This easy crock pot baked ziti recipe cooks uncooked pasta right in a rich homemade meat sauce with plenty of melted cheese. Ricotta gives it the creamy flavor of lasagna without the work.
With about 20 minutes of prep, everything cooks together in the slow cooker for an easy cheesy pasta dinner with no need to boil the pasta first.
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Featured Comment by Kathleen:
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"I have made this several times for my Husband. He is a very picky eater…he absolutely loves this!!! It is a 5-star rating for us!!"
📝 TL;DR — Recipe Summary
What: Easy baked ziti in a crock pot is made with uncooked pasta, homemade meat sauce, ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan.
Why: Cheesy comfort food with no need to boil the pasta first, and only about 20 minutes of prep.
How: Add the sauce, uncooked pasta, ricotta mixture, and mozzarella to the crock pot in steps, then cook on LOW for about 4 hours.
🥣 Ingredients
- Pasta – Use regular uncooked ziti or penne, not oven-ready or no-boil pasta. It cooks directly in the sauce.
- Mozzarella cheese – Provides the melted, gooey cheese throughout the baked ziti.
- Ricotta, Parmesan, and egg white – Ricotta gives the dish its creamy lasagna-like flavor. Parmesan adds flavor, while the egg white helps the ricotta mixture hold together.
For the Homemade Meat Sauce
- Crushed tomatoes – The tomato base for the homemade sauce.
- Ground beef or Italian sausage – Use either one or a mix of both. Brown and drain before adding to the sauce.
- Onion and garlic – Cook with the meat to build the flavor of the sauce.
- Seasonings – Basil, salt, pepper, and optional red pepper flakes.
👨🍳 Quick Overview: Crock Pot Baked Ziti
1. Prepare the meat sauce
Brown the meat with the onion and garlic; drain. Add the meat to the seasoned crushed tomatoes.
2. Mix the ricotta cheese
Mix the ricotta with Parmesan, egg white, parsley, and salt.
3. Add to the crock pot
In order, add half of the meat sauce, uncooked pasta, ricotta mixture, and mozzarella to the crock pot. Repeat, finishing with sauce and mozzarella.
4. Cook
Cover and cook on LOW for about 4 hours. Check at 3 hours and stop when the pasta is tender.
👇 Scroll down for the printable recipe card with step-by-step photos — or keep reading for cooking tips, options, and storage.
⏲️ How Long to Cook
- LOW (recommended): About 4 hours. Start checking at 3 hours since crock pots vary.
- HIGH: About 2 hours. Start checking at 1 hour.
- Doneness: Stop cooking when the pasta is tender but not mushy.
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🍝 Pasta Tips
- Use regular uncooked pasta—not oven-ready or no-boil. Ziti and penne work well.
- Pasta shapes cook at different rates. Smaller shapes cook faster, so check for tenderness early.
- Be cautious with whole-wheat or gluten-free pasta. Cooking times and results can vary by brand.
✔️ Sauce Options & Variations
- Sauce: Homemade sauce gives the best results, but jarred marinara works as a shortcut.
- Meat: Use ground beef, Italian sausage, or a mixture of both. Brown with onion and garlic, then drain before adding to the sauce.
- Vegetables: Add mushrooms, spinach, or bell peppers if you like.
- Seasoning: Adjust basil, oregano, or red pepper flakes to taste.
↕️ Scaling for Two or Family Size
- Half recipe: Use a 2-quart mini crock pot and check the pasta early.
- Full recipe: Use a 3- to 4-quart crock pot.
- Double recipe: Use a 6-quart or larger crock pot.
- Cooking time stays about the same. Cook until the pasta is tender.
Scaling the ingredients: In the recipe card, change the number of servings. Use the adjusted amounts in the ingredient list—the instructions do not adjust automatically.
🍅 Crock Pot Italian Recipes
You may also like these crock pot Italian favorites:
Crock Pot Italian Chicken Pasta
Delicious Crock Pot Italian Chicken Pasta is loaded with mozzarella and Parmesan cheese, tender chicken, and pasta. It is cooked in an easy homemade marinara sauce that cooks the dry pasta and chicken while it simmers. You will love this cheesy Italian bake.
🥗 Serving and Storage
- Serve with a green salad and garlic bread.
- Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Freeze for up to 3 months.
