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prep time
25 min
cook time
35 min
ready time
1 h 0 min
Low Carb Zucchini Meatball Casserole
Everyone loves a great Keto casserole recipe! I love casseroles because you can make it ahead of time, and it is ready to go into the oven at any point. This casserole is made by topping a thick bed of spiralized zucchini noodles with fresh olive oil tomato sauce and browned garlicky meatballs. The entire dish is coated with a layer of melty mozzarella cheese and baked to perfection!
What kind of ground beef should I use?
I opt for a fattier ground beef like 85% but feel free to use a leaner cut.
Can I use store-bought sauce?
Yes, if you can find a sugar-free spaghetti sauce feel free to use it instead. However, making a homemade sauce will ensure you can keep the net carb count as low as you can.
Can I use frozen zucchini noodles?
Please use fresh zucchini noodles for this dish as frozen ones tend to water out even more after cooking.
Serving suggestions
Please serve this dish with a delicious Keto bread recipe like Easy Keto Bread Rolls https://www.carbmanager.com/recipe/easy-keto-bread-rolls.
Net Carbs
8.6 g
Fiber
2.6 g
Total Carbs
11.2 g
Protein
51.8 g
Fats
40.7 g
617 cals
#1 Low Carb & Keto Diet App Since 2010
Track macros, calories, and access top Keto recipes.
Ingredients
Hamburger Or Ground Beef, 85% Lean
2 pound
Parmesan Cheese
⅓ cup, grated
Parsley
2 tablespoon
Kosher Salt
1-undefined tsp
Garlic Powder
½ teaspoon
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 tablespoon
Garlic
3 clove
Petite Diced Tomatoes
14 fl oz
Kosher Salt
1-undefined tsp
Zucchini, Raw
4 medium
Mozzarella
2 cup
Recipe Steps
steps 9
1 h
Step 1
Preheat an oven to 350 F. Combine the ground beef, shredded parmesan cheese, chopped parsley, 1 tsp kosher salt, and garlic powder in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Combine well using a fork or your hands.Step 2
Use a 1 oz cookie scoop to portion about 24 meatballs. Roll them each in your hands to form a round ball. Set them aside on a piece of parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, add in 2 tbsp olive oil and tilt the pan to distribute the oil.Step 3
Add the meatballs into the pan and brown them on both sides; this will take about 2-3 minutes on each side. Be sure to turn the heat down to medium if they are browning too quickly. They will not be cooked through at this point.Step 4
Spiralized the zucchini by cutting off the ends of the zucchini and placing it into a spiralizer. Place the noodles into the bottom of a 9” x 13” casserole dish.Step 5
To make the spaghetti sauce, heat a small saucepan over medium heat. Once hot, add 2 tbsp olive oil to the saucepan and the garlic cloves which have been smashed. Allow the garlic to cook for 30 seconds.Step 6
Add in the diced tomatoes and simmer for 10-12 minutes to incorporate the flavors—season with ½ tsp kosher salt.Step 7
Then pour the sauce over the zucchini noodles.Step 8
Top with the meatballs and the shredded cheese.Step 9
Bake for 30-35 or until the meatballs are cooked through, and the cheese is melted. If you choose to refrigerate the casserole dish before baking it, the casserole could take up to an hour to heat through. If choosing this route, cover the casserole dish with foil to protect the cheese from browning too much. Top with chopped parsley.
Comments
StellarKetone864244 3 years ago
I did everything as recommended in the recipe, I also added mushrooms I sautéed and this was so bomb!
Elida_fit 3 years ago
Delicious!! I will make again 😋
Aaron Le Baron 3 years ago
I added fresh mushrooms to the sauce. great meal for italian favor
Diego 4 years ago
Delicious!
mllebb64 4 years ago
Have made this twice now! Always delicious 😋 definitely curbs your cravings for Italian food!
ANorth 4 years ago
This tasted great. The znoodles didn’t hold up in the oven and I got a lot of water. I need more content then just meatballs. Next time I might cook the znoodles separate as they only need a few minutes. Also I added mores spices which is a must.
CyndyLu 4 years ago
Easy to prepare and so good!
