Description
This Slow Cooker Baked Ziti is a delicious and comforting Italian-inspired pasta dish made with Italian sausage, a rich tomato sauce, and melted mozzarella cheese. Perfect for busy days, this easy make-ahead meal requires minimal prep and uses a slow cooker for hands-off cooking, resulting in tender pasta and a hearty, flavorful meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Meat and Aromatics
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound Italian sausage (or ground beef or ground turkey)
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
Tomato Sauce and Seasonings
- 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 15 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1 ½ teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 ½ cups water
Pasta and Cheese
- 16 ounces uncooked ziti pasta (or penne pasta)
- 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Cook the Meat and Aromatics: Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the Italian sausage (or chosen meat) and cook, crumbling the meat, for 3-4 minutes. Add the chopped onion and continue cooking until sausage is fully cooked. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 more minute, stirring constantly to avoid burning. Drain excess grease.
- Prepare the Slow Cooker Sauce Base: Transfer the cooked meat mixture to the slow cooker. Add crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning, oregano, basil, salt, pepper, and water. Stir well to combine. Note that the mixture will be quite liquidy as the pasta has not been added yet—the water will be absorbed during cooking.
- Slow Cook the Sauce: Cover and cook on the high setting for about 3 hours or on the low setting for about 6 hours, allowing flavors to meld and sauce to develop.
- Add the Pasta: Stir the uncooked pasta into the slow cooker, pressing it down into the sauce to ensure it is submerged. Cover and continue cooking on HIGH for 15-25 minutes. After 15 minutes, stir the pasta once to ensure even cooking. The exact cook time may vary depending on your slow cooker.
- Finishing Touches: When the pasta is tender, turn off the slow cooker. Sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese evenly over the top. Cover and let the dish rest for 5 minutes to allow the cheese to melt thoroughly.
- Serve: After resting, serve the baked ziti hot as a comforting main dish perfect for family meals or gatherings.
Notes
- This recipe is an easy make-ahead meal perfect for busy days or meal prepping.
- You can substitute Italian sausage with ground beef or ground turkey to suit your preference.
- Be careful not to add the pasta too early; it only needs to cook for a short time at the end to avoid becoming mushy.
- Cooking times for the pasta may vary between different slow cooker models; monitor doneness for best results.
- Letting the cheese rest covered in the slow cooker after cooking ensures a melted and gooey topping.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 515 kcal
- Sugar: 8 g
- Sodium: 935 mg
- Fat: 24 g
- Saturated Fat: 9 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 13 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 55 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 21 g
- Cholesterol: 54 mg
