This Slow-Cooker Baked Ziti is made completely in the crockpot—even the pasta! It is so much easier than the traditional version but packs all of the same flavor! The recipe includes a step-by-step video.
Love your slow cooker as much as we do? Check out my 15 Best Crockpot Recipes, these Easy Crockpot Meals or these quick-to-prep Dump ‘n’ Go Slow Cooker Meals!
Table of Contents
- Why we love this Crock Pot Baked Ziti:
- Easy Baked Ziti Ingredients:
- How to make this easy Crock Pot Baked Ziti recipe:
- Tips for cooking Crock Pot Pasta:
- Reader Rating
- Variations on this Slow Cooker Baked Ziti:
- How to store this cheesy Baked Ziti:
- Can I freeze Crock Pot Baked Ziti?
- Serving suggestions:
- More Crock Pot Pasta recipes:
- Slow Cooker Baked Ziti Recipe
Slow Cooker Baked Ziti is the perfect comforting dinner, made with hearty pasta smothered in rich sauce, combined with tender ground beef and gooey cheese. It’s a comforting dish that practically cooks itself!
Once you sauté the beef with onion, garlic, and seasonings, you throw everything into the crockpot (minus the cheese) and let it cook! The best part is that the pasta cooks right into the sauce, so there’s no need to whip out an extra pot.
If you’re looking for a delicious meal to make on busy weeknights, this delicious slow cooker recipe is for you!
Why we love this Crock Pot Baked Ziti:
- Family Favorite: Once you try this dish, it’ll quickly become a regular in your rotation! It’s hearty, satisfying, and something everyone at the table will love.
- Best Comfort Food: With layers of pasta, savory ground beef, and melted cheese, every bite feels like a warm hug after a long day.
- Low-Fuss: If you’re looking for an easy dinner, this recipe has you covered. Just throw everything into the slow cooker, and you can go about your day without any hassle.
Easy Baked Ziti Ingredients:
- Ground beef turkey or Italian sausage: use any fat-content ground beef you like! You can also keep things lean by using ground turkey or more decadent with Italian sausage.
- Aromatics: onion and minced garlic are sautéed with the meat and seasonings for flavor. You could swap them with onion powder and garlic powder if you don’t feel like chopping!
- Spices: I use a combination of salt, dried basil, and dried parsley, but you could also use Italian seasoning and salt instead!
- Diced tomatoes: these add a little texture.
- Pasta sauce: use your favorite type of marinara sauce.
- Chicken broth or beef or vegetable broth: this is used to cook pasta and add flavor. Use low-sodium broth to reduce the sodium content if you like.
- Short pasta (like Penne or Ziti): any type of short pasta shapes will work! For a heartier version, you could use whole wheat ziti or penne.
- Shredded mozzarella cheese: You could also use parmesan cheese, ricotta cheese, or any other type of Italian cheese you like!
How to make this easy Crock Pot Baked Ziti recipe:
Once you cook the beef, this meal practically cooks itself! Scroll down to the recipe card for the full list of instructions.
- Cook the ground beef and onion until browned.
- Stir in garlic and spices, then cook briefly.
- Add meat mixture, tomatoes, pasta sauce, and broth to the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Stir in the uncooked ziti. Top with cheese, cover, and cook until melted.
Tips for cooking Crock Pot Pasta:
If you’ve been following me for any length of time, you know that figuring out how to cook pasta in the slow cooker was pretty life-changing for me.
Take this Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Chili Mac for instance, or this Slow Cooker Healthier Hamburger Helper. We can’t get enough!
But there are a few tricks to getting it just right!
- Small pasta is best, but long pasta is doable. Short pasta like macaroni, penne, rotini, and others work best in this Slow Cooker Baked Ziti because they’re less likely to clump and stick together. Long pasta cuts like spaghetti and fettucini are doable, but you may have to stir a couple more times in between.
- Turn your slow cooker to high when you add your pasta. It’s going to take longer to cook than if you were boiling it, but we don’t want it to take forever, so crank it up and let it go for 15 minutes or so until it reaches your desired tenderness.
- Push your pasta down into the sauce — try to make sure you don’t have too many sticking out, or they may be dry.
- Don’t overcook — cooking pasta in the slow cooker takes longer than in boiling water, but it’s not going to take more than 20-25 minutes, so check at the 15-minute mark and then try to gauge how much longer it needs at that point.