AuntyChristy 4 years ago
Fantastic! Very surprised with how easy it was to prep and the small amount of ingredients how delish it was. The flavors absorbed all the way through the entire dish and the zoodles kept some crunch. will absolutely be making this again!
bill 4 years ago
Easy to put together. I swapped out the spiraled zucchini for thin fresh zucchini slices, parboiled before using in the dish. I sprinkled some mozzarella in over this first layer. This worked out well . Overall very good, a little bland as another writer stated, so make sure to spice up the sauce a bit to taste. Leftovers tasted even better over the next two days.
UpbeatKetone201195 4 years ago
DELICIOUS! This dish is fulling and tasty..think it even beats traditional Spag Bowl. I took notice of the feedback re wet noodles from previous reviews and pressed the water out with a paper towel then dried in the oven for about 10min. Noodles were perfect. Will be making this again for sure!
Gad1966! 3 years ago
When drying them in the oven on what temp?
OutstandingCauliflower930985 4 years ago
Spiced it up a bit more but easy quick dinner
Mindbattle 4 years ago
The dish was ok. I found it to be bland. My turned out waterery as others posted. I salted and let my zucchini set in a strainer for at least 45 minutes before putting it together.
SplendidMacadamia839510 4 years ago
Your zucchini was too wet. Next time, try oven drying it for about 10 mins, then patting dry before using.
Tom 4 years ago
Good enough to do again. We kept draining the zucchini in the fridge overnight and had crisp zucchini in the dish, leftovers were watery though. The flavor was good and held even in the leftovers.
Bedlore 4 years ago
Great recipe but for me just needs some heavier use of spice
audone27 4 years ago
Badass recipe! The whole family loved it! Even the littles loved it! Thank you!
Vanhamm118 4 years ago
Unbelievably delicious! This dish will definitely be implemented into our weekly meal plan! YUM! I did bake the zoodles in the oven by themselves first for 20 minutes. Thank goodness. May do it a little bit longer next time. Also I added an egg to the meatball mixture just to bind them better.
UnbelievableCauliflower900018 4 years ago
This dish is great. Seems like everyone is talking about watery zucchini. You can make the zoodles and put them in a colander, sprinkle with salt and let sit for 45 minutes....sucks the moisture right out and seasons the zoodles at the same time!
bezeley 4 years ago
This recipe was really good. I sautéed my zoodles to release some water, smooshed about 3/4s of a cream cheese bar in the zoodles, topped with diced tomato sauce that was reduced down to a thick consistency, pushed the meatballs in and topped with sharp provolone and grated parm. Left overs were pretty juicy so when I reheated, I placed Escape Cusine's Black Bean noodles on bottom of another smaller casserole dish and topped with juice and rest of zoodle casserole, covered with foil, added another handful of cheese and rebaked. Again....super yummy.
MirthfulMacadamia273642 4 years ago
Fabulous! I baked the zucchini first and drained the water- a must if you don’t want it watery. Added some garlic to the tomatoes and some Italian spices before I put the sauce on.
SherriFL 4 years ago
A little bland. Quite watery. I let zucchini strands drain in a colander in the fridge most of the day hoping the water would reduce. Dish was ok. Unlikely I will make again.
Melisa 4 years ago
Why are the calories so high in this recipe? I looked at the ingredients it doesn’t make sense?
Missy112 4 years ago
Change to ounces
missreynolds 4 years ago
Fantastic.... I doubled everthing but zoodles to make a side of extra meatballs to cook in a smaller dish ...meatball parm!
Connie 4 years ago
Does anyone know if it freezes well?
Kirabell 4 years ago
The zucchini will get mushy. You could freeze without the zucchini and be fine.
KetoDeb 4 years ago
This was good and easy to make. I halved the recipe and used a pound of hamburger and two zucchini. The 7 ounces of diced tomatoes and olive oil wasn’t enough, so I added some low carb spaghetti sauce. I also added more cheese on top. I cooked it in my oven style air fryer, so it took half the time to bake, but I needed to lower the temperature to keep the top from getting burnt.
UnbelievableMacadamia246814 4 years ago
My family loved this casserole!