Low Carb Baked Spaghetti Zoodles

A lightened-up version of everyone’s comfort food, these Low Carb Baked Spaghetti Zoodles are paired with your favorite pasta sauce for a healthy spaghetti bake you can feel good about. Serve it on its own or with your favorite sides! 

Why You’ll Love this Low Carb Baked Spaghetti Recipe

Whether you follow a low carb diet or are just looking for easy ways to add more vegetables into your life, this baked spaghetti is for you! Ready in under an hour and packed full of flavor, it has quickly become one of our favorite go-to dishes. Here are just a few reasons why you’ll love our low carb spaghetti: 

• All of the ingredients are combined in one dish for easy prep and speedy cleanup.
• It’s great for weeknight dinners, meal prep, and more. 
• You can mix and match your favorite sauces, proteins, and add-ins to make this dish your own. 
• The easiest way to eat your veggies, this baked spaghetti is not only delicious but so good for you, too! 

What Are Zoodles? 

If you haven’t jumped on the zoodles bandwagon yet, now is the time! Given a fun name, zoodles are just zucchini that have been sliced or spiralized to resemble the shape of spaghetti noodles. 

Health Benefits

A great low carb option, zoodles are bursting with nutrition and health benefits! For instance, they’re a rich source of many vitamins and minerals including vitamin C, vitamin A, manganese, folate, copper, and magnesium. However, they’re also low in calories and high in fiber to keep you fuller for longer. As a result, they can help improve digestion, reduce blood sugar levels, improve heart health, and more! (Source)

Ingredients You’ll Need

You’re not going to believe how few ingredients you need for this recipe! 

• Zucchini – We use whole zucchini to create zoodles ourselves. However, you can also find them already sliced in the frozen or refrigerated section of most grocery stores! Pasta Sauce – We opt for a pre-made marinara sauce, but feel free to use a homemade version or whatever you like best. 
• Ground Beef – This bulks up the dish, making it extra filling. Due to the low carb content, we usually use a slightly higher fat beef, but whatever you have on hand works. You could also swap it out with ground turkey, chicken, or even sausage if you prefer. 
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil – This adds heart-healthy fats and tons of flavor! 
• Herbs and Spices – To add more flavor to the pre-made sauce and take this recipe from good to great we include a handful of herbs and spices including minced garlic, Italian parsley, fresh basil, rosemary, thyme, Herbs de Provence, and crushed red pepper. 

How to Make Baked Spaghetti with Zoodles

Traditionally, baked spaghetti is made with pasta noodles that have to be boiled. However, for this version, instead of boiling spaghetti, we start by spiralizing zoodles. Then, we toss it all together for a low carb baked spaghetti recipe! Here’s what to do: 

How to Make Zoodles

As mentioned, you can absolutely buy pre-made zoodles to save some time. However, making them yourself is more budget-friendly and honestly a lot of fun! We both use a Paderno World Cuisine Spiralizer and think it’s a great tool to have in your kitchen. However, a julienne peeler works just as well. You’ll just end up with strips instead of spirals. 

Whichever tool you choose, you’ll want to chop both ends off your zucchini. Then, twist or slice your veggies, creating long spirals or thin strips that resemble pasta. 

Putting It All Together 

Once your zucchini has been transformed into noodles, this recipe comes together in minutes! 

1. Preheat your oven to 400° Fahrenheit. 
2. Brown your meat in a skillet, adding your favorite seasonings as it cooks. 
3. Add the ingredients to a baking dish, stirring to combine. 
4. Bake, and garnish with fresh Parmesan and basil. 
5. Serve warm, and enjoy! 

Do I Need to Cover My Spaghetti Bake While Cooking? 

No, covering the pan with foil can lock in steam causing the zoodles to overcook and become mushy. It also prevents the cheese from becoming slightly crispy on top (which is our favorite part!). 

Make-Ahead Options

One of our favorite ways to save time is to prepare everything for this baked spaghetti ahead of time. Then, store it baked or unbaked and covered in the fridge for up to 2 days or in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months. It makes for a super quick meal on those nights when you need to get dinner on the table fast! 

Serving Suggestions

Because it’s made with vegetables, this recipe makes for a complete meal that’s super light yet filling all on its own. However, it can also be paired with quick side dishes and desserts such as: 

• Cobb Salad
• Olive Cheese Bread
• Biscoff Cake
• Atayef with Whipped Cream and Pistachios 

More Spaghetti Recipes

Looking for more spaghetti recipes? Try out some of these fun variations that can be made with more zoodles or real spaghetti! 

• Similar to this low carb spaghetti recipe, oven baked spaghetti is made with real pasta for a viral recipe that’s here to stay. 
• Quick and easy to make, this One Pot Greek Spaghetti is one of our favorite weeknight dinners! 
• The best of both worlds, this Spaghetti Pizza Bake combines two of everyone’s favorite comfort foods into one incredible dish. 
• This One Pot Spaghetti Carbonara is reach, creamy, and indulgent. You’re never going to believe how easy it is to make!