, both of us have lost 22 pounds! And we are always looking for new recipes! As we both love Pasta!! We will try this one for sure!!
And to all the ladies, on Breast Cancer awareness month!! You’ve got this!!
11yr Survivor!! Praise God!
Dear Anise! Yes, they’ve got it, and they’ve also got an entire warrior nation of women who’ve gone before them. I pray for them each and every day. Way to go and yes, praise God for 11 years a thriver! Impressive results with your keto diet. This recipe Amy just featured in Glamour magazine. I think you’re going to love it. It’s great for big crowds, or in our empty nester family, makes fabulous leftovers! Thank you so much for sharing your story! XO
Going to try this tonight!
Hope you enjoyed the casserole, Elise!
We love this !
Thank you so much! Great to hear.
Has anyone tried freezing the leftovers? I want to freeze for nights I don’t feel like cooking😉. Thx!
Hi, Susan! Yes, you can freeze leftovers for up to 3 months. Also stores in the fridge for a solid 4-5 days. Thanks for visiting us!
Loved it! And so did my neighbors.
Thank you! Great to hear!
I made this with 2 pouches of Palmini Lasagna noodles, and it was probably the best lasagna I’ve ever made! My family and friends couldn’t tell that it wasn’t pasta.
Thank you for your great recipes!
Hi, Amy! I’m so excited to hear this! I haven’t tried the lasagna noodles, and now you’ve given me a reason to buy them. Thanks for your kind comments.
What a game changer!! I made this last night for dinner and it was delicious!! I will definitely be making this again. Thank you for another great recipe. Keep them coming!
So happy to hear you loved the Angel Hair Casserole, Susan! Thank you much for your support!
Hi Joanie! I’m wanting to make this for my son’s baptism this coming Sunday. Can you prepare this dish on Saturday and bake it on Sunday? I love your recipes!
Hi, Meaghan! First of all, congratulations to your son! You can absolutely prepare our Cheesy Baked Angel Hair Casserole the day before you bake and serve. Take it out of the fridge and bring to room temperature before baking – should take about an hour or two. Thank you for your kind comments and hope your family and friends enjoy the casserole. It’s a crowd-pleaser in our family!
This was amazing! I made it the night before and let it sit out at room temperature (exactly the way you suggested) and it was a hit! Thank you so much!
I’m so happy to hear this, Meaghan, and thanks for letting me know! If you have any leftovers, they are easily warmed up in the microwave. Have a great week!
I liked it, had to cook a bit longer, my husband not a huge hit….I think it was the noodles. 🤗🤗
Palmini noodles don’t suit everyone’s taste buds. We hope you try other recipes you enjoy! Thanks for visiting us.
Fantastic!
Fantastic!
Thanks for leaving a comment, Paul. So glad you enjoyed our Baked Angel Hair Casserole!
Oh wow this is so fantastic! This will be one of my favorites of all time!
Love this dish!! I can’t wait for the few leftovers from dinner. Tomorrow’s breakfast!!
Fabulous