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 sides 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.
80 comments
Would this freeze well? There are just two of us, and while I’m sure it’s delicious I don’t want to eat it every day for a week.
I haven’t tried freezing spaghetti squash before, so I’m really not sure how well it will hold up.
It would all turn into a liquidy mush
I would freeze it in meal portions and once thawed, reheat in the oven without a cover. Any water left in the spag squash will turn the dish to mush in the microwave.
I think you could easily halve this recipe. Use a small spaghetti squash or save half the squash for a different recipe.
Hi,
this sounds wonderful! I prefer zucchini “lasagna” to one with noodles, but it doesn’t freeze well at all.
Will this freeze well or get watery when microwaved or re-baked?
Thanks!
Ellen
I haven’t tried freezing spaghetti squash before, so I’m really not sure.
I’ve frozen it before and it gets pretty wet and soggy so I don’t think this would freeze well. Too bad, it looks so good but it’s only me and a pan that size would last way too long even if it was good.
You can freeze cooked spaghetti squash by itself. Dry it up as much as possible spread on a pan and put in freezer for an hour then transfer to a seal tight bag.
Yes. That’s what I do.
This spaghetti squash casserole looks SO GOOD – can hardly wait to try it!! THANKS SO MUCH!!
Hope you enjoy!
This looks so delicious! Another great low carb recipe to try.
Bland and needs more spices and is very watery
Sorry this one didn’t work out for you! You could definitely add more spices as you see fit.
Karly! This is my second comment in about 5 min…I just want to say I love your blog-I relate so much to what you are saying! I’m a new fan…and will be trying this recipe soon! Do you find that it gets watery with the squash? I LOOOOVVVE Rao’s sauce….Thanks!
Hi Kristina! So glad you’re enjoying the blog!
This does release some liquid, but it really just sits in the bottom of the dish so it’s easy to avoid when scooping it out. 🙂
To get rid of some of the liquid, pat the squash strands with paper towels before adding to the dish.
I am trying this for dinner tonight – with spaghetti squash (and other hard squash) I usually poke holes around the squash where I’m going to cut it in half and then microwave it for 3 minutes. This softens the exterior enough so you can cut through the squash without fear of having the knife slip etc etc
I made 2 of your casseroles as my food prep this week. The Chicken Broccoli Bake was very good, but this one was our favorite! It reminds me of a casserole I grew up with, made with egg noodles. I think the spaghetti squash makes it even better!
These were the first 2 recipes of yours I tried, but definitely wont be the last!
So glad you enjoyed the recipes, Michelle! I know just the egg noodle casserole you’re talking about and this reminds me of that too! 🙂
Absolutely loved it! Mine was a bit watery Do you have the carb count?
About freezing the squash, I was surprised to find it at Costco where they were giving samples. Excellent, however, I baked mine. .
Hi Ruth! The nutrition info is located in the recipe card. 🙂
I am making this right now for a potluck! I always. appreciate being able to ring a healthier entre, thank you. I will however, add Italian seasoning mix from my herb garden as well as chopped onions in the meat sauce. For the person saying it was watery, try patting your cooked squash drier before baking, and add a scrambled egg with 1/3 cup Parmesan like other spaghetti bakes do.
Hope it was a hit at your potluck!
Oh wow! Made this tonight for dinner. I love the cream cheese sour cream combo really brings out the dish. My husband and I are both on Keto so I’m always looking for low carb recipes. This hit the spot. Had some steamed broccoli on the side. I look forward to making some more of your recipes
Glad to hear you two enjoyed the recipe! 🙂
Made this for dinner tonight and it was soooo good! I did season to my taste with salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and garlic powder. I also used the shredded cheddar jack cheese from Costco instead of mozzarella. Thanks for the recipe!
Made this for dinner tonight except I substituted all the ingredients for vegan ingredients. Was absolutely delicious. Was a definite hit for the family. They were already wanting me to make it again!
OMG ty sooo much for this amazing recipe! My family and I love it, and it’s the first time we’ve tried spaghetti squash! Yum!!!
Thanks so much for this recipe! I realized halfway during cooking this that I did not have sour cream. I substituted Alouette Garlic & Herb spreadable cheese for the sour cream, but of course, mixed with the cream cheese it was too thick to spread. So I just dumped them into the sauce (I also did half ground beef/half Tennessee Pride hot sausage) and stirred it up well. I also topped it with fresh smoked mozzarella. It was SO delicious! This was my first time ever having spaghetti squash, and it all come together nicely. Thanks!
