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Keto Baked Ziti

Annie Lampella, Pharm.D. Recipe developer and pharmacist

Published Updated

22 ratings

Zesty beef and sausage marinara, a creamy three cheese mixture, and keto ziti noodles baked under melted mozzarella. I keep some sauce separate for layering, so this casserole has both creamy pasta and pockets of rich meat sauce. Each serving has an estimated 8.8g net carbs.
  • 8.8gnet carbs
  • 35.7gprotein
  • 60minutes
  • 12servings
Baked ziti pasta with ground beef and cheese on a plate.
A keto baked ziti casserole topped with a meaty red sauce and mozzarella cheese.
A hand pulling out a serving of pasta casserole from the dish.
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Baked ziti sits somewhere between spaghetti and lasagna for me: a familiar meat sauce, a creamy cheese layer, and mozzarella melting over the top. This is my keto take on the baked ziti that inspired the recipe. In my original video, I wanted to keep that comfort food feeling while changing the ingredients that bring the most carbs.

A spoon resting in a casserole dish filled with a beefy pasta casserole.

The pasta matters because I want noodles in this casserole, with sauce caught inside the tubes. I use Kaizen lupin pasta in the original recipe. It goes into the oven while it is still firm, so the bake finishes the cooking. Other pasta brands need their own preparation instructions; the short boil here is not a rule for every low carb noodle.

The cheese mixture is what makes this more than pasta with sauce poured over it. Cottage cheese, Parmesan, mozzarella and eggs coat the cooled noodles before they go into the dish. Then I layer that mixture with the remaining meat sauce and cheese.

That is why I set aside 2 1/2 cups of sauce before mixing. The reserved portion cools before it joins the cheese and pasta; the rest stays separate for the layers. Folding all the sauce in at once would lose that contrast between creamy pasta and the richer spoonfuls of meat sauce.

I also add a small pinch of anise seed to the beef and sausage marinara. It brings a sweet, lightly licorice note alongside the Italian seasoning. The sauce gets a 20–25 minute simmer before assembly, so give that step time while you prepare the other components. If that combination of sausage, tomato and melted cheese is what you are after, my stuffed Italian sausage uses a much shorter ingredient list.

A spatula pulling out a serving of ziti pasta with beef and marinara while cheese pulls from the dish.

Choosing pasta for baked ziti

The original recipe uses Kaizen lupin pasta. Its brief two minute boil is preparation for the oven, not a claim that the pasta is fully cooked in the pot. Drain and cool it before adding the egg and cheese mixture.

For another brand, follow its preparation directions and keep the pasta firm enough to finish in the casserole. Wheat based low carb penne, hearts of palm and shirataki have different textures, ingredients and nutrition. They are options to consider, not identical swaps for the stated macros.

Lupin can cause allergic reactions, including in people with peanut allergies. Check every product label and choose ingredients appropriate for the person eating. Shirataki or hearts of palm is not an automatic allergy guarantee, and wheat based pasta is not gluten free.

Overhead shot of a ziti casserole recipe from the Pioneer Woman topped with chopped parsley.

What the nutrition estimate includes

The listed estimate is 8.8g net carbs, 19.8g total carbs and 35.7g protein per serving, with the casserole divided into 12 portions. It covers the ingredient amounts in the recipe card.

Different pasta, marinara, sausage and cheese brands can change those numbers. If you omit the diced tomatoes or change a cheese, calculate the ingredients you actually use rather than subtracting a fixed number from this estimate. The cottage cheese also contributes to the creamy layer, so removing it changes more than the carbs.

Make ahead, storage and reheating

For the next day: cool the sauce and pasta before combining with the cheese mixture, assemble, cover and refrigerate promptly at 40°F or below. Bake the following day. A cold casserole takes longer than the freshly assembled version; check that the center reaches 165°F instead of relying on melted cheese alone.

For the freezer: wrap the assembled casserole well and freeze for up to 2–3 months for best quality. Thaw completely in the refrigerator before baking. A deep casserole can take more than one night to thaw. If the top browns before the center is hot, cover loosely with foil.

