You will not miss the pasta in this easy and delicious Low-Carb Million Dollar Zoodle Spaghetti. Eating low carb has never been this easy!
Does anyone know where the ‘million dollar’ term came from? I’m imagining a big state fair where there was a million-dollar prize at stake and the winning dish was a creamy baked spaghetti. That being said, I’d put my money on this Low-Carb Million Dollar Zoodle Spaghetti any day.
My favorite mac & cheese recipe is the Million Dollar Mac & Cheese from Carlsbad Cravings and I would legit pay a million dollars for that too.
Any type of baked marinara-based pasta dish is always a winner in our house. I’ve mentioned a dozen times that lasagna is Matt’s favorite food and the same could be said for baked spaghetti.
Since we’ve been going to the gym more regularly and refining our eating a little more, I decided to take one of my favorite recipes and give it a lower carb twist.
Even though there are no noodles, this baked spaghetti has no shortage of richness.
I still use full-fat ricotta and shredded mozzarella because if you make me choose, I’ll pick cheese over pasta any day. Honestly, you WILL NOT miss the carbs in this recipe.
Everything else is so reminiscent of your favorite lasagna or baked spaghetti, you don’t even notice the zucchini noodles. I also have a zucchini boat recipe hitting the blog very soon!
Ingredients & Subs
- Zucchini — I’ve only ever made this with zucchini noodles, but you can try with another low carb vegetable or even the low carb noodles you can buy in a pack. Let me know if you do try it and how it works out!
- Whole milk ricotta — I prefer whole milk ricotta, but you’re welcome to use low-fat or even cottage cheese if you like! The result just won’t be quite as rich.
- Spicy Italian sausage — I like it spicy, but you could do mild or sweet Italian if that works better for you. You could also use ground beef, turkey, or chicken, but if you do that I would add some additional spices in the way of Italian seasoning, garlic, and fennel seed.
- Marinara sauce, homemade or store-bought — If you’re going store-bought, I HIGHLY recommend Rao’s. Yes, it’s expensive but you can get two meals out of a jar and it’s still much cheaper than eating out. Costco has them the cheapest I’ve found and I always stock up. Just make sure you’re using a tried and true favorite because it truly does make a difference to the flavor.
- Shredded mozzarella cheese — I prefer to buy a log of whole milk mozzarella and shred myself for optimal melting. You can def use mozzarella in a bag, though! Just be sure not to use fresh mozzarella as it has too much moisture for this dish.
** If you’re hardcore doing keto, be sure to check the nutrition facts on the products that you buy to make sure there’s no added sugar or that it fits into your macros. A lot of sausages and marinara sauces can have hidden sugars in them, so beware!
How to Store your Zoodle Spaghetti
Store in the fridge for up to 3 days. I like to reheat in the oven at 300ºF until warmed through.
Hot Tip for Zoodles
One thing I want to emphasize is not to skip letting your zoodles drain. You’ll be so amazed at how much liquid you get rid of that would otherwise make your spaghetti super soggy.
Once they’ve sat in a colander for about 20 minutes, bunch them up and give them a good squeeze or five. The amount of water that comes off is insane, and in some recipes, you want that moisture but not in this dish.
If you don’t have a spiralizer, I HIGHLY recommend getting one, but there are also frozen spiralized zucchini options or fresh options with the produce.
Still be sure to go through the draining process with those as well, especially the frozen versions which will likely be holding even more moisture.
More Healthy Zucchini Recipes You’ll Love!
Zucchini Chocolate Chunk Breakfast Cookies
Grilled Ratatoille Foil Packets
I hope you enjoy this recipe! Take a browse around the site and please let me know if you make anything by leaving a comment and rating the recipe below. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions, concerns, or requests!
Low-Carb Million Dollar Zoodle Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds zucchini
- 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 2 eggs
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup whole milk ricotta
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 pound spicy Italian sausage
- 1 1/2 cups marinara sauce, homemade or store-bought
- 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350ºF. Lightly grease an 8x8 inch baking dish.
- Using a spiralizer, make zucchini noodles following the manufacturer's directions.
- Place the zoodles in a fine-mesh sieve over a bowl. If there are a lot of long pieces, trim with clean scissors or a knife.
- Toss the zoodles with kosher salt and the zoodles release excess moisture for about 20 minutes.
- While the zucchini drains, whisk together the eggs, parsley, and Parmesan in a medium bowl.