Sounds like great swaps!
I made this for dinner tonight and I am in LOVE with it! It was very satisfying. I put it together this morning and before I started layering it together, I put the squash in my strainer to help get some of the moisture out. It worked perfectly. I pulled it out of the cold fridge and right into the oven and baked it about 35 mins. I am looking forward to having it multiple times this week for lunches. Thank you for this recipe. It will be a frequent dish at our house…Keto or not.
Glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe!
YUM! This is the first recipe of yours I’ve tried, and I can’t wait to try more! Hubs and I are doing keto and I’m always looking for tasty recipes. I made two dishes; one for my husband and daughter and one for me. I had some leftover vodka sauce so I used that, plus added some diced tomatoes. (I know tomatoes aren’t keto but my daughter was also eating it and she wants a little more variety lol.) Also added onions to the beef when I browned it. My husband isn’t a big fan of meatless meals, but I am so I only put ground beef in his casserole. Thanks so much! 🙂
So glad you enjoyed it! I’m sure it was great with the addition of tomatoes and onions. 🙂
This was wonderful! I cooked this tonight for my family, both my 5 and 4 years old loved it, my 5 year old son asked for seconds. I served it with garlic bread, as we are not a low carb eating family, I often try new recipes where I can sneak in more vegetables whenever possible. Thank you for sharing!
So glad your family enjoyed the recipe!
This is a keeper recipe. It was delicious and easy (once you got the squash cut)!
Can you make this a day or 2 ahead of time and keep in the fridge? I usually meal prep on Sundays and casseroles are a great prep item, but not sure with the spaghetti squash… Thanks!
Should be fine! It reheats great. 🙂
I’m usually pretty critical of recipes and it is rare that I find something I will rave about. I used Tantillo Pomodoro sauce but only 16oz. I accidentally opened this jar instead of a lower carb variety so I used less to reduce the carbs which were 7 per 1/2c serving of sauce instead of the 4 in the recipe. I also simmered the sauce for a short time to thicken it. I made the squash the night before and refrigerated it. Everything else was just as stated in the recipe. No watery casserole here. This recipe is wonderful and I’ll definitely make it again. Almost better than lasagne.
Thanks so much for sharing, Lona! <3
Looks fantastic and I am making tonight!
I assume I could substitute greek yogurt for the sour cream? Looking forward to trying this!
Yes, for sure!
Oh WOW this was delicious! My hubby and picky kids gobbled it up. My kids won’t eat spaghetti squash, but they loved it cooked this way. They were surprised to find out it was spaghetti squash. I added my normal seasonings to the sauce (basil, oregano, garlic) and used turkey burger cooked in fresh chopped onion and garlic. We ate it with garlic bread and it was fantastic! I am so happy to find your website. I was recently diagnosed as a diabetic and I need low carb recipes. I can’t wait to try more!!
Delicious…everyone liked! This is the first recipe I’ve tried on your site. Your directions were easy to follow. A great way to introduce spaghetti squash to a family. I did try Rao’s sauce….wow, it is pricey…$7 on sale, but it was good. Next time, I’ll try my regular marinara brand just to see if it takes away from the resulting flavor. One can always doctor up with more spices or go for the sales! Thank you for a keeper recipe.
Been Keto for about two months. Made this tonight. Added sausage and pork belly burnt ends to my sauce. Added sharp cheddar and cottage cheese to the cheese mixture. Added pearl mozzarella with the shredded on top. Garnished with parsley and pink Himalayan salt and fresh cracked pepper. Results: Hope I can duplicate it again. Was a great chilly evening supper.
This was AMAZING!!!! I threw half of a diced onion in while the meat was cooking. Whole family loved it…even the 7month old doing baby-led weaning loved it! Thank you!
I made this on Wednesday, followed the recipe exactly, including using the suggested Rao marinara sauce. My husband was skeptical at first (meat & potatoes guy), but we both LOVED it!!! I had my sister over Thursday for leftovers (re-heated in the oven under foil), and she couldn’t stop saying how much she liked it. A definite winner!!!! THANK YOU!
Yay! Glad to hear that!
This is what we had for dinner and omg it was sooooo good. Husband went back for seconds! Thanks for the recipe! It’s a keeper.
I made this as a side for Thanksgiving and it was a hit. So good that my sons and family asked me to make this and have them over for dinner again.
