Edamame pasta doesn’t taste like edamame beans and it has a nice bite to it. Unlike the many rice flour, gluten free pasta on the market, this pasta does not fall apart. It has body, heft and holds up to any sauce.

I call my low-carb pastas bake an almost lasagna because I mix in dollops of ricotta cheese and plenty of meatballs and sausage all smothered in mozzarella cheese. Who wouldn’t love this?



Quick Tomato Sauce from Scratch

I made the sauce from scratch. This is a lot easier than you think it is and so much better than jarred. Please trust me on this. You CAN make authentic tomato sauce. It’s not necessary to cook a sauce for hours. You can make a quick sauce in 45 minutes. The easy comes in the form a an immersion blender.

Take a few cans of San Marzano tomatoes and put them in a pot. I like the Cento brand.  Simply squeeze the tomatoes and if there is any pulp that is too woody, take that out. Of the two cans, I had about a tablespoon of pulp I discarded. If you use a cheaper  Cook for thirty minutes with olive oil, a cup of water,  salt and pepper. Use the immersion blender to bring it into a smooth sauce.

The most labor intensive of this dish is making homemade meatballs. To keep this grain free, make these paleo meatballs. I actually added some left over grain free biscuits to the mix this time, but that makes it a whole different recipe, which I’ll post in the future. If you want to skip meatballs, add Italian sausage (or both like we do).

Bake Italian sausage for about twenty minutes at 400 degrees F. (Use a fork to poke holes).

The Cheeses in the Low Carb Pasta Bake

Add an 8 ounce container of ricotta cheese.  Look for whole fat and our favorite brand is Polly O. As far as mozzarella, it’s easy enough to find grated mozzarella that will melt easily.

There’s one more cheese I want to discuss here. Pecorino Romano, which is sheep’s cheese, whereas Parmesan is Cow’s milk cheese. It’s sharper, saltier and it’s the cheese the twins will eat as a snack. Not kidding. There’s nothing cuter to me than two boys who are not Italian asking for their Pecorino Romano.

 If You’re New Here

Not every recipe is low carb at Spinach Tiger, but most recipes promote well being and food made from scratch with real ingredients.  Sometimes I post ingredients that other members of the family eat, as I eat sugar free, gluten free and grain free almost all the time. It’s the life style that makes me feel the best!

Nutrition Remarks

I am not going to include nutrition values here as there are a lot of variables in making this recipe. As far as edamame pasta, a little goes a long way, and expands more than regular pasta. One ounce per person is enough for us and what you see in the large cast iron pan is about 7 ounces of pasta.

Print

Low Carb Pasta Bake with Edamame Pasta and Paleo Meatballs`

Low carb, Italian dinner with meatballs, keto friendly pasta and three cheeses.

Course Entree

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Ingredients

• 7 ounces edamame pasta
• 2 cans San Marzano Whole Tomatoes 16 ounce
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound Paleo Grain Free Italian Meatballs RECIPE HERE
• 1 pound Italian Sausage Option or Addition
• 1 handful fresh basil if available
• 8 ounces mozzarella cheese shredded
• 8 ounces ricotta cheese
• 1 teaspoon salt plus more for pasta
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

• Add oil to heavy bottomed pan for sauce. Break tomatoes up with hands. Discard the small ends that don't break up. It's important here to use a high quality brand that specifically says San Marzano, so you don't end up with a lot of pulp.
• Cook on medium for thirty minutes.
• Use a blender or immersion blender to make the sauce smooth.
• If using Italian sausage, fork, and bake for twenty minutes at 400 degrees.
• Add meatballs and sausage into sauce, while pasta is cooking.
• Cook pasta according to directions.
• Drain pasta, arrange in baking dish, with sliced meatballs and or sliced sausage, ricotta cheese. Sprinkle with parmesan or pecorino romano. Top with mozzarella.
• Bake at 375 degrees F. until cheese is completely melted, about twenty minutes.

Notes

You can use a canned sauce or your own favorite tomato sauce. I like this as it's so fresh tasting, easy and doesn't have sugar or additives. 

You can skip the meat or add it in however you choose. 

You can make your own decision as to how much ricotta cheese to use. 

This is a very easy recipe to make your own.

 

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