Cooked leftovers: refrigerate in shallow, covered containers within two hours and use within 3–4 days. Freeze extra portions for up to 2–3 months for best quality. Reheat covered, with a little marinara if needed, until the center reaches 165°F.

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The recipe

Keto Baked Ziti

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Prep 15 min Cook 45 min Total 60 min Serves 12

Ingredients

Servings 12

Keto Baked Ziti Ingredients

Step by Step Instructions

  1. Saute onion & garlic

    Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil and swirl to coat the skillet. Add diced onion and garlic. Saute for 2-3 minutes or until softened.

    For this step

    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 1/4 medium onion, diced
    • 3 cloves garlic, minced
    A skillet with cooked onion and garlic.

  2. Cook the proteins

    Add the ground beef and ground sausage. Break into crumbles and cook until browned and the meat reaches 160°F. If using ground poultry, cook to 165°F. Drain off some of the fat, leaving about 2–3 tablespoons behind for moisture.

    For this step

    • 1 pound ground beef
    • 1 pound ground sausage
    A skillet with browned and cooked ground beef.

  3. Make the red sauce

    Stir in diced tomatoes plus the juice from the can. Add the marinara sauce, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and anise seed. Stir and bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low and let simmer for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

    For this step

    • 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
    • 24-25 oz jar marinara sauce
    • 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
    • 3/4 teaspoon salt
    • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
    • 1/4 teaspoon anise seed
    Meaty red sauce with cooked tomatoes.

  4. Reserve some sauce

    Transfer 2 1/2 cups of sauce to a bowl and let it cool until no longer hot while you prepare the pasta. Keep the remaining sauce separate for layering. Preheat the oven to 375°F.

    A spoon scooping out red sauce into a measuring cup to set aside for later.

  5. Cook the pasta

    For the Kaizen lupin pasta used in the original recipe, boil for about 2 minutes, leaving it firm to finish cooking in the oven. Drain and rinse with cold water to cool it, then drain well. For a different pasta brand, follow its preparation directions and avoid overcooking before baking.

    For this step

    • 16 oz low-carb ziti pasta
    Stirring cooked penne pasta with a spoon in boiling water.

  6. Prepare the white sauce

    In a large bowl, mix together 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese, cottage cheese, parmesan cheese and eggs.

    For this step

    • 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
    • 1 cup cottage cheese
    • 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
    • 2 eggs
    A bowl with cheese and egg mixed together.

  7. Coat the pasta

    Pour the cooked & drained pasta into the bowl with the cheese mixture and stir to coat. Stir in the 2 ½ cups reserved, cooled beef pasta sauce.

    A bowl with ziti pasta coated with a creamy red beefy sauce.

  8. Assemble and bake

    Spread half of the pasta mixture in a large, deep casserole dish, such as a 9×13 inch dish. Spoon half of the remaining meat sauce over it and sprinkle with half of the remaining mozzarella. Repeat the layers. Leave some space below the rim; divide between dishes if needed. Bake at 375°F for about 20 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly and the center reaches 165°F. A refrigerated casserole will need more time.

    For this step

    • 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
    An unbaked casserole made from pasta, marinara sauce and cheese.

Nutrition

Per serving: 1/12 of the casserole

Calories
431
Fat
28.2g
Protein
35.7g
Total carbs
19.8g
Net carbs
8.8g

Nutrition is an estimate calculated from the ingredients listed. Brands vary, so check labels if you track closely.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use ground turkey instead of beef and sausage?

Ground turkey can replace the meat, but it makes a leaner sauce and changes the nutrition. Cook ground poultry to 165°F before adding the sauce. Keep the listed beef and sausage if you want to follow the original flavor and ingredient estimate.

What pasta did you use, and why is the boil so short?

I used Kaizen lupin pasta in the original recipe. The two minute boil leaves it firm because it finishes cooking in the oven. This is not a universal cooking time for low carb pasta. Follow the preparation directions for a different brand, and drain it well before mixing.

