Low Fodmap Spaghetti Caruso

Low Fodmap Spaghetti Caruso 

Spaghetti Caruso was not originally a low fodmap or IBS friendly dish, but here in CT., I still find myself yearning for this wonderful spaghetti casserole made with fresh tomato sauce, olive oil, butter garlic pesto and fresh basil. Since the garlic was pressed into the softened butter along with chopped fresh Italian parsley and dotted all over the spaghetti, it seemed impossible to eliminate it.

The Way To Keep The Garlic Flavor

I thought if I substituted chopped scallion stems and chives, pressing them into the butter along with fresh chopped parsley and basil, the pesto would still have a strong flavor. But I decided to use thinly sliced green parts of scallion as well as chopped fresh chives to bring an onion flavor to the butter along with the fresh chopped parsley. This change still made the softened butter very flavorful, just milder than the garlic pesto from before.

I substituted GF pasta for Italian imported pasta which worked very well and I made the tomato sauce using garlic infused oil, fresh chopped basil, parsley and scallion stems. It is amazing how fresh herbs can make such a lovely difference that the missing garlic is not noticed. So this family favorite can be remade for IBS folks living the low fodmap life without any real loss of flavor.

What you will need is a 9 x 9 or 9 x 13 Pyrex dish or aluminum pan, plenty of real salted butter (you CANNOT make this dish using margarine because it will taste horrible), a pound of GF pasta such as a fettucini or linguine, 2 quarts of home made marinara or light tomato sauce, 3 or 4 thinly sliced scallion or spring onion light green stems and chopped chives, 2 sticks of salted organic butter, chopped fresh Italian parsley, a big bunch of fresh basil, salt and freshly ground pepper to taste, and a large container of freshly grated reggiano parmesan cheese.

This summertime dish is so popular with guests that we often have doubled and tripled it in order to provide the seconds that everyone clamors for and I am sure that this low fodmap, IBS safe version will be just as delicious and popular without the triggers from heavy use of pressed garlic.

Ingredients:

1 lb.  GF pasta, cooked and drained

1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter (I love Land O Lakes, or an organic butter)

2  to  4 tbsp. freshly chopped Italian parsley

Two qts. light tomato sauce or marinara sauce (See Recipe on Blog) (Do not use a jarred sauce-aaagh)

1/4 to 1/2 cup thinly sliced scallion or spring onion light green stems and diced up chives

1 cup of freshly grated reggiano parmesan cheese

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Fresh basil sliced into thin ribbons – some for the sauce and some for assembling the dish.

Butter Pesto

Butter Pesto: Soften the butter (10 seconds in the microwave) and place in a medium bowl. Mash it up with a fork. Add the chopped scallions, spring onion and chives and  2 tbsps of chopped fresh Italian parsley. Mash everything together or whirl in a food processor. Taste for flavor. If it needs more onion flavor, whirl in more sliced scallion stems and chives. Set it aside.

Pasta

Fill a large pasta pot with 6 to 8 quarts of cold water. Bring to a rolling boil on high heat. When water is boiling throw in a handful of sea salt and add the spaghetti to the boiling water. Stir the pasta occasionally so it doesn’t stick (NEVER put oil in the water. The pasta will not accept a sauce if you do) and cook for the time stated on the box or until a strand of spaghetti tastes al dente.

Pour the pasta and boiling water into a colander you have placed in your sink. Pour the drained pasta back into the pasta pot, throw in a few lumps of butter pesto and toss it around. Set the pasta aside.

Tomato Sauce

Tomato Sauce: Place two quarts of tomato sauce made with garlic infused oil and not with actual garlic remaining in the sauce, in a large saucepan and heat it up until it is warm all the way through. Add a pinch of sugar if the tomatoes are not sweet enough. Add in a nice bunch of sliced basil ribbons and stir them into the sauce along with some chopped parsley. Remove the container of grated parmesan cheese from the fridge and place it on the counter.

Assembling the Casserole

On your counter make sure the pasta pot, the saucepan with sauce, the butter pesto and grated cheese are all next to each other. Grease your pyrex dish on the bottom and sides with a lump of butter. Then ladle the bottom of the dish with a thin coat of tomato sauce. Using tongs, place a thin layer of spaghetti on the bottom of the dish. Cover with a thin layer of tomato sauce. Dot all over with pesto butter and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Cover with a thin layer of sauce.

