This recipe for keto bacon carbonara casserole allows you to enjoy the classic pasta dish, bacon carbonara, in the form of a low-carb casserole that’s rich in flavor and easy to make.
If you’ve been missing your pasta carbonara since going keto, you’re going to love this keto bacon carbonara casserole.
Enjoy all the flavors of carbonara without the high carbs. It’s a rich casserole that’s low in carbs by substituting the pasta for spaghetti squash!
Featuring a creamy carbonara sauce, bacon, mushrooms, parmesan cheese, and spaghetti squash, this keto carbonara casserole is sure to be a family dinner hit!
If you’re in search of keto-friendly casseroles, then you’ll love our Keto Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole! And if you’re looking for a Southwestern-style casserole, then our Keto Chicken Chili Casserole is for you!
Creamy Keto Bacon Carbonara Casserole
My recipe for keto bacon carbonara features a creamy sauce thickened with eggs, cheese, and heavy cream.
A purist wouldn’t add cream to their carbonara because it’s technically considered “cheating.” This is because the addition of cream makes the sauce easier to execute.
Traditionally, when making carbonara, eggs alone are used to thicken the sauce. However, when looking for a weeknight meal to get on the table, I prefer a fool-proof recipe.
Adding heavy cream to the sauce removes the fear of scrambling the eggs.
The Origin Of Pasta Carbonara
There are several theories as to the origins of pasta carbonara, but there is no real hard evidence. The one thing we do know is that it was a typical dish during WWII.
I thought I would share two of my favorite theories because I find the history of food to be quite fascinating. Don’t you?
- The first theory states that the name is thought to have originated in the Apennine Mountains among the Abruzzo woodcutters, who would use hardwood for charcoal fuel. Legend says that these mountaineers would cook the dish over a hardwood charcoal fire by tossing pasta with eggs and cheese.
- Another theory is that “a la carbonara” refers to the coal worker’s style. It was a dish often eaten by coal workers.
However, carbonara came to be, and I am grateful for the genius who thought of it!
Spaghetti Squash: A Great Pasta Alternative
If you haven’t tried spaghetti squash as a pasta substitute, you have no idea what you’ve been missing. Not only is it easy to cook, but it’s also gluten-free and much lower in carbs than regular pasta.
I used spaghetti squash in my keto bacon carbonara because, frankly, it works perfectly. Wondering how squash can impersonate pasta?
Well, the truth is spaghetti squash is a favorite in the keto community because once it’s cooked, you can easily scrape the inside of the squash for spaghetti-like strands.
Plus, it has a very mild taste, so it doesn’t compete with your sauce of choice. What’s more, the texture of the winter squash is spot-on. You genuinely feel like you’re having pasta.
If you’re wondering how many carbs you’ll save by using spaghetti squash instead of pasta, how about a saving of 30 carbs per cup?
A cup of spaghetti has about 40 total grams of carbs, while spaghetti squash has 10. And two of those ten carbs are fiber, giving you eight net carbs per cup.
How To Cook Spaghetti Squash For Your Keto Carbonara Casserole
There are a few easy ways to cook spaghetti squash. It can be baked, boiled, and microwaved. My favorite method is in the microwave. Why? For one, it can be cooked whole.
And I personally wouldn’t want to boil my spaghetti squash for fear of it getting soggy. However, I will admit that I haven’t ever tried cooking my spaghetti squash.
If you’ve ever sliced a raw spaghetti squash, then you know it takes some serious muscles to do so. Personally, I find it a bit intimidating, so I would rather microwave my spaghetti squash whole.
Spaghetti Squash Cooked In A Microwave Or Oven
When cooking whole spaghetti squash in the microwave, you’ll need to score the squash, making sure to penetrate the skin. Then microwave for anywhere from 7 to 10 minutes on high.
The squash will let out scorching steam, so handle it with care.
Make sure you allow the squash to cool for at least 15 minutes before removing the seeds and scraping the flesh of the squash into spaghetti-like strands.
If you prefer to bake your squash whole, you can do so for about an hour in a 375-degree oven. Or bake sliced in half with skin side up for 30-35 minutes.