Why did my pasta break apart?

Overcooking before the bake can leave the noodles too soft to hold up during mixing and baking. For the original Kaizen pasta, use the short boil in the card, cool and drain, then fold gently. Different pasta products behave differently; a longer boil is not automatically wrong for every brand.

Is lupin pasta suitable for a peanut allergy?

Lupin is a legume that can trigger allergic reactions, particularly in some people with peanut allergies. Do not assume it is suitable. Read ingredient labels and use a pasta appropriate for your allergy needs; the substitute may change both texture and nutrition.

Can I assemble baked ziti the night before?

Yes. Assemble with cooled components, cover and refrigerate promptly, then bake the following day. Keep it at 40°F or below. Bake until the center reaches 165°F, allowing extra time for the cold start. Cover with foil if the top browns before the middle is hot.

How do I reheat leftovers without drying them out?

Cover the portion to retain moisture, and add a spoonful of marinara if it looks dry. Heat in the microwave or oven until the center reaches 165°F. Check the middle rather than using one fixed microwave time. Refrigerated cooked leftovers keep for 3–4 days.

Can I make this without dairy?

This casserole uses cottage cheese, mozzarella and Parmesan for different parts of the creamy texture and melted topping. A dairy free version would need replacements for all three, with different moisture and melting behavior. This recipe is built around dairy and does not include a dairy free variation.

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Reviews

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4.7 from 22 ratings, 13 written

Made this recipe?

Replying to Courtney U.

Your rating

Tricia

Pull the pasta at two minutes, not when it looks done. It finishes in the oven and you want chew left, not mush. I went keto after my doctor flagged my A1C. Pasta was what I missed most. This is the first dish I’ve made on keto that didn’t taste like a consolation prize.

Reply

Annie Lampella

The A1C comment hit me. My mom went keto for the same reason, and the hardest part for her wasn’t the sugar, it was finding food that felt worth eating. Two minutes is exactly right on the pasta. It feels underdone when you pull it, almost wrong, but that’s when you want it because the oven does the rest. Consolation prize food is what I was most afraid of making when I started this site.

Reply

Courtney U.

Four batches in. The lupin pasta step is the only thing you really have to watch. I drain it, let it sit in the colander a few minutes, and blot it with a paper towel before folding it into the sauce. Lupin holds way more water than regular pasta and dumps it in the oven, so skip that step and the bottom comes out wet. I also pull it from the boil a minute early since it keeps cooking in the covered bake.nn8.8 net carbs is what got me to try it in the first place. Knowing it works reliably makes it an easy repeat. Four stars because of the pasta fussiness, but that’s the only variable.

Reply

Annie Lampella

Courtney, the blot step is the one I do every time and honestly should have written into the recipe. Pulling it a minute early from the boil is exactly right, the covered bake takes it the rest of the way.

Reply

Sasha

I swapped ground lamb in and it’s richer, in a good way

Reply

Tanya

Nobody guessed it was keto. Clean pan.

Reply

Annie Lampella

Clean pan is the only review that matters. People always think the lupin pasta is going to be the giveaway and it never is.

Reply

Crystal

Bloomed the Italian seasoning in hot oil, about 30 seconds before the meat, and the sauce tasted way deeper. That step matters more than I expected. Thanks for a solid base to work from, Annie.

Reply

Annie Lampella

30 seconds in hot oil does something the same time in the meat never would. I do this with the anise seeds too, Crystal – get them in the oil before the meat and they actually show up in the sauce instead of disappearing.

Reply

Marcus

Signed up to bring a hot dish before I really thought through scaling it for twelve people. Doubled everything. Spent the whole oven time waiting for the lupin pasta to go soft, but it held up. Someone asked what brand of ziti I got because the texture was off from regular pasta, like they noticed but couldn’t place it. Ended up explaining lupin to four people at the table. Still kind of gets me.

Reply

Annie Lampella

That ‘couldn’t place it’ reaction is what I always hope for. Not ‘this is weird,’ just ‘wait, what IS this?’ Four people at one table leaving with lupin in their vocabulary is a good night.

