This keto spaghetti is twirled into a juicy, herbaceous meat sauce, and sprinkled with parmesan, for the most comforting and decadent of low carb dinners. It comes together with only 10 minutes of hands-on work; sit back, relax, and let your stove do the heavy lifting.
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email below and we’ll send it straight to your inbox. Plus you’ll get great new recipes from us every week!
Ingredients in This Keto Spaghetti
This keto spaghetti is doused in my go-to herbaceous, low carb meat sauce. Here’s what you need, and a few potential swaps:
- The meat: I love ground turkey for this recipe, as the long cooking process keeps it juicy. You can use ground pork or chicken instead–you can also use ground beef. If using beef, skip the oil, and remove the grease from your pan (carefully!) with a paper towel and tongs before adding your tomatoes.
- The herbs: Italian seasoning, garlic powder, oregano, basil, and bay leaves are my go to. I suggest adjusting the salt and seasoning after the recipe has simmered.
How to Modify the Sauce to Your Taste
What I love about this keto spaghetti with meat sauce is that it comes together easily with simple ingredients. But it can easily be modified. Aside from swapping the meat, and adjusting the herbs, here’s how to make it your way:
- Saute some aromatics – at the beginning and incorporate them into your sauce. Garlic, white onions, or shallots are all great options.
- Mix in fresh herbs – such as rosemary, basil, or oregano.
- Add a dry red wine – take a note from my keto bolognese, the alcohol cooks off leaving nothing more than a rich, deep flavor.
- Or heavy cream once the sauce has simmered. Because of the tomatoes, this will never be a keto alfredo sauce, so if that’s what you’re craving make that instead.
Your Keto Pasta Options
You have options when it comes to keto spaghetti–find what works best for you based on taste, texture, and nutritional goals. Here are the best options:
| Net Carbs | Flavor | Texture | Compatability With Sauce | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spaghetti Squash | 5.5 g (per cup) | Mild veggie | Slight crunch if cooked just right, soggy when overdone | Amazing |
| Zucchini Noodles | 3 g (per cup) | Mild veggie | Soft, soggy when overcooked | Best fresh, soggy when reheated |
| Shirataki Noodles | 0 g (per 4 oz) | No flavor | Soft, gelatinous | Not great, better with stir fries |
| Almond Flour Pasta | 4 g (per serving) | Almond flour meets a bit of cheese | Soft interior, slight crunch on the exterior | Good when drizzled on top |
| Edamame Noodles | 7 g (per 2 oz) | Shockingly similar to pasta | Just like pasta | Incredible |
Keto Spaghetti Cooking Tips
Obviously, I have a few cooking tips based on the keto spaghetti you choose to use, as each veggie, almond flour variety, etc. has a different set of rules. Here’s what to watch out for:
- Spaghetti squash – the trick is to not overcook spaghetti squash, as it goes from slightly crunchy to soggy in a matter of minutes. Try my microwave method if you’re short on time!
- Zucchini noodles (zoodles) – never use store bought frozen zucchini noodles–instead, opt for fresh. I also recommend twirling these into a warm sauce, as I do with this zucchini spaghetti, rather than cooking them before–they turn soggy really quickly, or using them for a cold zoodle salad.
- Butternut squash noodles and other firm veggie noodles will often need a gentle saute before adding a sauce.
- Shirataki noodles – have the best texture and flavor when dry fried in a pan with a touch of oil and garlic for 5 minutes–this reduces their chewy texture.
- Almond flour pasta or keto gnocchi – if using my recipes, these can’t be cooked in a sauce–instead, pour the warm sauce over the pasta.
- Edamame noodles – These are the best! Cook them as you would regular pasta. Added bonus is, you can use the pasta water to thin the sauce if you like.
How to Make Keto Spaghetti and Meat Sauce
Our meat sauce is juicy, tender, and jam-packed with flavor, thanks to the low and slow, totally hands-off cooking method. All you have to do is:
- Brown the meat, breaking it up with the back of your spoon as it cooks.
- Add all other ingredients to your pan, stir, and simmer.
What About Store Bought Keto Spaghetti Sauce?
You can absolutely purchase keto spaghetti sauce from the store–my biggest tip is to read labels carefully, as sugar is often added to reduce the bitterness of tomatoes in spaghetti sauce. Here are a few jars I’ve used in a pinch:
- Rao’s
- Primal Kitchen
- Trader Joe’s brand makes 1 sugar free jar we love!
More Low Carb Spaghetti Recipes
- Spaghetti Squash Casserole
- Spaghetti Squash Lasagna
- Buffalo Chicken Spaghetti Squash
- Spaghetti Squash Carbonara
- Garlic Parmesan Spaghetti Squash
Keto Spaghetti
Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
- 1 pound ground beef or turkey
- 1 (28-ounce can) crushed tomatoes
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon granulated erythritol optional
- 1 pound keto pasta options on note 1
Instructions
- In a large, heavy-bottom pan, brown your meat, breaking it up with the back of a spoon as it cooks and crumbles. If using turkey, you’ll want to add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan before cooking. For beef, drain excess fat from your pan before proceeding.
- Add the rest of the sauce ingredients (everything but the pasta) to your pan, and bring to a simmer. Continue to simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. If the sauce starts to thin, add a splash of low sodium chicken broth or water so it doesn't burn on the bottom.
- Meanwhile, cook your pasta: For keto spaghetti squash, I suggest baking it while the sauce is simmering. For zucchini noodles, prep them, don’t cook before (just twirl in to the sauce). For edamame noodles, make towards the end of the sauce simmering. For my almond flour pasta, shape, and fry towards the end of your pasta simmering.
- Remove the bay leaves, and serve warm pasta over your noodles. Sprinkle with parmesan and enjoy!
Fans Also Made These Healthy Recipes:
Lindsey’s Tips
- Keto pasta options
| Net Carbs | Flavor | Texture | Compatability With Sauce | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spaghetti Squash | 5.5 g (per cup) | Mild veggie | Slight crunch if cooked just right, soggy when overdone | Amazing |
| Zucchini Noodles | 3 g (per cup) | Mild veggie | Soft, soggy when overcooked | Best fresh, soggy when reheated |
| Shirataki Noodles | 0 g (per 4 oz) | No flavor | Soft, gelatinous | Not great, better with stir fries |
| Almond Flour Pasta | 4 g (per serving) | Almond flour meets a bit of cheese | Soft interior, slight crunch on the exterior | Good when drizzled on top |
| Edamame Noodles | 7 g (per 2 oz) | Shockingly similar to pasta | Just like pasta | Incredible |
Leave a Reply