Crock Pot Baked Ziti

Ground beef, pasta sauce, and ziti all cooked in one crock pot — no boiling, no straining, no oven; dump, slow-cook, add the pasta at the end, top with mozzarella.

If you know me, you know that I love a good slow cooker dinner! Easy dinner ideas are my thing as I’d much rather be with my family out and about, than hanging out over the stove. Catch my drift? That’s why this Crockpot Baked Ziti recipe is perfect for busy parents!!

The Dinner That’s Ready When I Walk in the Door

Could it be true that everything is better when made in a crock pot? All I know is that when dinner is done when I walk in the door, days are a lot easier, as are nights!  Because when momma’s happy everyone’s happy, am.I.right?

Just ask my hubby, he’ll confirm this for sure!

I am a big believer that pasta and meat come together in a dish so perfectly, and it makes for an excellent dinner which is why I am loving this Crock Pot baked ziti with meat.

And, what’s best about both of these slow cooker recipes is that they’re literally dump and go, and then toss in the pasta at the last minute to cook – no strainers, no hot boiling water on the stovetop, no turning on the oven, nada. LOVE that!

** Please note: Some people prefer adding the pasta in already cooked. That is a great option too.

Here’s how I whip up this easy slow cooker baked ziti!

As far as prep goes, you’ll want to brown the ground beef, onion and garlic together in a large pan. Pretty standard, as far as Italian dishes go.

Starting out you’ll want to combine the ground beef/onion/garlic mixture, the diced tomatoes, basil, parsley, spaghetti sauce and chicken broth.

Let tis mixture cook on high for three hours to get some serious flavor. If you’ll be away from the kitchen for a longer amount of time, you could do low for 6 hours.

After the ingredients have had a chance to slow cook together, you’ll add in the Mostaccioli or Ziti noodles and let that cook up for about 20 minutes, give it a stir, cook for twenty minutes, give another stir. That’s all the stirring you’re going to do as you’ll top it with some mozzarella cheese, let that melt with the lid on for about 5 minutes and voila!

Just like that, dinner is served!

** If you decide to add the noodles in last, boil them on the stovetop per the directions on the box (but only for about half the time), rinse, drain and add to Crock Pot mixture until the baked ziti is at the thickness you desire.

All of the marinated crockpot spaghetti sauce will soak up into the noodles and be absolutely delicious. Serve the crock pot baked ziti without ricotta with some cheesy, crusty garlic cheese bread and you’re golden.

YUM!

This Crock Pot Baked Ziti smells delicious to come home to! If you need a recipe that you can go home and kick off your shoes (and it’s ready!) this is your meal!

Everything You Need for Crock Pot Baked Ziti

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 tsp minced garlic (or 1/2 tsp garlic powder)
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• 2 1/2 cups pasta sauce
• 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 3 cups Mostaciolli Pasta (or Ziti)
• 1 cup shredded Mozzarella

How I Make Crock Pot Baked Ziti

• Combine ground beef, garlic and onion – Brown & drain.
• In a 4 quart crock pot combine the cooked ground beef mixture, basil, parsley, tomatoes, pasta sauce and chicken broth
• Cook this mixture on high three hours
• Add pasta to the crock pot, stir after 20 minutes, stir again after another 20 minutes (40 minutes cooking time for the pasta total)
• Keep the crock pot on high while the pasta is cooking.
• Add cheese to top, replace lid, let cheese melt
• Uncover lid, serve and enjoy!

The Tools That Make This Even Easier

Dump-and-go dinners get even easier with the right gear on the counter. A few tools that make this ziti (and basically every weeknight pasta) less of a production:

MANNKITCHEN Stainless Steel Garlic PressSee price on AmazonSee on Amazon →

Browning the beef goes faster when you are using a “real” garlic press. This thing is expensive but worth it… This double-lever stainless steel mincer crushes multiple cloves at once with way less hand strain, and the cup-less design flips open so you can rinse it under the tap instead of picking bits out with your fingernail. Dishwasher safe. Built from 304 grade steel, so it’ll outlast the Crock Pot.

Cuisinart Food Processor 14See price on AmazonSee on Amazon →

Browning beef with onion and garlic goes a lot faster when you’re not crying over a cutting board. The 720-watt motor handles a whole onion in a few pulses, and the 14-cup bowl means you can prep enough mirepoix for a double batch of ziti without stopping to empty it. Slicing disc, shredding disc, and chopping blade all included. Dishwasher-safe, which matters on a weeknight.

