These spaghetti squash and meatball meal prep bowls are a lower carb lunch option! Save time and reduce your dishes by baking the meatballs right in your meal prep containers!
Just like this reader favorite Santa fe low carb chicken meal prep, these spaghetti squash and meatball meal prep bowls are another great lunch option for my low carb readers! Plus it's very easy to make, especially if you cook the spaghetti squash using this easy method.
This meal prep recipe is so easy, and requires just 20 minutes of your time to prep before popping in the oven. Baking the meatballs in the meal prep container cuts down on the portioning step and also on dishes.
Best of all, the Italian meatballs pack a ton of flavor and are so juicy. They are also made low carb, by leaving out breadcrumbs! While this dish is low carb, it is definitely still filling and packs 28 grams of protein per serving.
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Reasons you'll ♡ this recipe
- it's gluten-free and lower in carbs
- the meatballs bake right in the meal prep containers for easy clean up
- it tastes like your favorite pasta dish, but is lightened up
Watch the video below to see exactly how I prepped this recipe. It’s so easy! You can find more of my recipe videos on my YouTube channel, or on Facebook.
Ingredient notes
- Spaghetti squash - cook your spaghetti squash ahead in the oven or Instant Pot.
- Ground beef - we used lean ground beef here, but ground turkey works great as well!
- Cheese - we recommend using freshly grated parmesan cheese for the best flavor. To sprinkle on top, mozzarella or Monterey Jack are both delicious
- Marinara sauce - grab your favorite brand; you'll need one 22 oz/ 650 mL jar. We've tested with a variety of brands including Newman's Own, Classico and President's Choice. If you are following a keto or low carb diet, be sure to select a sauce with no added sugar; Rao's is a popular one.
Step by step instructions
1. Mix together meatballs - First, preheat oven to 375ºF. Mix together the meatball ingredients, including the ground beef, worcestershire sauce, salt, egg, oregano, basil and parmesan. Roll into 1.5 tablespoon balls. They will be soft, so be gentle with them.
Tip - I used my favorite 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop to form the meatballs!
2. Prepare meal prep containers - place ¼ cup of marinara in the bottom of four oven-safe glass meal prep containers. Arrange 4-5 meatballs on top, then cover with ¼ cup marinara.
Tip - these are the 2-compartment glass meal prep containers that I used to prep this recipe; be sure to select oven-safe meal prep containers if you are baking right in them.
3. Bake - bake at 375ºF for 25-30 minutes, until meatballs are cooked through. Sprinkle with cheese and return to the oven until cheese is melted, 2-3 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
4. Portion - portion out the cooked spaghetti squash (¾ cup per serving).
FAQ
You need a glass meal prep container that specifies that it is oven safe. Both my 2 Cup Glass Snapware and 2-compartment Glass PrepNaturals containers
are oven safe and worked well for this recipe.
Yes, bake in a separate dish, then portion out into your containers after it cools.
You can definitely freeze this meatball meal prep, but I would recommend cooking your spaghetti squash 'al dente' since it softens after freeze/thawing. It also lets off some water, but I bet after mixing with the marinara you wouldn't notice!
Storage & reheating
This recipe works great for meal prep. Here's how to store and reheat it:
- Fridge - cool completely, then refrigerate in air tight meal prep containers for up to 4 days
- Freezer - cool completely, then freeze for up to 3 months. Spaghetti squash freezes well! You can expect it to be slightly softer and to release some water upon thawing. Cooking your spaghetti squash 'al dente' will fix this issue.
- Thaw- overnight in the fridge.
- Reheat- in the microwave until steaming hot.
More low carb meal prep recipes
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Baked Meatball Meal Prep with Spaghetti Squash
Ingredients
Italian Meatballs
- 1 lb lean ground beef 450 g; see note 1
- 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- ¼ cup parmesan shredded
Meal Prep Bowls
- 2 ½ cups marinara sauce see note 2
- 1 ¼ cup mozzarella shredded
- 4 cups spaghetti squash cooked; see note 3
Instructions
- Mix together meatballs - First, preheat oven to 375ºF. Mix together the meatball ingredients, including the ground beef, worcestershire sauce, salt, egg, oregano, basil and parmesan. Roll into 1.5 tablespoon balls. They will be soft, so be gentle with them.
- Prepare meal prep containers - place ¼ cup of marinara in the bottom of four oven-safe glass meal prep containers. Arrange 4-5 meatballs on top, then cover with ¼ cup marinara.
- Bake - bake at 375ºF for 25-30 minutes, until meatballs are cooked through. Sprinkle with cheese and return to the oven until cheese is melted, 2-3 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
- Portion - portion out the cooked spaghetti squash (¾ cup per serving).
Tips:
- You may swap for ground turkey.
- Use your favorite brand; if you are low carb or keto, be sure to select a sauce with no added sugar. Rao's is a popular option.
- You may cook your spaghetti squash in the oven or Instant Pot
- Fridge - cool completely, then refrigerate in air tight meal prep containers for up to 4 days
- Freezer - cool completely, then freeze for up to 3 months. Spaghetti squash freezes well! You can expect it to be slightly softer and to release some water upon thawing. Cooking your spaghetti squash 'al dente' will fix this issue.
- Thaw- overnight in the fridge.
- Reheat- in the microwave until steaming hot.
Video
Nutrition Information
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