Low Carb Zucchini Ground Beef Casserole

If you are looking for an easy and tasty dinner you should try this low carb zucchini ground beef casserole. It’s a mixture of cheesy zucchini noodles with a creamy tomato hamburger sauce. Pure keto comfort food that takes less than 30 minutes and has only 4.5g net carbs.

You might also like this keto cauliflower cheeseburger casserole!

A friend of mine talks about Johnny Rosetti all the time. Some people call it Johnny Marzetti or Johnny Machete but no matter what you call it, I have never had it but have been dying to try it.

Since I could find the most info about Johnny Marzetti, I’m calling this zucchini ground beef casserole my keto version of Johnny Marzetti. It’s a cheesy casserole with zucchini noodles in a delicious creamy beef sauce. Low carb comfort food for sure and has only 4.5g net carbs.

I love this recipe for many recipes buy mostly because:

• It’s gluten free and low carb.
• I can use some of the abundant zucchini from my garden.
• It takes less than 30 minutes to make and is super easy.
• I love cheesy casseroles and these flavors are really good to me.

Johnny Marzetti is a pasta casserole that originated in Columbus, Ohio from a restaurant called of course Marzetti’s. The dish was a casserole of noodles, ground beef, cheese and tomato sauce. (Wikipedia)

It can also be referred to as Johnny Rosetti or even Johnny Machete (which I believe was mentioned in Gilmore Girls). I’m sure they are all made a little differently too.

This is my keto version but if you are looking for the real deal, check out Johnny Marzetti recipe from Saveur magazine.

Below you can see the steps to make this ground beef recipe. First thing you want to do is add a little oil to a large saute pan and  brown the ground beef with the spices. Then you can add the cream cheese and tomato paste.

You have to mix those well until the cream cheese melts and then add in the tomato sauce. I like Aldi’s Specialty Selects marinara because it doesn’t have very many carbs and it was voted best pasta sauce from Aldi!

Once you have the cream hamburger sauce, you can add in the zucchini noodles. Cover and cook this for a few minutes to soften the noodles and then add the cheese on top.

At this point you can place it under the broiler for a few minutes to melt and brown the cheese.

• If you can, use thicker zucchini noodles to mimic spaghetti. I use a Paderno spiralizer that makes different sizes. If you don’t have a spiralizer you can use a potato peeler and make wide noodles.
• I like to buy blocks of cheese and grate them myself with a microplane grater or fine grater. It seems to taste better, melt better and usually has less carbs.
• I used Aldi’s Specialty Selects Marinara sauce because it only has 4g net carbs per ½ cup. You can use whatever sauce you like but try to keep it low carb.
• This recipe is heavier on the ground beef but you can add more zucchini noodles if you want. Just be aware that it will add more carbs.
• You can freeze portions of this casserole for a quick low carb lunch. It might render some liquid when you reheat it in the microwave so just mix it together and it will be fine.

Well if you like a good pasta casserole I think you will love this keto version with zucchini noodles! Enjoy!

The nutritional information for 1 serving is:
373 cals / 25.1g fat / 5.7g carbs / 1.2g fiber / 30.8g protein = 4.5g net carbs

Continue to Content

Keto Zucchini Ground Beef Casserole - my keto version of Johnny Marzetti

Yield: 5

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

This keto zucchini ground beef casserole is a delicious creamy, cheese keto casserole much like Johnny Marzetti.

Print

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound ground beef
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 oz cream cheese, cut into cubes
• ½ cup low carb pasta sauce**
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 cups of zucchini noodles (thicker preferably)
• 2 oz cheddar cheese, shredded
• 2 oz mozarella cheese, shredded

Instructions

1. In a large saute pan pour in the oil and then add in the ground beef. Start browning the ground beef and sprinkle the onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper as you are doing that. If you have excess grease drain it at this point.
2. Next add in the cream cheese, Italian seasoning and tomato paste. Mix until the cream cheese has melted and is incorporated well.
3. Now add in the tomato sauce and mix well. Then add in the zucchini noodles.
4. Cover and cook for a few minutes until the zucchini noodles soften.
5. Lastly sprinkle over the shredded cheese and place under the broiler for a few minutes to brown the cheese.

Notes

Recipe Tips & Notes

• If you can use thicker zucchini noodles to mimic spaghetti. I use a Paderno spiralizer that makes different sizes. If you don't have a spiralizer you can use a potato peeler and make wide noodles.
• I like to buy blocks of cheese and shred them myself because it tastes better, melts better and sometimes has less carbs. I like to use a microplate or fine grater too.
• I used Aldi's Specialty Selects Marinara sauce because it only has 4g net carbs per ½ cup. You can use whatever sauce you like but try to keep it low carb.
• This recipe is heavier on the ground beef but you can add more zucchini noodles if you want. Just be aware that will add more carbs.
• You can freeze portions of this casserole for a quick low carb lunch. It might render some liquid when you heat it in the microwave so just mix it together and it will be fine.

The nutrtional information for 1 serving is:
373 cals / 25.1g fat / 5.7g carbs / 1.2g fiber / 30.8g protein = 4.5g net carbs

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Frontier Organic Spices, Onion Powders, 2.1 Ounce (Pack of 4)
• 
  Simply Organic Garlic Powder, Certified Organic | 3.64 oz | Allium sativum L.
• 
  Hunt's Tomato Paste No Salt Added, Keto Friendly, 6 oz, 12 Pack
• 
  Paderno World Cuisine 6-Blade Vegetable Slicer / Spiralizer, Counter-Mounted and includes 6 Different Stainless Steel Blades

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 5 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 373