Trying this recipe for the first time. Finishing in the oven as I type this. Looks and SMELLS so good! First time trying spaghetti squash as well, and I’ve gotta say, it’s even good on its own with the olive oil and salt! Incredible recipe! Thank you!! How long does this last when refrigerated?
It should last for 4-5 days, I would think. 🙂
I tried this last night. My hubby and I loved it, my daughter loved it, but my boys not so much! But they just don’t know good food! I ended up
Substituting cottage cheese for cream cheese since the one i had was molding. But it was delicious and my first time! Hubby ate 3 plates and a fourth the next morning!!
Glad it was a hit with half of your crew! 🙂
Karly, I love your site! Does it matter how I cook the squash?? I like to cook it in my instant pot, so much quicker than baking it!!
Nope, shouldn’t matter at all! 🙂
Ended up making this last night. It was amazing! The only change I made was to use hot Italian sausage. Such a great recipe…thanks!
I was looking for ways to spice up my normal spaghetti squash boat and thought about trying to do a casserole bake when I came across this recipe. I realized when I got home that I don’t have cream cheese! Any quick recommendations for a substitute? Thought I would ask before I decide to get creative w it!
Just now seeing this, but I’d do cottage cheese or ricotta next time. 🙂
Yeah, that would have been my first choice too! Sadly, I had neither and did not want to go back out. But I was determined that I wanted a low carb baked spaghetti last night—so I did created a “desperate wife” alternative. I’ll pass it along in case anyone else finds themselves in my situation: In a small bowl, (I’m sorry for the inaccurate measurements but I eyeballed it) about 2/3 part sour cream, 1/3 part mayo and mixed in parm cheese Italian seasoning parsley and garlic (I flavored to taste). In square dish, I did a squash layer, a thing layer of my creation with then layer of sauce, layer of squash, sauce, provolone cheese slices…it turned out really good—surprisingly. My husband loved it! He ended up having two huge helpings (which defeated the low carb part)! Can’t wait to try this recipe made the correct way!
Made this tonight and it was very good. I used italian sausage instead of ground beef because it’s what I had. My question is I didn’t have enough squash for a 13×9 pan. Did I do something wrong? My squash was3 lbs
Hi Cherie!
As long as you scraped all the squash out, I don’t think you did anything wrong. Perhaps your squash had more seeds/middle part that needed scraped out than mine did. 🙂
My family and I loved this!!! So good!! I did end up adding extra spices like garlic, onion, and Italian seasoning. I put all of this in a 13×9 pan and ended up with 12 hearty servings. Does that make each serving only 4 carbs?
The extra spices might have added a bit more carbs depending on how much you added, but otherwise, yes, 4 net carbs if you followed the recipe. 🙂
It’s says nutrient info per serving, but I don’t see how much is a serving?
The recipe makes 6 servings.
I was wondering what is a subs to the Mozzarella cheese I do not have enough
Any cheese you like with Italian food should work fine here.
Made this for dinner last night exactly as instructed (although I did add grated parmesan). As my Sicilain grandma would say, mangia mangia! Your million dollar recipe brought me back to the comfort food favorites I loved as a kid. Grazie for this low carb deliciousness!
I made this for dinner tonight and it was fantastic! It will definitely be a regular menu item.
Made this today. Not enough squash for the sauce. But delicious. I love spaghetti squash.
Made this recipe last night almost as written. The only changes were 1 1/2 pound of ground beef and 4 pounds of squash. I used Rao’s marinara sauce. There was a small inconsequential amount of water in the bottom of the 9X13 dish but I feel it just meant there was going to be adequate moisture in the casserole. It was a hit with the family! Even a picky eater loved it! Making it again today as last nights is gone and they are asking for more!! My wife rated it 10+ stars and said I could make it anytime!! Trying it with a less expensive sauce this time.
Thanks for posting the recipe.
This is delicious. I changed it a luttle.
I cook the spaghetti squash whole 8nstead of struggling to half it. I take out the seeds & roast them in salt & olive oil for a snack.
I sauteed mushrooms, zucchini & winter squash & added mixture to meat & sauce.
Love love this recipe.. I’ve made it twice in two weeks..I work 12 hours shifts and this is a great dish to prepare ahead of time and warm up for work.
I used the spicy Rao’s sauce and it was delicious !!! We all loved it, thanks for sharing !!
This turned out so good!! I seasoned the meat with garlic, onion powder, crushed red pepper, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper! The cream cheese and sour cream combo goes so well with meat and squash! We loved this recipe!