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
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Tried this recipe?
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Lenora says
Hi how big is each serving?
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Lenora, It’s 1/8 of the dish. I did not measure it out in cups. Hope you enjoy it!
Maggie says
This recipe is delicious and I have made it several times on low for 6 hours. This time around I don’t have 6 hours to cook it. I usually never cook anything in my crockpot on high. Has anyone cooked it on high for the 3 hours and does it come out just like it does cooking slow at 6 hours? Thanks for any feedback.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Maggie, yes you can cook this on high for 3 hours. Hope you enjoy it!
ASmith says
Do you strain the canned tomatoes?
The Recipe Rebel says
You do not. Hope you enjoy it!
Marsha Gainey says
This was hearty and tasty. It made a lot; the leftovers completely filled a 13-cup plastic-storage container. I added at least a tablespoon each of the dried herbs. As other reviewers did, I mixed in a mixture of an egg and a cup of ricotta before I added the shredded mozzarella, then put the lid on for about 10 minutes to melt the cheese. I also used ground turkey and actual ziti.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Marsha! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this review!
Christine says
Delicious! Followed the recipe exactly and it was a hit. Thank you!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Christine! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this review!
Re says
Great Recipe! I cooked for a crowd and doubled the recipe. Making this for a larger crowd soon and was wondering if this can be made ahead and frozen til ready to bake? I’m thinking the pasta may be an issue? Thoughts? 😁
Pamela Clark says
I have a Question. Are they anyway to Add Cottage Cheese to make it more like a Crock pot Lasagne? I love Lasagne but it’s time consuming and little Expensive if doing the right way of doing one. How would you do it or do you have a quick recipe for anything like this
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Pamela, I’ve only tested this recipe as is, so I couldn’t say for sure. I do have a crockpot lasagna that is pretty simple. Here you go: https://www.thereciperebel.com/crockpot-lasagna/
Jen says
I can’t wait to make it!!!! I’m beyond happy that more and more food bloggers are catching on and including the nutritional information with their recipes!!! There are so many delicious looking recipes that people don’t make simply because the recipe doesn’t include it, and are on specific diets..I’m so happy this one has it!!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hope you enjoy it Jen!
Barbara Raftery says
Can you double this recipe, and get good results?
Re says
I doubled and it came out GREAT!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Barbara! I haven’t tried it myself and honestly I don’t think so, your slow cooker would need to be big enough to fit all of the ingredients. If you decide to experiment, let me know how it goes!
Yvonne says
I made this recipe and used Italian turkey, a green bell pepper, spinach, chicken broth, and cream. Other than these alterations, I made as instructed and cooked on low for 3 hrs, then turned to high for additional hour. I added the pasta and spinach halfway through the last hour. So delicious, definitely will make again!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Yvonne! So glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for this review!
Nick says
I just made this on the weekend and I will definitely be making it again. My first serving was a little soupy, but all the liquid was nicely absorbed by the time the leftovers were cool enough to put away. I also added a mix of ricotta and egg (like for lasagne) at the end before topping with the mozza and it was *chef’s kiss.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Nick! So glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for this review!
Stormie says
When I make this, I’ll be in a situation where I must cook it entirely all the way through the pasta being added and cooked. But then, rather than serving immediately, I’ll need to take my crockpot in my car (no longer plugged in of course) to another location that’s about 1/2 hr’s drive away. So when I get there, do you think it will be ok to just plug it in and put it on warm? Do you think it will become mushy while it’s “traveling?”
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Stormie, it would be hard for me to say, since I haven’t done this myself. If you decide to experiment, let me know how it goes!
ivana says
How would you make it in an instant pot?
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Ivana! Here is my instant pot version: https://www.thereciperebel.com/easy-instant-pot-baked-ziti-recipe-video/
Kay says
What is the serving size?
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Kay! I haven’t actually measured it out but it is 1/8 of the recipe dish.
Katie Modell says
This was so good! I didn’t have any mozzarella, so I went rogue and used pepper jack. The flavors were incredible. I used the sauté function on my pressure cooker for the beef and aromatics, and then slow cooked the rest.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Katie!
Elizabeth says
My toddlers LOVED this meal! They *rarely* like what I make, and there were no complaints with this dinner. Thanks so much for sharing!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Elizabeth!
Jaclyn says
Hello im going to cook this next week but can I leave out the diced tomatoes as my family doesn’t really like them
Ashley Fehr says
You can but I would sub in crushed tomatoes as they do provide some of the liquid required for the recipe
ABC says
Wow! Whatta hit! My family loved it and my three year old was saying “yummy” with every bite. Adding this to the rotation, for sure!
James Wild says
By 4 cups Ziti, do you mean 8 oz of uncooked Ziti?
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi James, it has been measured out in cups and grams, not ounces. I don’t believe it’s equivalent to an 8 ounces. I would just measure the 4 cups.
James Wild says
I see now. You call for 375 grams of Ziti. A 16 oz box is 454 grams. So most, if not all of that. As suggested below, I am adding a tsp of Oregano, 8 oz of sliced Baby Bellas and since I have a Basil plant, I’ll thinly cut a few leaves of it for a topping.
I also like your cheesy Chicken spaghetti recipe.
The Recipe Rebel says
Glad to hear! Thanks James!
Karen says
James, I did measure this and it was 4 cups, with a few straggly noodles so I just added them too. No big deal, it is only a pinch over 4 cups.
The Risotto Broad says
I’ve made this a few times, using sausage. It came out great. Each time I added ricotta (with egg) to the mix at the end with the other cheese.
It’s the perfect recipe for lazy people like me.
Glad I found this.
The Recipe Rebel says
So glad you did too! Thank you for the kind review!