All-Clad Stainless Steel Electric Slow Cooker 7-QuartSee price on AmazonSee on Amazon →

Seven quarts is enough slow cooker to feed a houseful of ziti without anyone scraping the sides. The cast aluminum insert with nonstick ceramic coating is the real sell here: brown your beef, onion, and garlic directly in it on the cooktop, then drop it into the base. One less pan to wash. LCD timer, four preset modes, keep-warm for six hours. Dishwasher-safe insert, too.

Can I use whole wheat pasta?

You sure can use whole wheat pasta! It will taste a little different than using white pasta, but it will be better for your body!

Do you have any other pasta Crock Pot recipes?

I sure do! We love the Crack Chicken Pasta as well as this Lazy Crock Pot Lasagna!

And, if it’s Crock Pot recipes that you have on the brain, I would definitely recommend this cheesy goulash, these crockpot french dip sandwiches and this chicken fettuccine alfredo crockpot recipe

A Closer Look at the Ingredients

Ground beef, onion and garlic

A pound of ground beef browned with half a chopped onion and a teaspoon of minced garlic. Drain it well so the grease does not end up floating on the sauce.

Basil and parsley

A teaspoon each of dried basil and dried parsley. Jarred sauce is already seasoned, and these two just push it a little more Italian.

Pasta sauce and chicken broth

Two and a half cups of each. The broth looks like too much liquid until you remember the dry pasta is going to drink most of it. Any jarred sauce you like works.

Mostaccioli or ziti

Three cups of dry pasta, added at the end. Both shapes are tubes and both work. Penne works too. Avoid thin pasta, which turns to mush.

Mozzarella

A cup of shredded mozzarella over the top for the last few minutes with the lid on. It melts into a layer instead of baking into a crust, and nobody minds.

Step by Step, With the Details

Brown and drain

Cook the beef, onion, and garlic in a skillet over medium high until no pink is left, breaking the meat up small. Drain it in a colander.

Sauce in the crock pot

Put the beef mixture, basil, parsley, pasta sauce, and broth into a four quart crock pot and stir. Cover and cook on high for three hours or low for six.

Pasta for forty minutes on high

Turn the crock pot to high if it was on low. Stir in the dry pasta, cover, and set a timer for twenty minutes. Stir, cover, twenty more.

Check a piece at forty minutes. It should be tender with a little bite. If it is still firm, give it five more minutes, no more than ten.

Cheese and serve

Scatter the mozzarella over the top, put the lid back on for five minutes until it melts, and serve straight from the crock pot.

Why the Pasta Goes In Last

Dry pasta in a slow cooker for three hours turns to paste. Forty minutes on high is enough to cook it through while it absorbs the broth and thickens the sauce.

If you would rather cook the pasta on the stove, boil it halfway, drain and rinse it, and stir it into the sauce on high for fifteen minutes. The recipe card has that note too.

Making It Cheesier

For a version closer to oven baked ziti, drop spoonfuls of ricotta over the pasta before the mozzarella goes on. A quarter cup of grated parmesan stirred into the sauce helps too.

Both are optional. The plain version is what my kids ask for.

Easy Variations

Italian sausage

A pound of ground Italian sausage in place of the beef, or half and half. Sausage brings its own seasoning and a little heat.

Ground turkey

Ground turkey works with no other changes. Add an extra pinch of salt, because turkey is milder than beef.

Spinach

Two cups of fresh baby spinach stirred in with the pasta. It wilts in minutes and nobody at the table notices it is there.

Mushrooms and peppers

A cup of sliced mushrooms or diced bell pepper added with the sauce at the start. They soften over the three hours.

Leftovers and Reheating

Leftovers keep covered in the refrigerator for four days. The pasta keeps absorbing sauce as it sits, so it will be thicker the next day.

Reheat with a splash of broth or water, in the microwave or in a covered pan over low heat. Baked ziti freezes well too, for up to three months.

Questions I Get About This Recipe

Why did my pasta turn mushy?

It cooked too long, or it went in while the crock pot was on low. Forty minutes on high, with a check at forty, is the rule.

Can I double it?

Yes, in a six quart crock pot. The sauce time stays the same. The pasta may need ten extra minutes because there is more of it.

Can I make it vegetarian?

Skip the beef and use vegetable broth. Add a can of drained white beans or a pound of sliced mushrooms with the sauce for body.

Can I prep it ahead?

Brown the beef and mix the sauce the night before, then refrigerate it in the crock pot insert. In the morning, set it in the base and start the time. Pasta still goes in at the end.

What size crock pot?

A four quart is right for a single batch. In a six quart the sauce spreads thin and cooks faster, so check it at two and a half hours on high.

More Pasta Dinners My Family Asks For

• Crockpot Chicken Alfredo
• Crockpot Crack Chicken Pasta
• Easy Crockpot Lasagna
• Crock Pot Goulash
• Chicken Alfredo Lasagna