Easy Zucchini Casserole with Ground Beef (Low-Carb)

This easy zucchini casserole with ground beef is full of nutritious veggies and packed with incredible flavor — the perfect low-carb casserole! A quick one-skillet meal that kids love! Giddy-up!

Serve a heaping scoop of this cheesy goodness to your dinner guests, and I promise not a bit will be left behind. A zucchini hamburger casserole worth putting on repeat!

If you are a zucchini fan and love finding easy dinner recipes, this is the one! After you have made this zucchini hamburger casserole, you’ll have to try my Zucchini Corn Fritters, this Bacon Beef Minestrone Soup, or even my Rich Chocolate Zucchini Cake.

I enjoy giving precise details in my recipe posts to lead my readers through any questions. If you’re just here for the printable recipe, use the Jump to Recipe to head straight there!

This is the best casserole when you are short on time, but don’t want to compromise on nutrition or flavor! Even better, it’s a little on the healthier side and kid-friendly too!

Simple Ingredients for Zucchini Casserole with Ground Beef

Ground Beef | For the fullest flavor, use ground beef that has some fat. Or you can make this dish a little healthier by choosing lean ground beef, leaner ground beef will have less fat, but also less flavor, so adjust your seasonings. Ground turkey or chicken is an excellent substitute for making this recipe as healthy as can be.

Butter and Oil | You’ll use one tablespoon each of butter and olive oil for sautéing the vegetables. You may use double the oil and omit the butter if you prefer.

Zucchini | Zucchini is the star vegetable full of nutritional value and tender zucchini noodles add texture without carbs.

Garlic & Onions | Garlic makes a meh recipe into a great recipe, fresh is best, but use garlic powder if you need too! And onion are a must have!

Yellow Squash | This ingredient is optional, but I love how it adds a subtle nutty taste.

Bell Pepper | Green pepper is excellent for enhancing the mild flavors of the zucchini, squash, and onion. You may use whatever color variation of bell pepper you prefer.

Sour Cream and Cream Cheese | Adding a tangy, cheesy, and silky texture.

Kosher Salt and Black Pepper | Sprinkle in a dash of kosher salt and black pepper for taste.

Tomato Paste & Tomato Sauce | For a robust tomato flavor, you’ll only need a spoonful of tomato paste, but about half a jar of spaghetti or pasta sauce. Try homemade spaghetti sauce too!

Worcestershire Sauce & Italian Seasoning | Worcestershire sauce adds umami notes in the casserole. A touch adds great flavor!

Shredded Cheese | I like to use sharp cheddar cheese or white cheddar. However, if you prefer, you may use regular cheddar, mozzarella, pepper jack, parmesan cheese or any other type. For fewer carbs, shred the cheese yourself. Packaged shredded cheese has added starches to keep the pieces from sticking together.

How to Make Ground Beef and Zucchini Casserole Recipes

Step 1 | Prep and Preheat

To begin this delicious and flavorful casserole, prepare your veggies by chopping the onion and slicing lots of zucchini and squash. You’ll also want to dice the bell peppers and mince the fresh garlic cloves.

Next, preheat the oven to 350° F (175° C) and lightly spray a 9×13 inch casserole dish with spray oil, or even better, use a large skillet; cast iron is best since it can go from oven to table, and heats evenly.

Step 2 | Saute Veggies & Hamburger

In a large cast iron skillet, heat the oil and butter over medium heat and sauté the diced onions for about 5 minutes. Then, add the bell peppers and sauté for a couple more minutes. Finally, add the minced garlic and sauté for about 1 minute or until fragrant.

Next, push the veggies to the side. Or, you may remove them to a plate for now. Brown ground beef until just browned and crumbled.

Step 3 | Saute Zucchini & Squash

Then, move the ground beef to the side of the pan and sauté the sliced (or shredded) fresh zucchini and yellow squash for 4 to 5 minutes until they become tender and soft. Combine zucchini back with the onions and peppers and stir the ingredients to combine.

Step 4 | Add Seasonings, Sauce and Cheese

Now, for the seasoning and cheese! Reduce the heat to medium-low and stir in your favorite tomato sauce, the tomato paste, some Worcestershire sauce, a dash of Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper, mixing into the zucchini mixture until thoroughly combined.

Then, mix in the cream cheese and sour cream until they are melted and fully incorporated into the meat mixture.

Step 5 | Bake Zucchini Hamburger Casserole

You may keep the freshly cooked ingredients in an oven-safe skillet or transfer the mixture to a 9×13 inch baking dish.

Sprinkle with shredded cheese and bake in preheated 350° F (175° C) 20-25 minutes uncovered. Remove from the oven and let the dish sit for 10 minutes before diving in!

Topping Ideas for Ground Beef and Zucchini Casserole Recipes

For a garnish, save two to four zucchini slices to fry and top the cooked dish. Just heat some oil in a pan and sear the slices, flipping them halfway through.

Remove the zucchini from the pan and place them on top of the zucchini ground beef casserole for a picture-perfect meal!

Variations & Substitutions

What’s great about this simple recipe is that you can change it up to make it even more scrumptious for yourself, your family, or those you are serving. Here are some excellent ideas:

• While sautéing the onions, add 1 cup of savory sliced mushrooms.
• Add 1 teaspoon of cumin, 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika, and a shake of red pepper flakes for a Mexican ground beef casserole—YUM!
• To make a more hearty meat sauce casserole, add up to 1 pound of cooked and drained pasta and increase the tomato sauce to a whole jar.
• Or, you may add up to 1 ½ cups cooked and cooled white or brown rice or another favorite grain. You should also increase the jar of spaghetti sauce to a full jar if you’re adding a grain.
• You can use full-fat, low-fat, or whatever variation you prefer for the sour cream and cream cheese. Additionally, you may replace the sour cream with plain Greek yogurt.

Storage Tips

Refrigerate – If you happen to have some leftovers of this delicious dish, you can store them in an air-tight container in fridge for up to 5 days.

Freeze – This zucchini and ground beef casserole also freezes well. You can store the dish in a freezer-safe container for about 3 months.

Easy Meal Prep for Zucchini Hamburger Casserole

You can make this casserole ahead of time if preferred and freeze or store in fridge until ready to bake.

Make the recipe up until adding shredded cheese to the top and baking. Let the meat and vegetable mixture cool completely, then top with shredded cheese. If desired, split the recipe into individual servings.

Cover casserole or airtight storage container with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and seal tightly. Place in fridge up 5 days before baking. Or freeze up to three months.

When ready to enjoy, remove the dish from the freezer thawing overnight in the fridge. Transfer contents to oven-safe dish and allow to sit on counter while oven preheats. Then bake according to directions.

Frequently Asked Questions

More Delish Casseroles

If you’re craving more easy and oh-so-delicious casseroles, here are a few of our favorites: Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole, Corn Casserole and the kid favorite Baked Spaghetti Pie. Check out these other popular recipes below:

Great vegetable recipes to make

Best sides to serve with zucchini casserole with ground beef

While this is easily a meal in itself, sometimes you want a little something extra to go with your meal. Since this is so low-carb I will often make my family some bread to go with it. Or a simple fruit salad works great too! Below are a few of our favorites:

I hope you loved this Ground Beef and Zucchini Casserole recipes — if you did, would you share your creation on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest? And be sure to comment below!