Courgetti Bake is a ground beef and spiralized zucchini dish baked with a tomato-herb sauce and melted cheddar on top. It eats like a lighter lasagna — same satisfying depth, fewer carbs, and a lot more vegetables per serving. It also reheats well, which makes it worth the effort on a Sunday.
Before you start
Two things matter here. First, brown the beef properly — spread it in the pan, leave it alone for a minute or two, and let it get some color before breaking it up. That browning is where most of the flavor comes from, and rushing it by stirring constantly gives you gray, steamed meat instead. Second, add the spiralized zucchini at the very end of the stovetop stage, just long enough to warm through. Zucchini releases a lot of water as it cooks; if it goes into the baking dish already soft, the finished bake will be watery and loose. Keeping it slightly underdone before the oven means it finishes at the right texture without flooding the sauce.
Keeping and reheating
Once baked, the dish keeps in the fridge for up to 4 days in a covered container — the flavors actually improve by day two as the sauce settles into the zucchini. For longer storage, portion it into individual servings before freezing; it holds well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge rather than on the counter. To reheat from fridge temperature, cover the dish with foil and warm it in a 350°F (175°C) oven for 20–25 minutes, or until the center hits 165°F (74°C) on an instant-read thermometer. A microwave works for single portions — cover loosely and heat in 90-second bursts, stirring between each, until steaming throughout. Skip reheating under the broiler to re-crisp the cheese top; by the second or third day the zucchini is too soft to benefit, and it just dries out the edges.
Common problems and fixes
- Watery bake: If the finished dish has a pool of liquid at the bottom, the zucchini cooked too long before going into the oven. Next time, add it to the pan off the heat, stir once, and transfer immediately. You can also blot spiralized zucchini with paper towels and let it sit salted for 10 minutes before using — this draws out excess moisture in advance.
- Bland meat sauce: Ground beef needs seasoning at the browning stage, not just at the end. If the sauce tastes flat after simmering, a small amount of Worcestershire sauce stirred in before baking adds savory depth without changing the character of the dish.
- Cheese topping not browning: Oven temperatures vary. If the cheddar looks pale after the stated bake time, switch to the broiler for 2–3 minutes and watch it closely. Pull it the moment it bubbles and colors — it goes from golden to burnt quickly.
- Sauce too thick after refrigerating: The tomato sauce tightens up overnight. When reheating a stored portion, add a tablespoon or two of water or beef stock before covering and warming — it loosens back to the right consistency without diluting the flavor.
- Beef not reaching safe temperature: Ground beef must reach 160°F (71°C) internally. If you are scaling the recipe up for batch cooking and the baking dish is deeper than usual, add 10 minutes to the oven time and verify the center with a thermometer before serving.
Divine Courgetti Bake
Ingredients
500 grams ground beef (minced beef)
3 medium courgettes also called zucchini (Courgettes French / Zucchini Italian)
2 medium yellow bell peppers (yellow capsicum) - cut into chunks
1 medium red onion - cut into chunks
1 medium red chilli - finely chopped and deseeded
1 handful cherry tomatoes - halved
600 grams tomato - chopped
2 cubes beef stock (beef broth or beef bouillon)- ¼ cup tomato - pureed
1 tablespoon mixed herbs (usually Thyme, Marjoram, Oregano, Parsley, Sage, Basil)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup cheddar cheese - for the topping
Instructions
- Fry off the beef mince in a bit of oil until brown, and then crumble over the 2 oxo cubes coating all of the mince.
- Add the peppers, onion and chilli and fry off for a couple of minutes until starting to soften.
- Pop in the cherry tomatoes and cartons of chopped tomatoes, add a splodge of tomato puree, sprinkle of dried mixed herbs and season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Make the courgette and add to the beef mixture cooking for a further 2 minutes so the vegetable cooks but still has its crunch, which adds a perfect texture to the dish.
- Pour the mixture into an ovenproof dish and sprinkle your chosen cheese on top. Put under the grill until it’s bubbling and golden, which is your cue to get the plates out and tuck in.
Nutrition
Common questions
Can I make this ahead and refrigerate it unbaked?
Yes — assemble the bake up to 24 hours in advance, cover tightly, and refrigerate before the oven stage. Add 10 extra minutes to the bake time since it will go in cold, and check that the center is hot through before serving.
Can I use a different ground meat instead of beef?
Ground turkey or chicken work well here. If you use ground poultry, cook it to an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C) and be aware it produces less fat during browning, so add a small drizzle of oil to the pan to prevent sticking.
Do I need a spiralizer, or is there another way to prep the zucchini?
A spiralizer gives the best texture, but a julienne peeler or the large holes of a box grater both work. Grated zucchini releases more water, so blot it thoroughly with paper towels before adding it to the pan.
How do I stop the bake from falling apart when I serve it?
Let it rest for 5–10 minutes out of the oven before cutting into it. The sauce firms up slightly as it cools, which makes clean portions much easier to lift out of the dish.
Can I freeze individual portions before baking rather than after?
It is better to freeze after baking. Raw spiralized zucchini turns very watery when frozen and thawed, which makes the unbaked assembly difficult to recover. Baked and cooled portions freeze and reheat cleanly.
What to cook next
- Hearty Beef Cauliflower Bake
- Spicy Beef Stuffed Peppers
- Ultimate Cheesy Beef Bake
- Beef Ricotta Lasagna Rolls
