Breaking News! You can make pasta in your slow cooker. This Crock Pot Baked Ziti was made completely in the slow cooker. Cheesy, gooey pasta is a must try in your slow cooker! I know, I know. It’s hard to believe!
You don’t even have to cook the pasta before. I thought that the pasta would turn to mush but they ended up just like regular baked ziti. The best part is that I didn’t have to heat up my kitchen since it was 102 degrees the day I made it! There are actually tons of Italian recipes you can make in your slow cooker, two other easy ones are Creamy Italian Chicken and Bruschetta Chicken, if you aren’t feeling pasta.
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Secret Step for Crock Pot Baked Ziti
The secret is that you don’t add any water to the pasta and the tomato sauce slowly cooks the pasta for you. This recipe is so simple that all you have to do is mix a few ingredients together and then layer them all just like the traditional baked ziti.
Cheese, Cheese, and more Cheese!
The triple cheese blend makes this baked ziti a melty cheesy masterpiece. All of these cheeses add a unique flavor and gives you that real Italian restaurant Baked Ziti experience.
– Ricotta
– Parmesan
– Mozzarella
Types of Pasta
I actually used this gluten free penne pasta instead of ziti! I couldn’t find gluten free ziti at the grocery store. As you can see it doesn’t make a difference at all. You can use any tube pasta you should be good to go.
Ingredients to Make Crock Pot Baked Ziti
Jarred pasta sauce or homemade pasta sauce
Uncooked ziti/penne pasta
Ricotta cheese
Eggs
Freshly grated parmesan cheese
Mozzarella cheese
Basil
Salt and Pepper
Step by Step Directions for Crock Pot Baked Ziti
STEP 1. Spray Slow Cooker with Non Stick Spray
STEP 2. Mix Ricotta Cheese with egg and spices.
STEP 3. Layer sauce on bottom of the Slow Cooker
STEP 4. Layer Noodles
STEP 5. Scoop Five Dollops of Ricotta
STEP 6. Add Layer of Mozzarella
STEP 7. Repeat these layers two times times.
STEP 8. Add one more layer of pasta, sauce, mozzarella and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. (No Noodles on this layer)
STEP 9. Cook on high for 2 1/2 hours
Perfect for Potluck
Crock Pot Baked Ziti makes A LOT of pasta! I love to make this as a main dish to bring to potlucks and everyone always raves about it. This will easily serve 6-8 people with large portions for a family dinner or you can freeze the leftovers and eat it later. We always freeze our leftovers and then eat it the following week!
Food Allergies
Gluten Free – I make everything gluten free in our house because my husband has celiac disease, which is when you are allergic to gluten. Our favorite pasta is the Gluten Free Barillla Pasta line. It doesn’t have the after taste of some pasta’s made with beans. I find that it is the best one at staying together while cooking. Some brands disintegrate especially when using in this kind of recipe where the pasta is soaking in sauce soaking.
If you are not gluten free swap the gluten free pasta for any ziti or penne.
Need A New Crock Pot?
My favorite is this Crock Pot 7 quart Programmable Slow Cooker. First and foremost, I love being able to set the timer in case I’m not home when the food is finished cooking and it just switches to warm. Plus you can lock the lid and just carry it to a party. Not only is it easy to carry but also you will never lose another Tupperware or serving dish again at a potluck party!
Crock Pot Baked Ziti
Ingredients
- 32 oz ricotta
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon basil
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan plus more for topping
- 48 oz marina sauce 2 jars (24 oz jars)
- 12 oz gluten free penne
- 16 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Spray entire slow cooker insert with non-stick spray.
- In large bowl, mix ricotta with two eggs, 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, basil, salt and pepper.
- Cover bottom of slow cooker with sauce.
- Layer pasta on top of sauce.
- Take 5 scoops of the ricotta mixture drop onto sauce.
- Top with a layer of mozzarella cheese.
- Repeat steps 3-5 two more times.
- End with layer of sauce, mozzarella and parmesan.
- Cook on high for 2 1/2 hours.
- Serve with grated parmesan cheese on top.
Nutrition
More Casseroles
Looking for more easy casseroles? Try this easy Mexican Casserole.
Slow Cooker Enchilada Casserole
Kevin says
I highly recommend not using this recipe. You can cut the ricotta amount in half and it will be plenty. Thankfully I cooked some Italian sausage and served it on the side as that was the only flavor you got beside ricotta.
Stacy Volin says
I have made that type of pasta recipe and also made the lasagna recipe though I par boil my lasagna noodles to get the starchy taste out of them. Both delicious. I’m on a tear right now to lose more weight so using sliced zucchini and eggplant planks instead of pasta to mimic those pastas for now and using a no sugar added sauce like Raos, Prego or Ragu’s. Still will be decadent when finished. I also use a liner for easy clean up. Worth the investment.
H says
Am I supposed to boil the pasta? Or put it in uncooked?
Allison Treadwell says
Hi! You do not boil the pasta first. You will cover it in the red sauce and the liquid from the red sauce will cook it. Just makes sure to really cover all the pasta. Hope you enjoy it!
Susan Gibbons says
Can you use regular pasta instead of gluten free?
Allison Treadwell says
Hi Susan! Yes, regular pasta works great too. Just make sure to cover all the pasta with the red sauce to make sure it cooks evenly. Enjoy!
Lauren says
Can you use meat in it ?
Allison Treadwell says
Yes! I usually brown the meat first and drain the fat. Then I mix it in with the red sauce. I have also used sliced sausage!
Jessica Gesink says
How many pounds with that amount of sauce??? Do you add more sauce
Allison Treadwell says
I usually do 1 pound and don’t add more sauce. Just make sure the sauce completely covers the noodles so they all cook evenly.
Jessica Gesink says
Would I be able to use some ground hamburger for this recipe for some protein??? Would I need to add more sauce??
Allison Treadwell says
Hi Jessica! Absolutely, I just brown the meat and drain the fat. After that I mix it in with the sauce and layer it.
Devon says
Can I cook on low for more time?
Allison Treadwell says
Hi Devon! I haven’t tried it but other people have said they have cooked it for 6 hours and it still turned out great. I would just make sure to have enough sauce so it doesn’t get dried out.