Slow Cooker Baked Ziti Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 4 hours 15 minutes
Servings 6 servings

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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.

white slow cooker filled with baked ziti and wooden ladle.

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!

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!

a scoop of slow cooker baked ziti coming out of a white crockpot.

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.
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Easy Baked Ziti Ingredients:

ingredients needed for slow cooker baked ziti in bowls.
  • 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!

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. Push your pasta down into the sauce — try to make sure you don’t have too many sticking out, or they may be dry.
  4. 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

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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.

blue plate filled with baked ziti and topped with chopped parsley.

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:

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Slow Cooker Baked Ziti

4.88 from 271 votes
This Slow Cooker Baked Ziti is actually made completely in the crockpot — even the pasta! It is so much easier than the traditional version but packs all of the same flavor!
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 15 minutes
Cuisine American
Course Main Course
Servings 6 servings
Calories 587cal

Ingredients

  • 1 lb ground beef (or turkey or Italian sausage)
  • 1 onion finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon dried parsley
  • 28 oz can diced tomatoes
  • 650 ml jar pasta sauce (about 2 ½ cups)
  • 2 ½ cups low sodium chicken broth (or beef or vegetable)
  • 375 gram box Penne or Ziti or other short pasta (about 4 cups)
  • 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions

  • In a large skillet, cook ground beef and onion until browned. Stir in garlic, salt, basil and parsley and cook 1 minute. (OPTIONAL: you can also add the raw onion and spices right into the slow cooker to save on time)
  • Add beef mixture, tomatoes, pasta sauce and broth to a 4qt (or larger) slow cooker. Stir.
  • Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3 hours.
  • Turn slow cooker to high. Add pasta and stir until combined. Cover and continue cooking for 15-30 minutes (depending on how hot your slow cooker is) — check and stir at the 15 minute mark.
  • Sprinkle with cheese and cover for 3-5 minutes until cheese is melted.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 645grams | Calories: 587cal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 83mg | Sodium: 1618mg | Potassium: 934mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 895IU | Vitamin C: 22mg | Calcium: 273mg | Iron: 4mg

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Meet Ashley

My name is Ashley Fehr and I love creating easy meals my family loves. I also like to do things my way, which means improvising and breaking the rules when necessary. Here you will find creative twists on old favorites and some of my favorite family recipes, passed down from generations!

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Comments

  1. Ashlee says

    It says to cook the ground beef first but then says to put it in the crock pot for several hours. Why would you need to do it for so long if it’s already cooked?

  2. Julie says

    I want to make this, but would need to leave the crockpot on warm for about 4 hours, do you think the pasta will get squishy?

  3. Jen says

    Iโ€™m a little confused. Do I cook it the stuff in the crockpot for 3 hours on high then add the pasta for the 15 minutes? Or am I missing something?

  4. Lonathan says

    Been trying to work on eating out less and cooking more, for other dishes I’ve tried from other websites I’ve felt the urge to just go eat out but whenever I have this in the fridge I always look forward to it! So easy to make, easy to reheat and always tasty! I recommend holding off on the cheese until you reheat it and then add your desired amount of cheese on afterwards, that way it feels like you just pulled it out of the pan.

  5. Victoria says

    When would you add mushroom and bell pepper ? Would you cook them in the skillet with the beef or just add straight to the crockpot at the beginning?

  6. Jane says

    It says it can all be made in the crock pot but then it says to fry the ground beef first. Can I just add the raw ground beef to the crock pot or does it have to be cooked first?

4.88 from 271 votes (191 ratings without comment)

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