Name: Amazing Veggie-Loaded BBQ Spaghetti Bolognese Bake
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 10 oz Whole Grain Spaghetti; 2 tsp Olive Oil (Divided); 1 lb Extra Lean Ground Turkey (or Chicken/Beef, 454g); ½ cup Onion (Finely Chopped, 80g); 2 tsp Minced Garlic (about 2 cloves); 2 cups Celery (Diced, 202g, about 3 large stalks); 1 cup Broccoli (Chopped, 180g); 1 cup Carrots (Chopped, 128g); ½ cup Bell Peppers (Chopped, 75g); ¾ cup Low Sodium Chicken or Vegetable Broth; ½ cup Barbecue Sauce; 1 tsp Salt; ½ tsp Black Pepper; ¼ tsp Cayenne Pepper; Shredded Cheese

This Healthy BBQ Spaghetti Bolognese Bake has a veggie loaded ground beef filling flavored with barbecue sauce! A customizable bbq baked spaghetti bolognese with vegetables, leftover meat sauce or even spaghetti, it truly is an amazing pasta bake.

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Okay I think I waited too long to share this recipe! I made this spaghetti pie as I’d like to call it, a while ago. Around the time I shared that shepherd’s pie – because I really got hooked on that whole bbq sauce and gound meat combo.

I even looked up things to do with ground meat and barbecue sauce, and just ended up going for a healthy spaghetti bolognese with a twist! I just realized the pasta is ‘twisted’ on the top haha.

Taste? I finished this entire thing in 4 meals. This ‘phase’ would have actually continued on a lot longer if I had more ground meat.

Fun fact: I even tried it with a Vegan ground meat substitute and it turned out perfect!

Ingredients for this BBQ Spaghetti Bolognese Bake

This bbq baked spaghetti recipe is one of the most healthy pasta recipes you can get – lean meat, loaded with veggies, and has no cheese!

No tomato sauce or paste needed either.

For the Pasta:

Just spaghetti! I would recommend a whole grain pasta, or gluten-free one like something made from brown rice.

You can also use a linguine here or fettucini.

For the Healthy BBQ Sauce Spaghetti Bolognese Filling

Lean Ground Turkey or Chicken Breast or Ground Beef, or even Ground Vegan Meat
Olive Oil for frying
Onion
Garlic
All the vegetables: Celery, Broccoli, Carrots and Bell Peppers
A good BBQ sauce – try to go for a low sodium and low sugar sauce.
Salt and Pepper to season
Cayenne Pepper for some heat

How to make this Healthy Spaghetti Bolognese Bake

First cook the spaghetti for the Bolognese Pasta Bake

Bring water to a boil in a large pot.

Add in the pasta, cover the pot, and let it cook for about 10 minutes – or according to the instructions on the package. Be sure it’s only cooked to al dente, since it will continue to cook in the oven.
Drain out most of the water.

Now cook the Filling for this Spaghetti Bolognese with Vegetables

The filling for this bbq sauce spaghetti bolognese recipe is extremely easy to make as well. Just cook the meat, cook the vegetables, and combine them both.

You can do this while the pasta is cooking.

Heat some oil in a large nonstick pan or skillet and cook the ground meat for about 5-7 minutes until it’s no longer pink. Be sure to break it up.
Then transfer it to a plate and set it aside.

Pour the remaining oil on the pan, and cook the onions, garlic, celery, broccoli, carrots and bell peppers. The onions should be translucent and veggies tender.

Move the cooked meat back into the pan and add the sauce, broth, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper.
Give it a good mix and let it cook until slightly thickened.

And now actually bake the BBQ Baked Spaghetti

Pour the cooked bar pie filling into a 2 quart casserole dish, pie plate or an 8 x 8 “ baking pan. Spread it out nice and even.

Now twirl or spread the spaghetti evenly over the top.

Bake for about 15 minutes.
The pasta should be lightly golden browned.

Some options for Veggie Loaded Spaghetti Bolognese:

The first thing to play around with about is the vegetables.

“Can you put Broccoli in Spaghetti Bolognese”

If you asked this question, well yes – I used a bunch of broccoli in the filling for his spaghetti bolognese, and it turned out amazing!

You can feel free to replace it with other vegetables too such as zucchini, or may be even cauliflower?

To make a leftover Spaghetti Bolognese Cake:

If you have previously cooked spaghetti bolognese from a previous recipe, you can turn that into a baked pasta dinner too.

If they’re not combined already, pour in the filling and top it with the pasta.

For an already-mixed spaghetti and meat sauce, the put the entire combination in the pie dish or casserole and bake that instead! Add some extra pasta or cheese on top for aesthetic maybe?

Can you make Spaghetti Bolognese with Leftover Meat Sauce

Yes! This instead of cooking the meat from scratch, you can use leftover meat sauce in this recipe but just adding it to the cooked vegetables.

You also want to reduce the amount of broth and barbecue sauce you add.

Make a Bolognese Cottage Pie

Instead of the pasta, you can try my recipe for Healthy Shepherd’s Pie topped with Mashed Cauliflower!

Can you make Baked Spaghetti Bolognese in Advance

Cook it a day before!

You can cook the ground beef bolognese filling a day in advance, and store it in the fridge.

I would recommend cooking the pasta on the day of. You can do this while you let the filling thaw to room temperature and wait for the oven to preheat.

Then proceed to the baking step.

Store the Barbecue Sauce Spaghetti:

BBQ spaghetti bolognese bake is a great recipe for a potluck or even just meal prep. You can keep the whole pie or individual portion serving sizes in the fridge in an airtight container for about 4 days.

To reheat the bolognese casserole out of the fridge, you can microwave it on high for about 2 minutes depending on the size of the portion.
Another option is to heat it in the oven for about 10 minutes at 350°F.

You can Freeze!

The spaghetti pie is a freezer friendly recipe too, but with a catch.

Cook the filing as you would, but you want to be extra careful that the pasta is only cooked al dente (tender), this is so that it doesn’t get ruined in the freezer. Assemble the dish, let it cool completely, cover it rightly in freezer safe wrap or place it in a zipper bag and put it in the freezer for up to 1 month.

You can either let it thaw overnight in the fridge or cook it from frozen – but this would take longer.

Looking for another Baked Pasta Recipe?

This Fat-free Cheesy Baked Alfredo Penne is definitely one of my favorites!