Reader Rating
“Phenomenal recipe! My whole family really enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing 🙂” Cassidy
Variations on this Slow Cooker Baked Ziti:
I have one other confession: my Ziti is not Ziti. It’s Penne.
But you know what?
Ziti is not that easy to find around here, and since my “Baked” Ziti isn’t all that traditional in the first place, why cause a big fuss about it? (If you’re looking for another untraditional “Baked Ziti” recipe that doesn’t cook all day, try this One Pot Baked Ziti with Italian Sausage!)
If you insist, you can easily swap the penne for ziti noodles, and nothing will change.
Here are a few more ways to mix things up if you want:
- Try swapping ground beef for loose Italian sausage for a slightly spicy, extra flavorful kick.
- Try swapping ½ cup of the broth for ½ cup of cream for a creamy, tomato-based pasta.
- You can easily swap the penne or ziti noodles for spaghetti and end up with spaghetti and meat sauce — just cut down the cooking time on the noodles and stir every 5 minutes until cooked.
- You can easily bump up the veggie content by adding shredded carrots, zucchini, mushrooms, bell peppers, finely chopped kale, or spinach — and no one will know!
How to store this cheesy Baked Ziti:
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
To reheat, add a splash of water or broth and microwave until heated through.
Can I freeze Crock Pot Baked Ziti?
Yes! Keep in mind that after thawing the pasta will have a softer texture.
Just pop individual servings into airtight containers and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let it thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat in the microwave.
Serving suggestions:
I love serving this hearty meal with some garlic bread to scoop up that cheesy marinara sauce! If you want to keep things light, serve with a green salad or some roasted vegetables.
More Crock Pot Pasta recipes:
- Cheesy Crockpot Chicken Spaghetti Recipe — creamy with a bit of kick!
- Crockpot Chicken and Noodles recipe — perfect comfort food.
- Crock Pot Mac and Cheese recipe — complements so many different meals!
- Healthier Slow Cooker Hamburger Helper Recipe — this one is always a hit with the kids!
Slow Cooker Baked Ziti
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 onion, (finely chopped)
- 2 cloves garlic, (finely minced)
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 can diced tomatoes, with liquid (28oz or 798ml)
- 2½ cups marinara sauce
- 2½ cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 4 cups dry penne or ziti pasta, (340g)
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the beef and onion until browned, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic, salt, basil, and parsley and cook for 1 minute.
- Transfer the beef mixture to a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker. Add the tomatoes, sauce, and broth. Stir well.
- Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 3 hours.
- Turn the slow cooker temperature to high. Add the uncooked pasta and stir until combined. Cover and continue cooking for 15 to 30 minutes, until al dente, checking and stirring at the 15-minute mark.
- Remove from the heat and sprinkle with the mozzarella. Cover and let sit for 3 to 5 minutes until the mozzarella has melted.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Want to save this recipe?
Create an account easily save your favorite content, so you never forget a recipe again.
Tried this recipe?
Tag @thereciperebel or hashtag #thereciperebel — I love to see what you’re making!
Tag @thereciperebel
Brittany says
Do I cook the pasta before adding it ?
Ashley Fehr says
Nope, add it uncooked!
Luke says
So I got ready to put the pasta in only to lift the lid and realize I had a pot of saucy broth…lol. I should add that I doubled the recipe but I doubled everything. I was excited about this but it seems I’m the only person with this catastrophic ending. Where do you think I went wrong?
Ashley Fehr says
Well when you put the pasta in you should have a saucy broth! The pasta will absorb a significant amount of liquid. Did you end up trying it? How was it?
Laura says
I’m doubling this should I really use 5 cups of water? I’m worried it won’t all fit!
Ashley Fehr says
I have never doubled it in a 6 quart slow cooker — it might not all fit. You need all of the water for the pasta to cook, so you really can’t do without. Let me know how it works!
Hilda says
How did this turn out? I want to double recipe as well.
Amanda says
Just wondering if you put the pasta in at the start or just in the last 1/2hr into the slow cooker.
Ashley Fehr says
Just in the last half hour — otherwise it will overcook!
Sarah says
Hi, do I drain the diced tomatoes before adding them to the crockpot? Thank you
Ashley Fehr says
No, just throw them in!
Debbie Dzurilla says
The crockpot baked ziti is awesome! The first time to make something like that in the crockpot. Oh my so tasty! My ground chuck is always precooked and frozen so this recipe was super fast and easy. We had salad and garlic bread with it. Just a great meal. We’ll enjoy the leftovers on another day! I LOVE crockpot cooking!
