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

4.87 from 273 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. Laura Amelotte says

    I didnt add in the noodles until the end, I was afraid they get mushy. I did think it was to liquidly so I added some cream cheese, alittle tomato paste, once it was blended in I added cooked noodles and then the cheese.

      • ravenminor62@icloud.com says

        I have 2 questions .1 can I cook the noodles and the sauce in the slow cooker at the beginning at the same time ? And do I need to boil the pasta first before adding to the slow cooker ?

      • The Recipe Rebel says

        Hi! You would need to cook the recipe as written. For your second question, no need to boil the pasta first. I would always state that in the recipe directions if needed. Hope this helps!

  2. Debbie says

    I have made this a couple of times both time totally following recipe and my family loves it. I love the fact I can start in the morning when I have more energy and it it only takes a few minutes later to finish. Thanks!

  3. Chrish Joy says

    I doubt anyone will see this in the next 1/2 hour lol…but it seems like so much liquid. 2.5 cups plus tomato juices plus big jar of sauce. I had planned to wing a similar recipe but with just a jar of sauce and a cup of water…but I’m assuming since there’s no mention in comments that it’s perfect. 🤷🏼‍♀️ Sounds delicious.

  4. Jamie says

    My kids ask for this almost every week since I cooked it a month ago! It’s so delish and easy. It competes with one of your beef and noodles recipes on here. Your meals have saved me and I’m sure my kids are happy we’ve gotten out of our same old boring dinner rotation.

  5. bethycunningham@gmail.com says

    Looking forward to trying this recipe – can I just ask is chicken broth the same as chicken stock – I.e a stock cube or stock pot ?

  6. Anna says

    I’m trying this tonight! Do you think I could add the pasta on low for an hour at the end rather than high for a shorter time? My daughter has a late sports game, and I’m hoping I can add the pasta before we leave so we can come home and just have this ready rather than waiting for the pasta to cook.
    Thanks for sharing!

    • Ashley Fehr says

      Hi Anna! I haven’t tried leaving the pasta unattended, as the exact cook time can depend on how hot your slow cooker cooks. If you are particular about having al dente pasta, then I would not leave it that long. But if you’re okay with softer pasta, then it may be fine.

  7. Sarah S says

    Delicious! I used chicken broth and mild Italian sausage. The Ziti noodles took maybe 25 minutes in my crockpot with no precooking and were even softer when I ate it 45 minutes later. Flavor amd aroma was great!

  8. Jennifer says

    My crockpot down have 3 hr high or 6 hr low, what do you suggest I use??? It has 4 and 6 for high and 8 and 10 for low. Thank you

  9. Angela says

    Tasty, but pasta never cooked, even after an hour, I had to finish it on the stove. I even tried adding more water. I see the recipe has not been corrected since I saved it.

  10. mike11873@gmail.com says

    Hello Ashley,
    I work at a roller skating rink and usually put something in the crock for the employee’s when we are working all day. Customers were making comments about the smell from my crock. Shared your site with them. Employee’s LOVED this recipe. Next time I’m gonna make it with the substitutions Julie used. Thank You from all of the employee’s of Roller Fox Skating Center.

    Should I add the cream when I add the noodles or in the beginning with the chicken broth ?

    Thanks

  11. Julie says

    Soooo yummy! I substituted 1/2 cup of cream and added 2 cups chicken broth, no basil but added Italian seasoning. I did half pound of beef and half pound of Italian sausage. Thank you!

  12. Rebecca says

    I’m so upset. I was looking for a CROCK POT recipe. Imagine my disappointment when the first steps are to “brown hamburger meat in a skillet” and to make matters worse this recipe is referred to as a “CROCK POT ONLY” meal. I might not be a member of Mensa (not yet anyways) but I’m pretty sure that a skillet is not a part of a crock pot.

    • Debbie says

      This is what upsets you?? In 2020the year where EVERYTHING has gone to hell… THIS is what upsets you? Okay Karen 🤦🏻‍♀️😂😂😂😂 oh my. If you don’t have time or desire to brown ground beef, find another recipe. Many crock pot recipes require browning or cooking something separate then adding it. If you are industrious ( sometimes I am, sometimes I’m not) you can brown a large amount of ground beef and freeze in one pound freezer bags, so when you find a recipe and are horrified you can go ‘oh, that’s right, I have some already in the freezer I can use’

      • Dean says

        Get a ninja crockpot Karen. Stovetop setting to brown the hamburg so your day isn’t ruined!

    • Ashley Fehr says

      I mean… you are welcome to try just throwing everything in and see how it comes out? You’re obviously having a rough day. Remember that the people who publish free recipe web sites are still people.

      • Mary M. says

        I actually don’t brown my ground beef a lot of the time when using a slow cooker. If you have a lower grade of beef, it’s better to brown and drain but with ground chuck or higher it’s really not necessary. Just crumble the beef and continue on with your recipe. This is especially good with soups and chili’s as the beef soaks up the liquids. I hope this helps the issues. Enjoy.

      • Chrish Joy says

        Thx for the free recipe! An idea for you: If you wanted to keep the first line about how it’s made “completely in the crockpot” you could just change the first ingredient to “browned ground beef”…people often brown it in batches and have some in the freezer. Then your description would be perfectly accurate. 😊

    • Sarah says

      I would highly recommend finding a crockpot that has a “sauté” option, or one that has stove safe bottom. Most crockpot recipes that include meat are better with an initial browning. I just put this together in one crockpot, since mine had a sauté option on my Instapot branded one, and it was super easy.

4.87 from 273 votes (191 ratings without comment)

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