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Million Dollar Spaghetti Casserole without all the carbs!! This spaghetti squash casserole is a riff on one of my favorite pasta recipes and it is totally family friendly, packed with cheesy goodness, loaded with flavor, and keto friendly! 8 net carbs serving.
One of the things I love most about this time of year is the whole comfort food situation.
People don’t seem to like casseroles in the dead of summer, but they are 100% totally acceptable the minute it starts to cool off.
Sure, I miss the sunshine and my pool, but did you take a close look at this cheesy spaghetti squash casserole? Doesn’t it look dreamy?
One of my favorite pasta recipes is million dollar spaghetti so I took the idea and swapped out spaghetti squash for traditional pasta.
Total win!
This is probably one of the best spaghetti squash recipes I’ve made yet!
How to make million dollar spaghetti casserole without all the carbs:
To start, you’re going to cut a spaghetti squash in half. This probably sounds like an easy task, but if you’ve ever worked with spaghetti squash before you’ll know that you need to bring your muscles and a sharp knife to this game.
Spaghetti squash are HARD on the outside. Dig that knife in (carefully!) and cut all the way around. You can do it, I believe in you. 😉
Now, scoop out the seeds, drizzle some olive oil on the inside of the squash and place it flesh side down on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast it for about an hour.
When the squash is cool enough to handle, use a fork to scrape long strands of squash out.
If you go lengthwise down the squash you’ll get short strands of spaghetti. If you go across the width of the squash, you’ll get long strands. It’s kind of counter-intuitive, but just play with it. It all tastes the same either way.
Low carb meat sauce:
Brown up your ground beef and then dump in your favorite low carb marina.
I prefer Rao’s and use it almost exclusively. There are only 4g net carbs per 1/2 cup serving. You can find it at most any grocery store, usually up on the top shelf. It’s a little pricey, but it’s seriously the best!
Let your meat sauce simmer away while you get to work on the million dollar aspect of this recipe: dairy goodness!
Add some cream cheese, sour cream, and fresh parsley to a small bowl and stir until well combined. This mixture is so creamy and amazing.
The traditional million dollar spaghetti calls for cottage cheese as well, but it adds a fair amount of carbs so I skipped it. If you have room in your carb allowance, go ahead and add a 1/2 cup of cottage cheese to this mixture. You won’t regret it!
Assemble the spaghetti squash casserole:
Add half of the spaghetti squash noodles to the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish.
Top that off with half of the meat sauce and then spread on all of the cream cheese mixture.
Doesn’t that look amazing??
Next, add the final layers of spaghetti squash and meat sauce and top that all off with some grated mozzarella and a little parsley.
Pop this in a hot oven for 20 minutes to allow the cheese to get all warm and melty.
I like to serve this with a big side salad topped with my homemade ranch dressing.
More low carb favorites:
Low Carb Chicken Casserole: Made with cauliflower rice, broccoli, and chicken!
Zucchini Pizza Boats: Pepperoni on mine please, but you can add any of your favorite toppings!
Buffalo Chicken Meatballs: We eat these for dinner, but they’re fun for game day too!
Cabbage Rolls Recipe: None of the work, all of the flavor!
Million Dollar Spaghetti Squash Casserole
Spaghetti squash casserole with a creamy cheesy filling!
Per serving: 413 calories, 35g fat, 21g protein, 10g carbs, 2g fiber = 8 net carbs
Ingredients
- 1 spaghetti squash 2-3 pounds
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 pound ground beef
- 24 ounces marinara store bought or homemade
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella
Instructions
For the squash:
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Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a rimmed baking sheet with non-stick spray.
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Cut the spaghetti squash in half length-wise. Scoop out the seeds and discard. Drizzle the inside of the squash with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
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Place spaghetti squash flesh side down on the prepared baking sheet at bake for 1 hour or until fork tender.
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Use a fork to scrape out long strands of squash, scraping across the width of the squash.
For the meat sauce:
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Brown the ground beef over medium heat in a large skillet.
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Drain the grease and add the marinara to the pan. Cook for 5 minutes over low heat to heat through.