Ashley Fehr says
I am SO happy to hear that Debbie! I just love my slow cooker too — it makes dinner time so much easier!
Cathy J. says
Just finished up the slow cooker ziti. Finished it before dinner time, so I haven’t tried it yet. Leaving the crock on warm, hoping the pasta doesn’t over cook. I’ll come back with my review after dinner-keeping my fingers crossed for a good outcome!
Ashley Fehr says
Hi Cathy! How did it turn out for you??
Alyssa says
I am wondering if I could make this with chicken? Could I throw a couple breasts in the crockpot with everything else and let it all cook together?
Ashley Fehr says
I think you definitely could!
Colleen says
Going to make this with chicken breasts instead. Should I slice up the breasts before cooking them in the pot? Should I cook them a little on stove first? Sounds so good! Think I will use chicken broth due to making it with chicken.
Ashley Fehr says
It’s probably not necessary — you could cook the breasts whole in the sauce and then shred before adding the pasta.
Reader says
This recipe refers to a 28oz can of tomatoes in the ingredients but doesn’t use them in the directions.
Kimberly says
I’m wondering the same thing too
Reader says
I left the can of tomatoes out and there was enough liquid for the pasta.
Jason Anderson says
“Add beef mixture, basil, parsley, tomatoes, pasta sauce and water to a 4qt (or larger) slow cooker. Stir” Tomatoes?
Ashley Fehr says
Sorry! I’ve fixed it now
Linda says
In the 2nd step it says to add the tomatoes.
Pamela says
I just need to know is the pasta cooked before mixing into the sauce . I would like to make it as the recipe states. Thank-you
Ashley Fehr says
No, it goes in uncooked! Check it after 20-30 minutes and it should be just perfect 🙂
Pamela says
Thank-you
Alyssa @ My Sequined Life says
What’s the deal with ziti not being easily available? We had ziti all the time where I grew up, but I have a tough time finding it now that I’ve moved. Slow Cooker Baked Penne 😉 might be happening here very soon – LOVE!
Nicole @ Young, Broke and Hungry says
The slow cooker is a life saver for me during the busy Autumn season and this recipe looks like a huge bowl of comfort. Can’t wait to try it.
Alice @ Hip Foodie Mom says
Ashley, I am so going to try this! I’ve pulled out my slow cooker and now I’m ready to go! Looks so good!!
Ashley Fehr says
I saw your mac and cheese on IG! I want to try it once it’s posted!
Olviia - Primavera Kitchen says
Ashley, this baked ziti looks very comforting, filling, flavourful and perfect for sharing with guests. And like Gayle said I love how easy this is to make!!!
Sarah @Whole and Heavenly Oven says
Oh my gosh, ziti in the crockpot??! I’m pretty sure you just became my dinner hero, Ashley. My family loooooves ziti but I don’t love all the time it takes to make it, so you can bet I’ll be pulling out this recipe the next time it’s ziti night!!
Ashley Fehr says
I had to do it! I will admit, I tried a few other ziti hacks that were disastrous, so I’m SO happy this turned out! Thanks Sarah!
IGU Meerpur says
Mmm….so good….I love pasta ! ?
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks! Me too!
Medha says
This baked ziti looks delicious! Baked ziti is a nostalgic dish for me, because my mom and I would always make it together with the recipe on the back of the pasta box 🙂
Amber @ Dessert Now, Dinner Later! says
I think I need to hop on the slow cooker pasta train! This looks delicious!
Ashley Fehr says
You do! It’s life changing!
Rachel @ Bakerita says
Okay I need to make this like, yesterday because I LOVE baked ziti and haven’t had it in sooo long and yours looks soooo good. And it’s made in the slow cooker! Such a dinner win, Ashley!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Rachel!
Jessica @ A Kitchen Addiction says
I love making pasta dishes in a slow cooker! I wish I had this baked ziti waiting in the slow cooker for me tonight!
Dorothy Dunton says
Hi Ashley! This is definitely comfort food! I have all of the ingredients on hand, so no need to go to the store!
Ashley Fehr says
We are all about comfort food here these days, Dorothy! It is COLD here!
Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice says
Mmm baked ziti is one of the best comfort foods, and you just took it to a whole new level with making it in the slow cooker! Such a brilliant idea, Ashley! And I love how easy this is to make, too. Just what I need on this Monday morning!