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! Includes step by step recipe 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
I know.
I’m not even 50 words in and I’ve cheated already.
This Crock Pot Baked Ziti is obviously NOT baked. Though I suppose if you were really set on it you could stir in an egg and some ricotta (although Serious Eats isn’t upset my recipe’s lack of it), spread it into a baking dish and bake it.
I, however, am not.
Because this Slow Cooker Baked Ziti is all about finding easy, crockpot meals that my family loves, don’t use a whole pile of dishes and are relatively healthy and hearty.
And the best part about slow cooker dinners?
That moment, often around 5:00, when you would normally be all like, “Riiiiiiiight…… dinner…..”, but instead you’ve got things totally under control.
How much do you feel like a rockstar in that moment?
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 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.
- Spread 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.
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 cook 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!
More Crock Pot Pasta recipes:
- Crockpot Chicken and Noodles recipe
- Crock Pot Mac and Cheese recipe
- Healthier Slow Cooker Hamburger Helper Recipe
- Cheesy Crockpot Chicken Spaghetti Recipe + VIDEO
Slow Cooker Baked Ziti
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef (or turkey or Italian sausage)
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 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 1/2 cups water or chicken broth
- 375 gram box Penne or Ziti or other short pasta (about 4 cups)
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- In a large skillet, cook ground beef and onion until browned. Stir in garlic and salt 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, basil, parsley, tomatoes, pasta sauce and water 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
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
Ameerah Pearman says
Made this exactly as instructed. My family LOVED it!
Ashley Fehr says
So happy to hear that! Thanks for coming back to comment!
KD says
Do you strain the ground beef prior to putting it in the crock pot?
Ashley Fehr says
I use lean or extra lean so there isn’t usually a need. But yes, if there’s a lot of fat that’s cooked out, I would strain it!
Eve says
What do I do if I use Italian sausage? DO I have to cook it first or do I just put it in the slow cooker as it is?
Maria says
I would definitely brown first to drain the fat
babs says
I made this for supper tonight, exactly as stated and oh my, it was FAN-TAS-TIC! I picked a bad time to start dieting. I’ll have to wait until tomorrow to have some leftovers. Thank you for sharing!
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so glad you liked it!
Pamela Lyles says
Slow Cooker Baked Ziti really looks good. Will be trying real soon.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks! Let me know how you like it!
Nancy says
Made the crock pot baked ziti today , exactly like the recipe and I have to tell you, I give it an A plus, plus, plus…..
We both ate till we were about to burst and still have plenty for leftovers tomorrow, so I can enjoy it tomorrow too !
Never dreamed it would be so good done in the crock pot ! This will be a regular in my menu planning !
Ashley Fehr says
That makes me so happy Nancy! I’m thrilled you guys enjoyed it!
Meka says
Any body else’s initially look like a lot of liquid ? I’m hoping this cooks down and there isn’t as much liquid or this is going to be runny
Ashley Fehr says
It’s not going to be runny because the pasta cooks in the liquid.
Nancy says
once you add the pasta in to cook it absorbed the liquid in mine. Need a lot of liquid for the pasta to cook right.
Everlinda says
I am cooking this now. Going to cook on hi for 3 hrs. And then it says to add uncooked pasta and cook for 45 mins while mixing every 20 mins. Will the pasta cook, even though the slow cooker after 3 hrs is starting to cool down?
Ashley Fehr says
You continue cooking, as the recipe says, so the slow cooker won’t be cooling down. I hope you enjoy it!
ColleenB.~Texas says
Delicious!
I cut back on the water/broth and used some V-8 juice and used Veggie broth in place of the water / chicken broth.
(sorry, I’m a dumper and not a measurer, so have no idea how much liquid of each that I used)
Ashley Fehr says
So happy to hear that! I’m a bit the same way 😉
Tori says
Noodles cooked or uncooked?
Ashley Fehr says
Uncooked
Charlotte Benson says
I love this recipe! I followed it exactly and it made WAY more pasta than I expected. If I half the recipe, do you know how long I will have to cook it?
Ashley Fehr says
It will take about the same amount of time probably! I would maybe check the pasta after 15 minutes.