For the cream cheese mixture:
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Add the cream cheese, sour cream, and parsley to a small mixing bowl and stir well to combine.
To assemble:
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick spray.
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Place half of the spaghetti squash in the prepared baking dish.
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Top the squash with half of the meat sauce and all of the cream cheese mixture.
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Add the remaining spaghetti squash followed by the remaining meat sauce.
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Sprinkle on the grated mozzarella.
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Bake for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and casserole is hot.
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Serve immediately.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
Scrape the spaghetti squash length-wise for short strands of squash or width-wise for long strands of squash.
220 comments
Can the leftovers be frozen?
I haven’t frozen it myself. Sometimes cream cheese gets weird in the freezer, but otherwise it should be fine.
This is one of my family’s favourite low-carb recipes! I use 1.5 lb of ground meat (usually moose!) so there will be plenty for both layers. I also like to add a bit of cottage cheese just because. Delish!
Yum! Thanks for sharing!
Sooooo good!! Thank you!
My family did not enjoy it. Too much cheese and meat ratio that spaghetti squash got lost in it.
Sorry to hear that this one didn’t work out for you.
funny, i find theres not enough meat or cheese. i adjusted and its great. was surprised about the cream cheese sour cream combo instead or ricotta but it works. I add an egg an a little of the shredded cheese to help it bind.
I like the idea of the egg to bind it. I make other casseroles using spaghetti squash (spaghetti squash pizza bake) and I use an egg. I’m making this today.
Can this be made in a crock pot and if so cook for how long on low or high. 8 made it once baked Andover it but am making it for a party and want to keep it warm
Hi Patricia! I’ve only made this in the oven. I think it could work in a crockpot, but not sure how long it will take.
Good, rather sweet. How can the sauce be more tomato tasting
You could try adding tomato paste to your sauce to give it more flavor or try a different sauce. I use and recommend Rao’s sauce…it has amazing flavor on it’s own. 🙂
Have not tried this, though it looks delightful. Problem I see is that I plugged “Spaghetti Squash” into my software program and it shows that 2 cups of Spaghetti Squash has 20g or Carbs. That sounds like a delightful recipe, but not sure I’m willing to give that mny carbs for this meal. Please comment, for if there’s something I’m missing, let me know.
This recipe has 8 net carbs per serving.
This was outstanding! I used ground turkey and just added a little more olive oil. I’m
Trying cut down on red meat and I’ll save that for a nice ribeye
I also forgot how tough that squash is, sawzall next time
Brent, go by net carbs for veggies (well, actually everything )
Net carbs are the grams of total carbohydrates in a food minus its grams of total fiber. Fiber is a carbohydrate that your body can’t digest, so it doesn’t count toward the amount of carbs that can trigger an insulin response, which too much of can prevent your body from going into that ketosis state. Enjoy this great noodle replacement!
I have tried several of your recipes and have nothing to complain about. Some I have liked better than others but they are all edible. This one is a keeper. I didn’t have a spaghetti squash so I used Healthy Momma angel hair pasta. Was so good. Thanks
Thanks, Pam!
Excellent. Made exactly like recipe except slightly smaller pan. My son and husband said, “it’s a keeper” after first bite. Reheated well. I really dried the squash by putting it in a strainer and press water out with plate. My son had it next day for lunch. Fabulous
So glad this was such a hit!
I’ve made this a few times now and we loooooove it! It’s a really flexible recipe, and I like to make it when I’m trying to clear out “tired” vegetables. Tonight, I added an onion, a bell pepper, a bunch of mushrooms, and some zucchini that I spiralized, steamed, and layered in with the spaghetti squash. I did add the cottage cheese (yum—creamy-ness!) and some grated Parmesan with the cheese layer. Because, cheese. In the end, I know we’ll be getting more than 8 carbs per serving, but I’m good with a splurge dish that tastes as good as this does! My husband calls it his new comfort food, and so far we’ve each lost about 40 pounds! Thanks for all the amazing recipes!!!