- Give the zoodles one last squeeze to get rid of any excess liquid.
- In a medium skillet, melt the butter and add the zucchini noodles. Immediately turn off the heat and add the egg mixture. Quickly toss until evenly coated and creamy. Add the ricotta and cream cheese and toss until combined and there are no chunks. Transfer the mixture to the baking dish.
- Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage and brown all over, about 5 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat, and stir in the marinara sauce. Spread mixture over the spaghetti. Add the mozzarella cheese in an even layer over top.
- Transfer the baking dish to the oven and bake 30 to 40 minutes, until the cheese has melted and is lightly browned on top. Cool 5 minutes before serving. Serve with additional parmesan, if desired.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 390Total Fat: 30gSaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 135mgSodium: 1434mgCarbohydrates: 13gFiber: 2gSugar: 7gProtein: 19g
Adapted from Half Baked Harvest Million Dollar Spaghetti
Absolutely over-the-top delicious! Followed the ingredients to a T but didn’t measure amounts to a T and this is a WONDERFUL dish! Really do think the key to it is getting the moisture out of the zoodles – you really need 20 minutes to drain them and then give them a good squeeze.
Thanks for this! It is perfection on a fork!
Thank you so much for your comment, Ann! I ate on this for a couple of days and I was so sad when it was gone! You’re totally right, the key to any zoodle dish is getting rid of all that liquid. It’s a game changer. I’m so glad you liked it!
Hello! Do you think this could be made in the morning and baked in the evening?
Hi! That’s a great question. Normally I would say, yes! But with it containing zucchini noodles, I don’t think it would be a good idea. Letting the noodles sit all day will allow them to get soggy.
I made it about three hours ahead of baking and it worked!! Thank you so much. I used cheesecloth to get all of the moisture out of the noodles.
So glad it worked out for you, and that’s a great idea to use the cheesecloth!
how about using zero noodles/
Hi Kathleen! I haven’t used those personally, but I think it would be fine! Since they don’t require any prior cooking I would just drain them from the package and toss with the sauce right before it goes in the oven. Let me know if you try it out and it works!
Any chance you have the nutritional facts for this recipe?
I would love the nutritional information as well 🙂
Hello Ladies! I added the nutritional information to the recipe. Thanks for checking it out!
The nutritional information gives me 17 carbs for a serving. Is something missing or am I entering this wrong?
I have been doing low carb since 3 weeks now, and I missed pasta SO SO SO much. This is the best replacement ever!!! I enjoyed every bit of it, such a great recipe. And it is also really affordable for student life. 🙂 Thank you so much!
Thanks so much! I’m so glad you liked it and completely understand the need for affordable food when being a student. Good luck in your studies!
Hands down the best keto recipe I have found yet! Thank you so much for sharing I’m in love!
Awesome! I’m so happy you liked it.
Hello, What recipe alterations would you give if I wanted to do part Zoodles and part regular noodles?
xoxo,
Alyssa
Lyssome.com
Hi, Alyssa! I would use 1/2 pound of spaghetti with 1 pound of zucchini. I haven’t tried it this way, but I would just boil your pasta to al dente, drain, and add to the skillet with the drained zoodles. I hope it works out!
Hi! Is the nutritional info correct in saying there are 21 g of carbs per serving? If so, what’s making up the bulk of the carbs and how can I lower the carb count? Looks so delicious, though!
I was wondering the same thing! 21.2 carbs isn’t low-carbs. Can you explain please? Made this and it’s delicious!
Delicious! New to keto and love this recipe. I did use a jar sauce tho and I think it may change the net carb count. Will definitely make again, thank you for making sure I eat yummy food!
Made this for the first time over the weekend and just had it for lunch. This is SO good! I just love it!!
Thank you!
Wonderful! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Absolutely delicious! I got the carb count down to under 10 using Rao’s sauce.
I’m so happy you enjoyed it! And great idea using Rao’s!
If I doubled the ingredients, what size bakeware should I use?
a 13×9 would be perfect!
Oh. My. Goodness! It was everything I wanted it to be. Followed the recipe to a T, well except I used Locatelli Romano cheese in place of the Parmesan. I used a clean tea towel to really wrong out the zucchini. My tastebuds are doing the happy dance!
Yumm! I could go for some right now! Thanks for trying it out!
I’m looking at the nutritional information, and this takes almost all the carbs I’m allowed in a day. Is there a way to make it truly low-carb? 21g is quite a lot for one serving…