- Reheat in the microwave or covered in the oven. Thaw frozen baked ziti overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
❓ FAQs
Baked ziti is an Italian-American pasta dish made with tomato sauce, cheese, and ziti pasta. It often includes ground beef or Italian sausage but can also be made without meat.
Ziti has straight-cut ends and is slightly larger, while penne has angled ends. Either works well in this recipe, and penne is often easier to find.
Yes. Skip the meat and use the tomato sauce and cheeses. You can also add mushrooms, spinach, or bell peppers.
📖The Recipe Card
Crock Pot Baked Ziti Recipe (Easy Cheesy Pasta)
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef - or Italian sausage
- 1 small onion - chopped
- 2 cloves garlic - crushed
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1 egg white
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese - grated
- 1½ teaspoons salt - divided
- ½ teaspoon dry parsley
- 28 oz crushed tomatoes
- 1½ teaspoons basil
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper - optional
- 2 cups dry ziti noodles - or penne
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese - shredded
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Brown the Meat — Chop 1 small onion. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown 1 pound ground beef (or Italian sausage). Add the onion after 3–4 minutes. Add 2 crushed garlic cloves in the last minute. Cook until no longer pink, about 9–10 minutes total. Drain excess fat.
- Mix the ricotta mixture — In a bowl, combine 1 cup (8 oz) ricotta, 1 egg white, ¼ cup grated Parmesan, ½ teaspoon dried parsley, and ½ teaspoon salt; do not overmix.
- Make the sauce — In a medium bowl, mix 28 oz crushed tomatoes, 1½ teaspoons dried basil, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon black pepper.
- Stir in the drained cooked meat to finish the meat sauce. Add ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper if you like a little heat.
- Layering — Spray a 3- to 4-quart (or larger) slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. Spread about 1½ cups of meat sauce over the bottom. Add 1 cup uncooked ziti (or penne).
- Dot with half of the ricotta mixture. Sprinkle ½ cup shredded mozzarella.
- Second layer and top — Repeat: 1½ cups meat sauce, 1 cup uncooked pasta, the remaining ricotta, and ½ cup mozzarella. Top with the remaining meat sauce and 1 cup mozzarella.
- Cook — Cover and cook on LOW for about 4 hours. Start checking the pasta at 3 hours—crock pots vary. Stop when the pasta is tender to prevent overcooking.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips
For scaling and crock pot sizes (half-batch in a 2-quart mini, double in a 6–7 quart), see the Scaling section in the post. The pasta goes in uncooked. Standard ziti or penne works best. Very small shapes, whole-wheat, or gluten-free pastas can be unpredictable. Crock pot temperature and pasta shape affect cooking time. Start checking at 3 hours and stop when the pasta is tender—pasta can go from undercooked to overcooked quickly.Your Own Private Notes
To adjust the recipe size:
You can adjust the number of servings above; however, only the amount in the ingredient list is adjusted, not the instructions.
Nutrition Estimate (may vary)
Inspired by a Pioneer Woman recipe for Baked Ziti, which is more lasagna-like with ricotta and Parmesan. I adapted it for the crock pot.
Editor's note: Originally published December 5, 2013. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
Ron says
You've made me hungry looking at this baked pasta recipe. Nothing better than a pasta bake on any evening. Thanks for reposting this.
Minka says
Hi, this is a good crock pot recipe! Easy and tasty! Today is my second go round with it and I intend to put in my regular rotation. Just a quick question. My egg yolk slipped out of the shell and I couldn't get it all out. I don't think that it will change the taste but concerned that it will cause sickness since it is in a slow cooker! Will we be able to eat this even half of an egg yolk?
Thanks
Minka
DrDan says
No problem what so ever. As I scaled this recipe down, I really only needed half of an egg so I kept the white and tossed the yoke. If you double the recipe just use the whole egg.
DrDan
Cathie Horne says
Just made this and it was yummy. Was worried about the pasta cooking but it was perfect after 4 hours.
Love your site, the recipes and your rants!
Jessica says
When I normally make baked ziti, instead of Ricotta, I use sour cream (husband hates ricotta - which I don't get but that's another story). Do you think it would make a difference substituting out the ricotta for sour cream in the slow cooker recipe? This looks amazing and would be such an easier clean up.
