My cookbook is here! 
This ground beef zucchini bake is a delicious, simple to make dish. It is made with zucchini, ground beef, mushrooms, marinara and cheese for an all in one incredible dinner!
This cheesy ground beef, zucchini, and mushroom bake is precisely that culinary marvel. It transforms simple, wholesome ingredients into a profoundly satisfying meal that feels incredibly indulgent, yet keeps your health goals in check.
Then comes the layer of gooey, melted cheese, creating that irresistible pull and flavor that instantly evokes the best parts of a pizza. This combination results in a harmonious blend of familiar comfort food sensations.
This baked dish is not only a flavor powerhouse, but it’s also remarkably filling. The generous protein from the beef, coupled with the fiber from the vegetables and the healthy fats from the cheese, ensures you feel completely satisfied without the need for heavy grains or starches.
You can switch this recipe up with ground chicken, turkey, lamb or pork. You can also make this dish vegetarian and leave out the ground meat!
If you like this recipe, you will also love this Chicken Zucchini Bake or this High Protein Italian Pasta Bake.
Thank you for stopping by Hungry Happens! If you decide to make this or any other dish from our site, we would greatly appreciate you taking the time to comment and rate the recipe! LOVE YOUR LIFE!
Ground Beef Zucchini Bake (Low Carb)
Ingredients
- 1½ lbs (0.70 kg) zucchini, cut into rounds, salted + pat dry
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 8 oz (225 g) mushrooms, diced
- 1/2 tsp each salt, garlic powder + onion powder
- 1 lb (0.50 kg) ground beef
- 1/2 tsp each salt, garlic powder, onion powder + paprika
- 1 cup (235 ml) marinara sauce
- 1½ cups (170 g) shredded mozzarella cheese
- 2 tsp Italian herb blend
- 2 tbs grated parmesan
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400℉.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté the onions for 2-3 minutes. Add in the mushrooms and sauté for 4-5 minutes. Add in the salt, garlic powder, onion powder and stir to coat. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Next, in the same skillet add in the ground meat and use a wooden spoon to break up the meat until no longer pink. Add in the salt, garlic powder, onion powder and paprika and stir to coat. Taste and adjust if needed.
Assembly:
- In a 9×13 inch baking dish, add in the zucchini, sauteed vegetables, cooked ground beef, marinara sauce, 1 cup mozzarella, Italian herb blend, salt and pepper to taste, and mix until combined. Top with parmesan cheese. Bake for 30 minutes, remove from the oven and top with remaining mozzarella and bake until melted.
Notes
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge up to 3-4 days.
- If you don’t have ground beef, you can also use ground chicken, turkey, pork or lamb.
Ground Beef Zucchini Bake was so delicious and so easy to make. my 13 year old granddaughter ate half of it. I definitely will be making this again.
Easy and flavorful! Definitely a keeper in our dinner rotation’s. Thank you for sharing!
What is the portion size and calorie count info please? Thank you
Hi Peter, its at the bottom of each recipe box
Is this freezable?
I didn’t have marinara sauce, but I used one can of tomato paste and added water, white wine and other seasonings and it was delicious! Thank you for this recipe!
Yummy recipe.
This was so good. It’s basically spaghetti sauce with squash. I used celery, bell pepper,mushrooms, onion and garlic. I like the technique of cooking the hamburger separately, allowing me to drain the oil and cook till slightly crispy. My real find was Mexican Grey Zucchini; they’re eggplant shaped and lighter green, with tender skin.They contain less water also, I lightly salted the cut squash and let sit while I made the sauce. Didn’t need to dry or rinse it. Cooked the dish 1/2 hr. longer, the squash were still a bit crunchy and have a nutty flavor. It was a lot of dicing and slicing but I will definitely make again.
Hi Lea, all great tips – thank you for sharing with us! I’m so glad the dish was a winner!
I don’t have Marinara sauce. Can I use pasta sauce instead?
Elaine
Hi Elaine, yes you can! any red sauce will work!
In the photo it shows yellow squash mixed with zucchini but the yellow squash is not mentioned in the recipe. I plan to make this and would use some of each. Sounds like an awesome recipe. Thx for sharing.
HI, the “Italian Herb Blend” you ise and link in your recipe above contains parsley, onion, and garlic in addition to the herbs typically found in Italian seasoning, which is what I have. How much parsley, onion, and garlic should I add in addition to the Italian seasoning I have to give the same flavor or your “Italian Herb Blend”?
Hi Stella – thanks for this wonderful recipe – this will become a staple meal in my home. I had ground turkey available so used that, and it was wonderful. Will definately make again with ground beef. I also substituted the mushrooms with peppers as I dont like mushrooms. It all came together nicely. I love a one pot meal.
Look forward to making some of your other recipes to add to my regular weekly meals. thank you.
Love your life 🙂
You’ve “Add in the salt, garlic powder, onion powder and stir to coat.” twice, once with the sauteed veggies and then again with the ground meat? Do we half the amount, use full amount or is that an error? I really want to give this a try and get it right. Looks yummy!
I made this dish 3 times, all incorrectly cos I didnt read the instructions properly, but still tasted delicious lol. Taking a closer look at the recipe, the first lot of spices listed is the 1/2 tsp salt, garlic powder and onion powder for the veggie mix, and then there is a 2nd lot of spices – 1/2 tsp salt, garlic powder, onion powder AND paprika – for the meat mix.
What is the serving size/amount? Thank you
Is the potassium content for the entire dish or per serving, and if per serving, define please?
Looks yummy…will definitely try it
So easy, you will say daah, why have I not thought of this myself!
On really hot days I ” bake” this in an Aluminum 9×13 pan on my propane grill. Heat the grill in a 2 zone method. Place the pan over the indirect heat side. Close the lid. Bake as directed.
I used half provalone (thin sliced & torn up, OR hand shredded on a box shredded) My family thinks provalone has more flavor than mozzerella, so I keep a block of provalone in the freezer
Next time I might add some diced red bell papper
Thanks for posting.
after salting zucchini do you cook it before adding to the casserole? Do you rinse off the salt?
HI Deborah, I wipe away the salt. sorry for the omission. I do not cook it – it cooks in the oven
I won’t lie, I didn’t have high expectations for this recipe, mainly due to how simple it looked. I had all the ingredients and a few squash I needed to use, so I figured I’d try it for an easy dinner. This turned out SO good. I will be making this recipe all summer as I get more squash from my garden. I will say, I probably added a little more marinara than was called for because I wanted to use up an open jar, but I like things saucy. 10/10
You might want to mention to wipe off the salt in the recipe