Cheesy Baked Zucchini Pasta (Low Carb Baked Ziti)

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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!

Close up of scoop of baked zucchini pasta.

I love, love, love baked ziti. It’s one of my favorite pasta dishes. I have been making classic baked ziti for years and order it almost every time I go to Olive Garden. 

I knew I wanted to make a lighter version of my favorite baked pasta, so that’s how this recipe for baked zucchini pasta was born!

Another favorite low-carb casserole recipe is creamy pesto chicken. Make sure you check out our long list of Zucchini Recipes, too!

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❤️Why You’ll Love This Recipe

This casserole is comforting cheesy goodness. Yet it’s lighter than the average cheesy casserole. The zoodles come out surprisingly tender and absorb all of the marinara and cheese – making it hard to tell that they aren’t eating spaghetti. 

A casserole dish full of zucchini baked ziti next to a red striped towel.

This recipe is for you if: you’re looking to watch your carbs, have an abundance of zucchini in the summer months, or just want to add a little bit of extra veggies to your diet.

I include tips on making your zoodles from scratch and working with frozen spiralized zucchini. 

If you find yourself with a garden full of zucchini, you can use up a nice large zucchini on this dish. But if you want to make this yummy casserole in the dead of winter, you can too! 

If you want more flavorful recipe inspiration, try our recipes for Instant Pot Zuppa ToscanaInstant Pot Chicken Fajitas, or Grilled Lemon Pepper Chicken.

📋Ingredients

Ingredients list for baked zucchini pasta.

Frozen Zucchini Spirals: See note below on using fresh zucchini

Ground Beef: Lean ground beef is best for this recipe. Look for 83% lean beef.

Marinara Sauce: Use a jar of your favorite sauce or make your own homemade instant pot spaghetti sauce.

Scroll to the bottom for the complete list of ingredient measurements and printable recipe card.

📖 Ingredient Swaps

Ground Turkey: The beef can be substituted for ground turkey in this recipe without much change to the overall flavor of the dish. Italian sausage (with the casings removed) can also be used.

Fresh Zucchini: Fresh zucchini can be used in place of the frozen. See my notes below under “expert cooking tips”.

Onion Powder: One tablespoon of onion powder can be used in place of the fresh onion.

Garlic Powder: One teaspoon of garlic powder can be used in place of the fresh minced garlic.

🔪Step-by-Step Instructions

Two blocks of frozen zucchini noodles in a pan covered with a glass lid.
Step 1: Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13 casserole dish and set aside. Heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the zucchini noodles, cover, and cook for 6 minutes. 
Cooked zucchini noodles draining in a mesh sieve.
Step 2: Remove the lid and flip over the noodles. Season with salt and pepper and cook (covered) for an additional 3 minutes. Remove the zucchini from the pan and drain over a mesh sieve to drain off any excess liquid. Set aside.
Ground beef, diced onion, and minced garlic cooking in a pan.
Step 3: Add the ground beef and onion to the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until browned, 6-8 minutes. Mix in the garlic and cook until fragrant. About 1 minute.
Marinara sauced poured over cooked ground beef and onions in a pan.
Step 4: Drain the fat from the ground beef and stir in the pasta sauce. Increase the heat to high, just until the sauce starts to bubble. Reduce to medium-low and let simmer for 10 minutes.
Zucchini noodles spread out in a glass baking dish.
Step 5: Arrange half of the cooked zucchini noodles in an even layer on the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
A glass baking dish with zucchini noodles and topped with spaghetti sauce.
Step 6: Top the zucchini noodles with half of the meat mixture.
A glass baking dish filled with zucchini noodles, spaghetti sauce, and cheese.
Step 7: Top the meat mixture with half of the cheese. Repeat steps 5-7 to layer the remaining ingredients.
Baked zucchini pasta in a glass baking dish.
Step 8: Put the casserole in the oven and bake uncovered for 30 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling on the side. Serve it with Cheesy Garlic Bread or a simple green salad and enjoy!

👩🏻‍🍳Expert Cooking Tips

Making homemade zucchini noodles

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 a spiralizer attachment on a stand mixer. You can even use a box grater if that’s what you have. A spiralizer will give you longer spaghetti-like curly noodles while the box grater 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.

A glass casserole dish filled with baked zucchini pasta.

💭Recipe FAQs

How do you keep zucchini from getting soggy when roasting?

Salt the zucchini well and let it drain over a mesh sieve for 10 minutes. Dry it with a paper towel before roasting.

Can I freeze baked zucchini pasta?

Unfortunately, zucchini is one of the only vegetables that don’t freeze well. I have not personally tried freezing this dish, but I would not recommend it. Zucchini has a high water content and it may make the overall texture watery when it freezes and then defrosts. 

How do you cut zucchini into pasta?

Use a handheld spiralizer to make zucchini pasta. You can also purchase a spiralizer attachment for some appliances like stand mixers and food processors.

Is zucchini a good substitute for pasta?

Yes, zucchini makes a great pasta substitute because it has a similar texture to noodles and doesn’t have a strong flavor.

🥣 More Tasty Casserole Recipes

A picture showing the cover images for all three cookbooks written by Aileen Clark.

If you tried this Baked Zucchini Pasta Recipe or any other recipe on my website, I would love it if you could leave me a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you liked it in the 📝 comments below. ❤️ 

A close up of baked zucchini pasta being scooped out of a dish.
A casserole dish with a pasta spoon filed with a scoop of zucchini baked ziti.

Baked Zucchini Pasta Recipe

Aileen Clark
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!
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Course Main Dish Recipes
Cuisine Italian
Servings 6 servings
Calories 369 kcal

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 9×13 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: 1.5cupsCalories: 369kcalCarbohydrates: 7gProtein: 30gFat: 24gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 99mgSodium: 512mgFiber: 1gSugar: 3g
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