Reply

Riley

I kept second-guessing the reserved sauce step. Pulling out two and a half cups before assembly felt like sabotage, and I almost combined everything into one pot and hoped for the best. But I followed it exactly. The top layer sets up different from the bottom, almost like a thin crust where it bakes down, and the whole thing holds when you scoop. Made this on a weeknight with zero casserole experience and it came out looking like I’d been making baked ziti for years. 35 grams of protein per serving. In something that tastes like pasta. If you’re new to keto and think this means boring food forever, start here.

Reply

Annie Lampella

Almost combining it is so tempting. The reserved sauce is what creates that top layer, fold it all in and it just bakes flat. Glad you held out.

Reply

Yuki

The lupin pasta held up better than I expected in the oven. One note: the canned tomatoes made the sauce a bit acidic, so I added a small amount of sweetener at the end to balance it. Worth keeping in mind if your marinara runs tangy.

Reply

Annie Lampella

Canned diced tomatoes vary so much on acidity. A pinch of erythritol at the end helps.

Reply

Maria

The lupin pasta actually surprised me. I have tried a few keto pasta swaps and they have all let me down, but this held its shape in the sauce and had real bite to it. My one note: the marinara I used ran a little acidic, so next time I would add a small pinch of sweetener to balance it out. Four stars because it is genuinely worth making again, just with that small tweak.

Reply

Annie Lampella

Acid in jarred marinara is unpredictable. I keep erythritol next to the stove just for that.

Reply

Ashley

Batch six or seven in and it still comes out of the oven smelling freaking incredible. I’d completely written off keto pasta before this. The lupin ziti changed that. Started swapping in Rao’s for the marinara two batches ago and that’s the version I’m keeping now. Leftovers the next day are somehow even better than fresh.

Reply

Annie Lampella

Rao’s is the right call. The sauce is thicker so it doesn’t water down the casserole overnight, which is probably why the leftovers hit differently.

Reply

Lorraine

I’ve tried enough low-carb pasta bakes to know they usually turn to mush straight out of the oven, so I was skeptical. The lupin ziti held its shape through the full bake and even the next day. Did you undercook it slightly before it went in, or just follow the box?

Reply

Annie Lampella

The short two minute boil is for the Kaizen lupin pasta used in this recipe, which finishes cooking in the oven. For another pasta product, follow its preparation directions and keep it firm enough for the bake. Cool and drain it before combining with the cheese mixture.

Reply

Camila G.

My husband is lactose intolerant so I’ve been adapting our keto meals dairy-free when I can, and this one looks so worth it with the lupin pasta (love that it’s not cauliflower). I’ve done cashew ricotta in lasagna and it held up fine, but a heavily cheesy baked dish is a different thing. Does it get weird without real mozzarella melting through, or have you tried it with a dairy-free swap?

Reply

Annie Lampella

Cashew mozzarella shreds melt OK but there’s no stretch. The cottage cheese layer you can swap with your cashew ricotta since you’ve already done that in lasagna. It’ll taste good, just won’t pull the same way across the top.

Reply

Alex

Batch five and I’m still not over how good this is the next day (the lupin pasta soaks up the sauce overnight in a way that completely changes it). Only thing is I keep meaning to go heavier on the ricotta layer and then forget every single time.

Reply

Annie Lampella

For the original recipe, use 1 cup of cottage cheese. More cottage cheese changes the moisture and nutrition, so doubling it is a variation rather than the base formula. Assemble with cooled components, refrigerate promptly, and bake the following day until the center reaches 165°F.

Reply

Lisa

My son ate the whole bowl, found out it was lupin pasta after, and didn’t even care.

Reply

Annie Lampella

Kids never notice. Lupin holds its shape through the bake just like real ziti, so there’s nothing to tip them off.

Reply

Lakshmi

My daughter scraped the caramelized cheese edges clean before I even got the dish to the table.

Reply

Annie Lampella

Ha, those edges are the best part. My kids fight for them every time too.

Reply

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