Stephanny iglesias says
Hello, if my slow cooker only has the options to cook for 4 or 6 hours on high and 8 or 10 hours on low, where can I put this to cook. Just put all the ingredients in
Ashley Fehr says
Since the ground beef is already cooked, the time is really flexible. You could do 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low, or you set it to low and just add the pasta after 4-5 hours.
Lisa says
My whole family loved it and I have super picky eaters! Thanks!!!
Ashley Fehr says
Yay! I’m so happy to hear that!
Adrian says
I’m a little nervous guys! This is my first recipe in the crockpot other than a ham! I’ve had it on low for about 3 and 1/2 hours, so eager to see how it turns out! I’ll let everyone know soon!
Ashley Fehr says
I can’t wait to hear back!
Emily says
Do you prefer to use water or chicken broth
Catherine says
I’m making it now and was wondering the same. I’ll do water for now until we hear back from whichever liquid is better 🙂
Ashley Fehr says
If you have it, I would use broth for more flavor. But if you don’t, water works just fine!
Chloe says
Has anyone attempted freezing this meal? We loved it but have a TON left over and wondered if it would be a good freezer meal?
Ashley Fehr says
I actually haven’t tried, but it should work fine! I would just be careful reheating it so that the pasta doesn’t become mushy.
Robert says
If u reheat it,what difference does it make if it becomes mushy?You are going to heat it and then eat it;right?:-) ??
Ashley Fehr says
Well, it makes a difference if you don’t enjoy eating mushy pasta. If you’re fine with that, then no, it won’t make a difference.
Eleni says
Any specific jar sauce you use for this ? I am not a big fan of pre-made pasta sauces so I defer to what you love to use in this dish. The minute my son saw it on my computer he wants me to make it for dinner tomorrow.. lol ! Thank you !
Ashley Fehr says
Hi Eleni! I like Classico or Newman’s Own — I try to look for all natural ingredients and no added sugar.
Eleni says
Thank you I didn’t get the chance to make this today but its on the menu for Friday !!
Stephanie says
Do you add the pasta cooked or uncooked to the crock pot?
Ashley Fehr says
Uncooked!
June says
Can you use more sauce and less water?
Ashley Fehr says
You can try but I wouldn’t recommend cutting out too much of the water — the pasta needs it to cook properly.
Heidi Grindstaff says
Could I add ricotta to this recipe?
janet says
how much does this feed?? also would this freeze ok for leftovers??
Ashley Fehr says
It feeds about 6 people, depending on how hungry your people are! It could serve a bit less or a bit more. It can definitely be frozen!
Amy says
Just curious if you’ve made this without any meat and what you’d have to change or do differently???
Ashley Fehr says
Hi Amy! You wouldn’t necessarily have to change much as the liquid should still be just enough to cook the pasta. You may want to add some extra veggies at the beginning of the cook time just for some extra oomph.
Nancy says
What kind of veggies would you recommend?
Ashley Fehr says
Peppers, mushrooms or zucchini would be great!
Karen says
Hi….I’m a little confused on the amount of time to cook this dish. In the instructions it says 4 hours but down further it says 6 hours on low or 3 on high…..can you please clarify? Thank you!
Ashley Fehr says
Sorry! Because there is a such a big variety in cook times it’s just an average. 3 hours on high or 6 hours on low would be correct.
Nicole B says
Think it would be ok to cook longer… like 8 hours?
Katherine says
I did it! Came out great. I used fresh tomatoes instead of canned and it still tastes great. I was hoping to find nutritional info really available on this site. Is it around here somewhere?
Ashley Fehr says
Hi Katherine! I’m glad you liked it! I don’t normally offer nutritional values because it can depend hugely on which brands and specific products you use, and not all calculators are reliable. I will be adding some in the new year though!
traci says
Can I put in turkey meat frozen and let it cook longer? Or do I have to cook the meat on the stove first?
Ashley Fehr says
You will need to start with cooked ground meat. You can start with frozen cooked ground meat in the slow cooker and just make sure it’s completely heated through and bubbling before you add the pasta.
Danielle says
I made this actually and use ground turkey raw an put that in the crock pot an worked great. No grease an tastes awesome. Added a few extra little dashes of red pepper flakes too
Ashley Fehr says
That’s good to know!
Laina says
So thankful u added that! My stove broke down and the new one won’t be in for a week so I can’t brown the meat before hand! This is super helpful!!