Love all the extra veggies you add! That’s a great way to use them up. So glad you enjoy the recipe! 🙂
I can’t wait to make this.. but, when you all the ingredients except Cream Cheese .. is there a subsitute? Should I just wait until I get some cream cheese?
Hi Kim! I’ve never tried this one without the cream cheese. It definitely adds to the rich cheesiness of the dish and I don’t think it’d be the same without it.
Made this tonight and it was delicious! I can’t wait for the leftovers for lunch tomorrow! It made a ton! I ended up using 2 lbs because that is what I had and usually 1 lb of protein won’t feed us leftovers so I went with what I had. Thank you 🙂
Always a good sign when you’re excited for leftovers! 🙂 Thanks, Megan!
Love this!! We used a little less cheese and ground turkey (because that’s what I had) and I used the suggested/optional cottage cheese.
So glad you enjoyed it, Holly!
Wowza!!! Omg so good!!!! I’ve been having the craziest craving for pasta this week and this hit the nail on the head and drove it 50 feet into the ground! This recipe is a blessing and I haven’t been this excited for left overs in months. Thank you , thank you THANK YOU! I will be trying more of your recipes !!
Oh yay, so happy to hear this did the trick for you!
I made this yesterday and it was Fabulous!!! I’ve already shared your recipe many times!!
I added a little ricotta, 1 egg and Parmesan to the cheese mixture. I drained the squash well.
I made it in the morning and cooked it in the evening so it took about 30 minutes to get it nice and hot.
DELICIOUS!! Thank you for this recipe!
So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks for sharing!
Question : The recipe says there are 10 Carbs but when viewing the recipe in Prepear it shows the carbs as 25g. That is a huge difference and will not fit into my low carb food plan.
Hi Lynn! Not sure why the calculations are different on Prepare. In both instances, they’re being calculated with an automatic calculation. If you want perfectly accurate numbers you’ll want to calculate yourself. 🙂
I found the same thing, 21.9 carbs (with Raos sauce which is low carb) and about 18 net carbs. I think you need to recalculate…
Hi Kristen! The numbers are accurate based on the calculator we use, which pulls from the USDA, but the nutrition info is there as a courtesy and not guaranteed to be accurate as I’m not a dietician and this is all calculated automatically. It will vary based on the exact size of the produce you use as well as different brands.
I cannot follow a recipe to save my life. I try, i really do. Then the creative instinct just kicks in and i’m lost. Sooooo, here’s what i done and still stayed inside the Keto boundaries:
1. Crock-potted the spaghetti squash for 6 hours in ½ cup water, ⅓ cup chicken stock.
2. Browned the Turkey in butter and shallots. Added a viking measurement of chopped garlic
3. Added diced jalapeños, diced tomatoes, taco seasoning, juice from pepperchini bottle, tomato paste (for substance), salt, pepper, and generous oregano.
4. Mixed sour cream, cream cheese, and rocatta cheese in small bowl with ⅓ cup cilantro (i like cilantro).
5. 1 tbl Coconut oil in 9×13 glass baking dish.
6. layers from the bottom up: spaghetti squash, meat mixture, sour cream mixture, spaghetti squash, meat mixture, full-fat
7. Took 2 shots of very nicely aged spiced rum, and followed with cold beer.
8. Baked for 21 minutes at 350, then 4 minutes with Broiler set to “super-high-bording-on-hell” setting to crisp the top of the cheese mixture.
9. Poured 3 glasses of Pinot for the family.
full fat “Mozzarella” for step 6
Just a tip for anyone who has an instant pot and HATES working with raw spaghetti squash like me (too tough & hard to cut!)…you can throw it in your instant pot exactly as you bought it (no need to cut it or poke holes!) and add a cup of cold water and pressure-cook it for 30 minutes! It’ll be super soft and it’ll be super easy to pull the strands out! Thank you for this awesome recipe! I love the idea of adding an egg & Parmesan cheese!
Great tip! Thanks, Lisa!
I tried this recipe tonight and it was fabulous! I did not miss the pasta at all!
Thanks, Amy!