Repeat the Layers

Repeat these layers until all the spaghetti and pesto butter is used up. End with a layer of spaghetti dotted with pesto and sprinkled with cheese and topped with a ladle or two of sauce.

At this point you can cover the Pyrex dish with foil and refrigerate it, or cover it with foil and bake it right away.

Bake the spaghetti Caruso at 350°F for 30 minutes with the foil on. Remove the foil and bake for another 15 minutes or so or until the top and sides are crusty and browned and the tomato sauce is bubbling around the edges. Lift out the casserole and place on a rack to cool. Let it rest for 15 to 30 minutes tented in foil.

To serve, cut a square and place it on a plate or into a large deep pasta dish. Sprinkle it with grated parmesan. Expect tears of joy on the part of your guests as they attack their pasta with gusto.

Spaghetti Caruso Casserole

A low fodmap version made with GF pasta, tomato sauce with garlic infused oil and butter pesto with light green scallion stems instead of onion.

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Prep Time 1 hour hr 1 minute min

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Servings 14

Calories 210 kcal

Ingredients

  

• Ingredients:
• 1 lb GF spaghetti Good imported GF pasta like Dececco or DaVinci, cooked and drained
• 2 sticks salted butter I love Land O Lakes, or an organic butter
• 2 to 4 tbsp freshly chopped Italian parsley
• 2 qts light tomato sauce or marinara sauce See Recipe on Blog (Do not use a jarred sauce-aaagh)
• 1/2 cup finely chopped light green scallion stems
• 1 cup of freshly grated reggiano parmesan cheese
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• Fresh basil sliced into thin ribbons - some for the sauce and some for assembling the dish.
• 2 tbsp mild garlic infused olive oil (to use when making your tomato sauce)

Instructions

 

• Butter Pesto:
• * Soften the butter (10 seconds in the microwave) and place in a medium bowl.* Mash it up with a fork. Add the chopped scallion stems and 2 tbsps of chopped fresh Italian parsley. Mash the scallion stems and parsley into the butter until they are well incorporated. Set it aside.
• Pasta:
• * Fill a large pasta pot with 6 to 8 quarts of cold water.* Bring to a rolling boil on high heat. When water is boiling throw in a handful of sea salt and add the spaghetti to the boiling water. Stir the pasta occasionally so it doesn't stick (NEVER put oil in the water. The pasta will not accept a sauce if you do) and cook for 13 to 15 minutes or until a strand of spaghetti tastes al dente. OR cook according to package directions.
• Pour the pasta and boiling water into a colander you have placed in your sink. Pour the drained pasta back into the pasta pot, throw in a few lumps of butter pesto and toss it around. Set the pasta aside.
• Tomato Sauce:
• * Place two quarts of tomato sauce in a large saucepan and heat it up until it is warm all the way through.* Add in a nice bunch of sliced basil ribbons and stir them into the sauce along with some chopped parsley. Remove the container of grated parmesan cheese from the fridge and place it on the counter.
• Assembling the Spaghetti Caruso:
• On your counter make sure the pasta pot, the saucepan with sauce, the butter pesto and grated cheese are all next to each other. Grease your pyrex dish on the bottom and sides with a lump of butter. Then ladle the bottom of the dish with a thin coat of tomato sauce.
• * Using tongs, place a thin layer of spaghetti on the bottom of the dish.* Cover with a thin layer of tomato sauce. Dot all over with pesto butter and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Cover with a thin layer of sauce.
• Repeat these layers until all the spaghetti and pesto butter is used up. End with a layer of spaghetti dotted with pesto and sprinkled with cheese and topped with a ladle or two of sauce.
• At this point you can cover the pyrex dish with foil and refrigerate it, or cover it with foil and bake it right away.
• Bake the Spaghetti Caruso at 350°F for 30 minutes with the foil on. Remove the foil and bake for another 15 minutes or so or until the top and sides are crusty and browned and the tomato sauce is bubbling around the edges.
• Lift out the casserole and place on a rack to cool. Let it rest for 15 to 30 minutes tented in foil.
• To serve, cut a square and place it on a plate or into a large deep pasta dish. Sprinkle it with grated parmesan. Expect tears of joy on the part of your guests as they attack their pasta with gusto.

Keyword a low fodmap baked spaghetti recipe