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A casserole dish with a pasta spoon filed with a scoop of zucchini baked ziti.
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5 from 1 vote

Baked Zucchini Pasta Recipe

Baked Zucchini Pasta is the low-carb version of your favorite Italian dish! It still gives you that cheesy comfort food feeling of a pasta casserole without the heavy pasta. This zucchini pasta bake is a low-carb baked ziti!
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 20 minutes
Course: Main Dish Recipes
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 369kcal
Author: Aileen Clark

Ingredients

  • 2 12-ounce bags frozen zucchini spirals
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 yellow onion diced
  • 4 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 28-ounce jar marinara sauce
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13 casserole dish and set aside.
  • Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add frozen zucchini spirals.
  • Cover and let cook, 6 minutes.
  • Remove the lid and flip. Season with salt and pepper and cook an additional 3 minutes.
  • Drain the zucchini in a mesh sieve.
  • Meanwhile, heat a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.
  • Add the onion and ground beef. Season with salt and pepper.
  • Cook until browned, about 6 minutes.
  • Mix in the minced garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds.
  • Drain the fat from the ground beef and mix in the marinara sauce.
  • Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes.
  • Once the meat sauce is cooked, start building your baked ziti dish.
  • Start with half of the cooked zucchini spirals in an even layer in the prepared casserole dish.
  • Spread half of the sauce over the zucchini and sprinkle with 1/2 cup mozzarella and 1/2 cup cheddar cheese.
  • Repeat with remaining zucchini, sauce, and cheese.
  • Sprinkle parmesan cheese over the top.
  • Place casserole in oven and bake, uncovered for 30 minutes, until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbling around the edges.

Notes

Using Homemade Zucchini Noodles a.k.a. zoodles
If you haven't cooked with zoodles (aka zucchini noodles or zucchini spirals) before, don't be afraid! Zucchini noodles are incredibly easy to work with. 
You can make your own using a handheld spiralizer, julienne peeler, or the shred attachment on a food processor. A spiralizer will give you longer spaghetti-like curly noodles while the julienne or food processor will give you shorter pieces. Either way works fine for this recipe. 
Once your zucchini is cut, it can be cooked the same way the frozen is cooked. However, you will want to cut approximately 2 minutes off the cooking time when cooking the zucchini noodles on the stove. 
Either way, you are going to want to sauté them first and drain any extra liquid using a mesh sieve before adding them to the casserole dish.

Nutrition

Serving: 1.5cups | Calories: 369kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 99mg | Sodium: 512mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g