Crock Pot Baked Ziti
This week's Crock Pot Baked Ziti recipe is my first crock pot recipe made with uncooked pasta in a slow cooker. This easy slow cooker baked ziti recipe is a great family recipe.
Traditional Baked Ziti is one of our favorite family meals. Baked Ziti is one of the few recipes that everyone in my family really loves.
I know when I make Baked Ziti I am not going to hear any complaints when I get asked what's for dinner.
I'm enjoying converting some of my favorite family recipes to crock pot recipes.
Baked Ziti in the Crock Pot
Cooking Baked Ziti in the crock pot is pretty much the same as baking it in the oven but there are a few differences. The first is there is no need to dirty a pot to boil the ziti pasta. YES! The uncooked pasta cooks in the crockpot very well.
The second and major difference between Baked Ziti in the oven and Crock Pot Baked Ziti is that you avoid heating up the kitchen using the oven.
Summer will be here before you know it and cooking in the crock pot is a great way to save on cooling expenses during the hot summer months. I know our air conditioner strains during the summer months when the temperatures are in the high nineties.
How to Make Crock Pot Baked Ziti
Ingredients
- 2 lbs block whole milk mozzarella cheese
- 2 lbs uncooked ziti pasta
- 1 pound ground beef
- 45-ounce jar pasta sauce
- 32-ounce ricotta cheese
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
Directions
- Turn the crock pot on high and spray with cooking spray or wipe down the inside with oil. This will help with clean up.
- In a large skillet brown the ground beef.
- Drain the ground beef and return it to the pot. If you like to add onions or peppers add them to the pan and cook with the ground beef.
- Pour the sauce over the meat and mix well.
- Remove the pot from the heat and set aside.
- In a large bowl beat the egg. Add the ricotta cheese, parsley, salt, and pepper and mix well. Set aside.
- Cut the mozzarella cheese into small cubes. You could also use bagged shredded mozzarella cheese but the whole milk blocks have a much better flavor.
- Begin layering the ingredients into the crock pot starting with the meat sauce.
- On top of the sauce add a layer of ziti pasta.
- Add another layer of sauce over the pasta.
- Spread a layer of the ricotta cheese mixture over the sauce.
- Add a layer of mozzarella cubes.
- Continue layering the ingredients until you run out of ingredients ending with a final layer of mozzarella cheese.
- Place the lid on the crock pot and cook for 3-4 hours on high or until the ziti pasta is cooked through.
- Serve with a salad and garlic bread.
Print the easy Crock Pot Baked Ziti recipe below
Crock Pot Baked Ziti
Ingredients
- 2 lbs whole milk mozzarella cheese ((I like to use the Polly-O Mozzarella Cheese blocks))
- 2 lbs uncooked ziti pasta
- 1 pound ground beef (browned and drained well)
- 45 ounce jar pasta sauce ((or homemade meat sauce))
- 32 ounce whole milk ricotta cheese
- 1 large egg (beaten)
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley (chopped)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Turn crock pot on high.
- Brown the ground beef and drain well.
- Return the ground beef to the pan and pour sauce in, mix well and remove from heat.
- In a bowl beat the egg.
- Mix the ricotta cheese, parsley, salt and pepper into the egg.
- Cut mozzarella cheese into small cubes.
- Spray a 6 or 7 quart crock pot with cooking spray or wipe down with oil to prevent sticking.
- Add about 1 ½ cups of sauce and meat into the bottom of the crock pot and spread evenly over the bottom.
- Spread a layer of ricotta cheese over the sauce.
- Add a layer of uncooked ziti pasta and spread evenly over the ricotta cheese.
- Spread a layer of sauce and meat over the pasta.
- Repeat layering the pasta, sauce, ricotta cheese and mozzarella cheese until you have filled the crock pot or run out of ingredients being sure to end with a layer of mozzarella cheese as the final layer.
- Place the cover on the crock pot and cook on high.
- Slow cook for 4 hours or until the pasta is cooked through.
- Serve with a side salad and crusty bread.
Recipe Expert Tips
- Avoid removing the cover of the crock pot during the cooking time as this will slow down the cooking time.
Nutrition
For more easy crock pot recipes check out my Crock Pot Recipes page, where you will find 200+ Crock Pot Recipes I have shared.
For more Crock Pot Recipes like this easy Crock Pot Baked Ziti recipe check out my Crock Pot Recipe Page featuring over 190 crock pot recipes!
Kyle
This looks amazing! Can you leave the meat out to make it vegetarian?
Arlene Mobley
Kyle
Yes you can leave the meat out.
Joanne
I am hoping to make this as a pasta dish for Cmas so I can use the oven for other things to bake. I have 8 people eating, so I need at least 2 lbs of ziti to go along with the other food, so this recipe addressed that. I hope this works! I don't add meat to my ziti bc I have meatballs and sausages on the side. I plan to use less ricotta cheese, it's the healthy amount of mozzarella cheese 'pull' I am looking for when it is scooped out of the pot. I hope my changes don't effect the outcome!
Arlene Mobley
Good luck Joanne!
Michelle Tidwell
Is it cooked on high or low?
Arlene Mobley
This recipe will cook 3-4 hours on high.
Kippi
Yum, I printed it out and pinned it. This is a must have recipe for a busy family. Happy Fall, Kippi
Richella J Parham
This looks delicious! I'm always on the hunt for good crock pot recipes, but I've never thought of making something like Baked Ziti in the crock pot. I've pinned this for future reference!
Thanks so much for joining the Grace at Home party at Imparting Grace. I'm featuring you this week!
Arlene Mobley
Richella
Thank you! It is an easy and delicious way to make Baked Ziti!
Norman
what is your favorite pasta sauce to use? or do you make your own
Arlene Mobley
Norman
Thanks for asking. I love a chunky pasta sauce myself but some of the family doesn't care for chunks in the pasta sauce. I like to use Prego Meat sauce when I am serving this for my entire family for a holiday meal like Easter which I will be doing this year.
Enjoy the recipe!
Judith
Can ground turkey be substituted for ground turkey in the baked ziti? Will this work in a 4 quart crockpot?
Arlene Mobley
Yes Judith you could use ground turkey instead of ground beef.
Susan Broughton
What is that side dish that you are showing with the recipe photo? It looks delicious, do you by chance have the recipe for it?
Arlene Mobley
Susan
I have been meaning to write the recipe for that little salad but haven't yet. It is a simple avocado, tomato and cucumber salad. I slice 1 avocado into chunks, one tomato, removing the seeds from the tomato, half a cucumber, salt and pepper to taste with about 1-2 tablespoons mayonnaise. Sometimes I add a little bit of sliced onion.
Courtney
Yay I was just about to ask as well! Definitely making it with the ziti!
Toni
What cooks the ziti? Is it the moisture from the cheese?
Arlene Mobley
Toni
It is a combination of the moisture from the cheese, sauce and condensation that forms on the inside of the crock pot and drips into the crock pot as it cooks.
Toni
Ok, thank you. I'm making it tonight. 🙂
Kathy Lagnese
It doesnt say, is the pasta cooked or uncooked?
Arlene Mobley
Kathy
The pasta is uncooked.