Single-Serve Spaghetti Squash Tuna Casserole

I’ve become the QUEEN of cooking meals for one over these college years (I’m not a fan of leftovers TBH). So this mini tuna casserole has been a favorite easy dinner of mine for years. Its absolutely packed with veggies, protein, and cheese… what’s not to love?!

A Healthier Tuna Melt Casserole

If you’re a fan of tuna melt sandwiches, you will love this! Usually seafood and cheese don’t mesh well, but for some reason tuna is the exception. I feel like cheesy tuna melts are- for the most part- a popular sandwich option.

Since bread has been taken out of the equation for me since being diagnosed with ulcerative colitis last year, I’ve had to get creative in order to remake some of my favorite sandwiches. When I stumbled across a couple mini casserole dishes online one day, my mind immediately jumped to all of the fun casseroles and hot sandwiches I’ve been missing for the past year. Naturally, the classic tuna melt was one of the first things I tried to make SCD-friendly!

SCD Substitutions:

Luckily, both tuna and dry aged cheeses are “legal” on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD). The only thing I had to try and replace was the bread… which unfortunately is a very significant component of a tuna melt.

My solution: a casserole version of a tuna melt! By using a crispy spaghetti squash crust and fresh veggies, the texture contrast with the soft tuna filling and melted cheese was perfect.

If you aren’t familiar with the SCD, the diet was designed to focus on reducing inflammation and supporting gut health in people diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBD). The SCD removes all large, hard-to-digest carbohydrates from the diet. AKA: no grains, gluten, or refined processed sugars and sweeteners.

• Link: “SCD Legal/Illegal List” – Breaking the Vicious Cycle
• Link: “One Year with UC: My Story”

Although there has been some minimally processed “illegal” foods that I’ve been able to add back in since my symptoms have been in remission, I still try and stick to the SCD guidelines for the most part!

• Link: “How I Started Adding Non-SCD Foods Back into My Diet”

What Cheeses are “Allowed”?!

The world of cheese is large. Very large. I feel so overwhelmed by the cheese section of grocery stores more times than not. Hard, soft, aged, creamed, mold ripened, raw… like where do I start? For the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, the guidelines simply tell you not to eat processed cheese. Sounds simple enough, right?

But after taking a dairy class in college, it became very obvious to me that all cheeses are processed- at least to some extend. It’s the nature of what must be done to turn a liquid product (milk) into a solid cheese. So how processed is too processed?!

Turns out, as long as the cheese is adequately aged (very little lactose or carbohydrates remaining) and doesn’t contain any added ingredients, binders, or thickeners you’re good to go!

For this cheesy spaghetti squash tuna casserole recipe, I used a blend of asiago, parmesan, and fontina cheeses from Trader Joes.

How to make a Single-Serve Tuna Casserole

Step 1: In a small bowl, combine the cooked spaghetti squash, coconut flour, egg white, minced garlic, black pepper, salt, and smoked paprika. Mix well and press into the bottom of a lightly greased small casserole dish.

Step 2: Bake the crust for 20 minutes, until the edges are slightly golden-brown. Add the tuna, spices, veggies, and cheese on top.

Step 3: Bake for another 10 minutes & eat it while its warm and melty!

I like to finish this dish with a touch of dried oregano and parsley on top.

What You’ll Need:

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