After your spaghetti squash is cooled, scoop out the seeds and pulp and scrape the flesh of the squash with a fork.
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You need to scrape the flesh until you reach the hard skin. If you notice that part of the flesh is too hard, simply cook it a little longer until it becomes fork-tender.
Your strands will look much like spaghetti and can be used in your keto carbonara casserole or other recipes that call for spaghetti pasta.
How Do You Make A Keto Creamy Carbonara Sauce?
Typically, making carbonara pasta intimidates people because the sauce calls for raw eggs to be stirred directly into the pasta.
The pasta has to be at the perfect temperature because if it’s too hot, the eggs scramble, and if the pasta is too cold, the eggs don’t thoroughly cook.
Rather than add the raw eggs to my cooked spaghetti squash strands, I prepare my sauce separately and add the raw eggs after allowing the sauce to cool slightly.
So, rest assured that if you follow the simple steps in the recipe below, you won’t have any issues with scrambled eggs.
The only problem you’ll have is resisting the temptation to make this low-carb bacon carbonara casserole ALL THE TIME.
Ingredients For Keto Carbonara Casserole
The following are the basic ingredients you’ll need for the casserole. Note that the full printable recipe card is at the bottom of the page.
- Spaghetti squash
- Eggs
- Butter
- Bacon
- Heavy Cream
- Parmesan cheese
- Garlic
- Onion
- Mushrooms
- Sea salt
- Black pepper
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When we decided to combine our Christian faith and the keto diet, we did so in hopes of finding lasting transformation.
To say we needed God’s intervention is to put it mildly. When we followed the Holy Spirit’s lead to embrace the ketogenic diet and combine it with our faith, we got on the path to real transformation.
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Keto Bacon Carbonara Casserole (Gluten-Free)
A recipe for keto bacon carbonara casserole. The recipe features a creamy carbonara sauce and uses spaghetti squash as a pasta alternative.
Instructions
Spaghetti Squash Cooking Instructions
For baking in the oven:
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Slice your spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and place the squash skin cut side down on a lined baking sheet and bake for 30-40 minutes. Alternatively, you can bake the squash whole for about an hour.
For cooking in the microwave:
- Prepare your spaghetti squash by piercing the skin of the squash several times and microwave on high for 7-10 minutes.
- Once cooked and allowed to cool, remove the center seeds and pulp.
- Using a fork, scrape the inside of the squash to get the spaghetti-like strands.
- Place the squash strands in a baking dish and set them aside.
Keto Bacon Carbonara Sauce
- In a large pan over medium-high heat the bacon, once the bacon is cooked set aside. Reserve ¼ cup of the bacon fat.
- In a medium pan, cook the onion, garlic, and mushrooms in the reserved bacon fat until tender.
- Remove the sautéed mushrooms, garlic, and onions and add the butter to the pan.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the heavy cream, parmesan cheese, and spices. Cook on low until the sauce starts to thicken.
- Turn the stove off and allow it to cool for about 3 to 5 minutes. Whisk in the 3 whole eggs, making sure that the eggs are fully incorporated. Note: It’s important that you don’t add the raw eggs to the sauce if it’s really hot, to avoid scrambling the eggs.
- To the sauce, add the cooked mushrooms, onion, garlic, and bacon and stir to combine well.
- Pour the carbonara sauce over the cooked spaghetti squash in the casserole dish. Alternatively, you can bake the casserole inside the two empty halves of the spaghetti squash. Then top the casserole with the reserved 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese, 1/2 cup of bacon pieces. Bake in a 350-degree preheated oven for 20 minutes.
- Once fully baked add the 1/4 cup of fresh parsley to the top of the casserole.
- Serve immediately and store leftovers in the refrigerator for 3 days.
Notes
Make sure the sauce is allowed to cool slightly before the addition of the 3 raw eggs to avoid the sauce becoming scrambled.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 282Total Fat: 24.7gSaturated Fat: 12.2gCholesterol: 120mgSodium: 79mgCarbohydrates: 5.2gNet Carbohydrates: 4gFiber: 1.2gSugar: 0.4gProtein: 11.4g
