This Low Calorie High Protein Baked Spaghetti Recipe is easy, healthy and delicious! Plus I have included a vegetarian or a meaty version for you to choose from.
And because I know everyone is looking to add more protein and lower their carbs these days, I have included tips on how to do that too.
Why You’ll Love This Baked Spaghetti Recipe:
- 2 Recipes To choose from – I included both a vegetarian and a meaty recipe!
- Low Calorie – just 388 calories for 1 1/2 cups.
- High Protein – the vegetarian 20.4g of protein and the meaty one 22.8g protein- plus there are protein add ins and protein pasta options!
- Nutrition Label – as always, the reader favorite nutrition labels can be found below.
Low Calorie High Protein Baked Spaghetti
I have included lots of helpful tips in the sections below, plus a shopping list, recipe card and more. You can read though them (I recommend doing so as there are carb cutting tips in there) or skip ahead to the section you are looking for. Either way, these links will help you hop around to the sections you’re looking for.
What You’ll Find in this Article:
Ingredients in Low Calorie Baked Spaghetti
I have made this recipe two different ways, so you will find 2 sets of ingredients in this section. You will also find swaps and tips to make this recipe low carb, high protein and even low sugar and sodium in the sections below.
But this is the basic ingredients for each version. You can skip ahead to the swaps section here.
Vegetarian Baked Spaghetti Ingredients:
- 1 package – 16 ounces spaghetti (regular or gluten-free protein pasta)
- 1 medium onion
- 2 cups mushrooms
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 zucchini
- 3 cups marinara sauce (homemade or organic store-bought)
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 cups low fat ricotta cheese
- 1 cup shredded skim mozzarella cheese
Meaty Baked Spaghetti Ingredients:
- 1 package – 16 ounces spaghetti (regular or gluten-free protein pasta)
- 1 medium onion
- 2 Italian sausages
- 3 cups marinara sauce (homemade or organic store-bought)
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 cups low fat ricotta cheese
- 1 cup shredded skim mozzarella cheese
How to Make Healthy Baked Spaghetti
I recommend baking this recipe atop a rimmed baking sheet. Depending on your oven and sauce, it may bubble over and make a mess.
For even easier clean up, cover the rimmed baking sheet with foil so you can toss it out and skip any scrubbing!
How to Make Healthy Baked Spaghetti Casserole:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large pot cook spaghetti according to package directions to al dente. Drain, move to a large bowl, and set aside.
- Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook onion, and any additional veggies or meat, over medium heat until the onion is tender and any meat is cooked thought, 6-8 minutes.
- Remove sausages (if using) and cool until you can handle, then chop and add back to the pan.
- To the pan, add pasta sauce and garlic salt, plus any additional seasonings (Italian seasoning or red pepper flakes). Turn off the heat and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and the Parmesan cheese together.
- To the cooked and drained spaghetti add to egg mixture and mix together to coat.
- Place half the spaghetti mixture in a greased 9×13 baking dish. Top with half the ricotta cheese, then the (veggie or meaty) sauce and 1/2 the mozzarella cheese.
- Repeat layers, topping with the remaining cheese.
- Place baking dish on a rimmed baking sheet (it may bubble over and make a mess- we don’t want that!)
- Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove the foil cover, and bake an additional 30 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let stand 15 minutes before serving (this helps it hold together in slices).
- Top with basil or parsley and serve hot.
Optional Add-Ins and Ingredient Swaps
I have included a meaty and vegetarian version of this spaghetti recipe, but what if you want to add more protein, lower the carbs, or sugar.
That’s where this section comes in… I have supplied you with optional add-ins, ingredient swaps and tips on making this recipe even healthier.
Optional Add-Ins:
- 1 pound ground meat (beef, turkey, chicken or vegan crumbles)
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning
- Chopped fresh basil for topping
- Chopped Italian Parsley for topping
Make it Low Carb:
You can easily make this recipe low carb! Simply swap out the spaghetti for protein pasta. I love Banza Protein Pasta, but choose your favorite.
