Description
Enjoy a comforting and flavorful meal with this easy Crockpot Baked Ziti recipe. Layers of pasta, savory meat sauce, and cheesy goodness cook together in a slow cooker for a delicious family dinner.
Ingredients
Scale
Pasta:
- 1 pound uncooked ziti pasta
Meat Sauce:
- 1 pound ground Italian sausage or ground beef
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (24-ounce) jar marinara sauce
- 1 (15-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Cheese Mixture:
- 2 cups ricotta cheese
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (optional)
Other:
- Nonstick cooking spray
Instructions
- Spray Crockpot: Spray the inside of your crockpot with nonstick cooking spray.
- Cook Meat: Brown the ground sausage or beef with onion in a skillet over medium heat. Drain excess fat, add garlic, and cook for another minute.
- Prepare Sauce: Combine marinara sauce, crushed tomatoes, basil, oregano, salt, and pepper in a bowl.
- Layer Ingredients: Start with a thin layer of sauce in the crockpot. Add ziti, meat mixture, dollops of ricotta, and mozzarella. Repeat layers, finishing with sauce and remaining cheeses on top.
- Cook: Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours until pasta is tender.
- Serve: Garnish with parsley before serving.
Notes
- Check pasta at 4 hours to prevent overcooking.
- For extra flavor, consider adding spinach or sautéed mushrooms.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 hours
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Slow Cooker
- Cuisine: Italian-American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 plate
- Calories: 560
- Sugar: 9g
- Sodium: 950mg
- Fat: 24g
- Saturated Fat: 12g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 54g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 32g
- Cholesterol: 90mg
