When you need an easy weeknight win, this gluten-free pasta bake checks all the boxes. A cheesy spaghetti casserole is a family-favorite recipe packing in flavor with browned Italian sausage in a creamy tomato sauce and lots of gooey mozzarella. It requires only a handful of ingredients, simple prep, and guarantees no mushy baked pasta!
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Easy Peasy Gluten-Free Spaghetti Bake
This spaghetti casserole with sausage is a top runner when I’m looking for family-friendly gluten-free dinner recipes to appease all. This dish first appeared in my gluten-free cookbook and I regularly hear back from readers, saying it often appears on their weekly dinner rotation. 😎
My version of GF pasta bake includes mild sweet Italian sausage, jarred marinara and a bit of softened cream cheese mixed in for a hint of creaminess. Since I personally serve up this dish so much, I often slightly vary the recipe, adding sautéed veggies, omitting the meat, or making a spicier version with crushed red pepper and spicy sausage.
When baking gluten-free pasta you have to be particularly careful to not overcook it or it will become mushy and fall apart. This easy gluten-free spaghetti bake uses two tricks to avoid just that. First, start with a quality GF brand. I go over which brands are best and what to avoid below. 👇
The second trick involves cooking the pasta before baking. Traditional recipes can handle the boiling first and then baking with the sauce after. But gluten-free spaghetti has a tendency to break down easily since there is no gluten holding it together.
I borrowed a trick from my legendary creamy baked gluten-free mac and cheese recipe. First, boil the pasta a little shy of al dente, about 2 minutes less. After boiling, immediately rinse the pasta in cold water to stop the cooking. When the casserole comes together to bake, the spaghetti finishes cooking to the perfect texture in the oven.
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(Below shows step-by-step photos and modified instructions. For the complete recipe, along with ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card.)
Avoid mushy pasta – suggested ingredients and cooking method
Below is the brand of gluten-free spaghetti I highly recommend. The flavor? 👌 Plus, it doesn’t break apart like other GF pasta brands. (Check out more reasons why this is GF pasta wins out everytime.) For your Italian sausage and jarred marinara, read ingredient labels to make sure there are no unsafe fillers for a gluten-free diet.
Boil the pasta for 2 minutes less then the package recommends for al dente. Strain in a colander and then immediately rinse with cold water to stop the cooking. No mushy pasta here!
Meanwhile, make brown the sausage
I love a quick, efficient recipe (or, to be honest, really anything). Therefore, while the pasta is boiling, make the sauce. Start by browning the sausage with the onions and garlic until cooked through.
Finish with creaminess
Once that’s cooked, add in the marinara and cream cheese to heat through and smooth. Finally, stir in about 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese to the sauce. Hard part is finished, but really, was it all that hard?
Layer on cheesy goodness and bake
After mixing the spaghetti and sauce together, transfer that to a casserole dish and top with the remaining cheese. Bake in a 400°F oven for about 20 minutes or until hot and bubbly. For a truly epic meal, be sure to serve with these impossibly soft gluten-free breadsticks.
Want to change up the recipe? To make a vegetarian gluten-free spaghetti bake, omit the sausage and add in some sautéed veggies, like peppers and mushrooms. You can also leave out the cream cheese or swap it out with ½ cup cottage cheese or ricotta.
Why Gluten-Free Spaghetti Brand Matters
There are so many options and they all perform differently. Why make this so hard on us?! However, I’ve tried a bunch of them and here are the cliff notes. Absolute, hands down favorite brand, like you seriously can’t tell it’s GF? Rummo gluten-free spaghetti.
It has a sturdier structure and if preventing a pasta bake from becoming mushy is your goal, please try it. I haven’t seen it at stores, so I get mine off of Amazon or Vitacost in bulk. Runner up? Barilla gluten-free pasta, which you can pick up at your local grocery store.
I find Ronzoni to break down too easily, Banza has too strong of taste, and other brands are fine, but you have to make sure they are slightly undercooked because they fall apart easily.
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Simple, Tasty Gluten-Free Spaghetti Bake Casserole
Ingredients
- 12 ounce package gluten free spaghetti , I recommend Rummo gluten free pasta
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound bulk mild sweet Italian sausage
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 23.5 ounce jar marinara sauce
- 4 ounce cream cheese, softened and cubed
- 8 ounce block mozzarella, freshly grated
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400℉. Grease a 9X13 inch baking dish and set aside.
- Start with boiling unsalted water for the pasta. Cook for 2 minutes less then al dente (8 minutes with Rummo spaghetti). Drain and rinse in cold water to stop the cooking; set aside in the colander.12 ounce package gluten free spaghetti
- Meanwhile while the pasta is cooking, heat a skillet over medium high heat. Add the olive oil and brown the sausage with onions and garlic until the sausage is no longer pink, about 6 minutes.½ tablespoon olive oil, 1 pound bulk mild sweet Italian sausage, 1 small onion, 2 garlic cloves
- Reduce the heat to medium low and add the marinara and cream cheese. Stir and heat until the cream cheese is smooth, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in ½ cup mozzarella cheese.23.5 ounce jar marinara sauce, 4 ounce cream cheese, 8 ounce block mozzarella
- In the empty pot the pasta was cooked in, combine the sauce with the cooked pasta. Transfer to the prepared baking dish and spread evenly. Top with remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, or until heated through and cheese is melted.8 ounce block mozzarella
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I used Barilla gluten free spaghetti and this recipe was so delicious! My husband loved it and I will definitely add it to my go-to dinners.
Thanks for sharing, Susan! I appreciate it.
Best,
Melissa
Rummo is hands down the best gf pasta. I used to buy it in store but have to get it on Amazon now.
It’s worth the extra steps of buying. It’s that good! I buy different kinds in bulk every few months so I always have what I need on hand for recipes.
Best,
Melissa