Boost Protein:
To boost the protein in this recipe I recommend doubling the meat (or adding in the ground meat) and swapping out the pasta for protein pasta.
Lower Sodium:
To lower the sodium, I recommend making your own marinara sauce (here is a recipe). This way you can control the sodium. You can also swap out the garlic salt for garlic powder.
Lower Sugar:
To lower the sugar, you will also want to make your own marinara sauce (this recipe is low sugar!) Most store-bought sauces are packed with added sugar, plus homemade always tastes better!
Low Calorie Baked Spaghetti Recipe
More Low Calorie Pasta Recipes:
Low Calorie High Protein Baked Spaghetti
Ingredients
Vegetarian Baked Spaghetti:
- 1 package 16 ounces spaghetti (regular or gluten-free protein pasta)
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 2 cups mushrooms chopped
- 1 red bell pepper chopped
- 1 zucchini chopped
- 3 cups marinara sauce (homemade or organic store-bought)
- ½ teaspoon garlic salt
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 cups low fat ricotta cheese
- 1 cup shredded skim mozzarella cheese
Meaty Baked Spaghetti:
- 1 package 16 ounces spaghetti (regular or gluten-free protein pasta)
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 2 Italian sausages
- 3 cups marinara sauce homemade or organic store-bought
- ½ teaspoon garlic salt
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 cups low fat ricotta cheese
- 1 cup shredded skim mozzarella cheese
Optional Add-Ins:
- 1 pound ground meat (beef, turkey, chicken or vegan crumbles)
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning
- Chopped fresh basil for topping
- Chopped Italian Parsley for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large pot cook spaghetti according to package directions to al dente. Drain, move to a large bowl, and set aside.
- Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook onion, and any additional veggies or meat, over medium heat until the onion is tender and any meat is cooked thought, 6-8 minutes.
- Remove sausages (if using) and cool until you can handle, then chop and add back to the pan.
- To the pan, add pasta sauce and garlic salt, plus any additional seasonings (Italian seasoning or red pepper flakes). Turn off the heat and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and the Parmesan cheese together.
- To the cooked and drained spaghetti add to egg mixture and mix together to coat.
- Place half the spaghetti mixture in a greased 9×13 baking dish. Top with half the ricotta cheese, then the (veggie or meaty) sauce and 1/2 the mozzarella cheese.
- Repeat layers, topping with the remaining cheese.
- Place baking dish on a rimmed baking sheet (it may bubble over and make a mess- we don’t want that!)
- Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove the foil cover, and bake an additional 30 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let stand 15 minutes before serving (this helps it hold together in slices).
- Top with basil or parsley and serve hot.
Nutrition
Nutrition and Calories in Baked Spaghetti Casserole
You can easily lower carbs and boost protein with protein pasta. My favorite is Banza protein pasta and is works great in the recipe!
You can also lower the sodium by making your own marinara sauce (I based this off store-bought) and I have a recipe here for you. And you can also swap out the garlic salt for garlic powder.
Finally, swapping out store-bought marinara sauce for homemade will also significantly lower the sugar in this recipe. All of these modifications are easy to make… but I wanted to make this recipe as easy as possible, so I did the nutrition labels off store-bought sauces and regular pasta.
Here is the nutrition for the Vegetarian version:
And this is the nutrition for the meaty version:
Important Note: As a reminder, at Lose Weight By Eating the goal is to make healthier, all-natural versions of your favorite recipes… not all will be “diet worthy” depending on the diet you are on. But they will be healthier versions to help curb your cravings.
More Weight Loss Recipes:
Lose Weight By Eating Cookbooks
Share this Healthy Recipe:
Article History:
- Originally written and published October 31, 2022 by Audrey Johns
- Updated on June 8, 2023 by Audrey Johns
- Updated on September 19, 2023 by Audrey Johns
- Updated on October 5, 2023 by Audrey Johns