DrDan says
Hummm.... that seems a little southwestern to me. My major worry would be cooking sour cream that long in a crock pot. I generally will add things like sour cream near or at the end of cooking. I'm sure I have recipes with it earlier but I worry about it not handling prolonged cooking well. If you try it, comeback and post your results please.
DrDan
Robin Klien says
Very nice recipe. I tried it and for a change got it right in my first attempt. I also appreciate the way you have answered different comments. These clarifications also helped the understanding. Thanks for your valuable post and valuable time as well.
Shannon Jaskiewicz says
I CANNOT WAIT to try this! I've both bookmarked this recipe AND funneled it into a document to save on my hard drive in the event my bookmarks get blasted.
I PARTICULARLY appreciate the thorough documentation, replete with pictures.
I DO have 1 question/clarification before attempting this: i see that the noodles are uncooked, but are they rinsed? Some recipes I've seen call for rinsing the noodles in a colander prior to layering in the crockpot. Do you do this, or do you just layer them straight away?
DrDan says
I see no reason for a rinse in this recipe. I have enough moisture so they don't stick. If a recipe is marginal on fluid and the pasta is dusty with flour, they could stick together some. A rinse would never hurt but not needed.
DrDan
alease says
I made this today it was sooooo good
DrDan says
Thanks so much for the comment and the rating.
DrDan
Nicole says
This is so good. I did add a little spices to the tomatoes and tomato paste but it turned out amazing. Will recommend to everyone!
DrDan says
Thanks for the comment and rating. I have made this twice in the last few weeks.
DrDan
Juanita says
ABSOLUTELY DELISH!!!!! I just made this recipe for my boyfriend and two young kids, and it was a big hit! Instead of risotto cheese (because i didnt have any lol), I used a mixture of tofu with a little salt, olive oil, and nutmeg. I also used pasta sauce instead of just tomatoes, and added water and seasonings. It turned out fabulous!!!! This is a recipe I will definitely keep in my back pocket for future use!
Thanks for such a wonderful site and yummy food ideas!!!
DrDan says
Thanks so much for the note and rating.
This is one of my all time favorites and probably #1 on the under-appreciated list. I think I will do this tomorrow again.
DrDan
Dea Varner says
WOW!!!!!.. was this ever good!!! I usually make a baked Mostacelli dish that my husband loves but this is now his favorite!!.. he likes that it's not so "heavy".. he's been trying to eat healthier and loves that this has a fresh taste to it because it uses canned tomatoes rather than a heavier pasta sauce with tons of added who-knows-what! I like that I can make it, throw it in the crock pot and forget about it for 4 or 5 hours and it doesn't heat the kitchen up! Definitely a keeper for us.. I'd give it the highest rating possible!!!! Thank you for another awesome recipe to add to our repertoire!!!
DrDan says
Thanks for the rating and comment. I found this recipe just outrageously good. I thought it would be good... just not this good. I think I will convert more recipes to crock pots.
Dan
Anne Marie says
Also, this made much more than for two for us! I fed our family of four twice!
DrDan says
Thanks for the notes. About the dryness. Different pastas can take a different amount of fluid and I made it a little dry to begin with to not make ziti soup which I thought was a real danger here. And it makes 4 large servings... maybe I should have said 6 or 8.
Again thanks for the comments.
DrDan
Anne Marie says
I made this and the family loved it. I thought it turned out a bit dry, but I'm thinking it was because we always use 100% whole wheat pasta. I am going to experiment with adding some water to the recipe.
Glenn says
Doubling the recipe and making for dinner tonight in my 8 qt. slow cooker. Eagerly anticipating!
DrDan says
This one should double well. I have not since I don't need that much food.
Let us know how it goes.
DrDan
Leslie A. says
I am so glad I finally found a recipe site geared for two. I plan on making this for my husbands birthday. Can I make this with gluten free pasta?
DrDan says
No clue on the gluten free pasta. I have not had great luck with recipes that use uncooked pasta that is not standard pasta. Give it a try but I would do a test cooking or have a backup plan. I'm afraid it would turn to mush.
Good Luck with it...
DrDan
Mary says
Just had this for dinner. Everyone REALLY liked it! I made it with Italian sausage, my husband's favorite.
Judy U. says
Looks good! I will have to try, I always worry about mushy noodles in the crockpot.
DrDan says
No mushy here. If done with precooked pasta, I'm sure it would be...