Fire up the crock pot for some of the best baked ziti you will ever eat. You may confuse it with great lasagna. With no precooking of the pasta, you will love this recipe.
Introduction
This recipe was in my top 10 recipes of 2013. I have repeated it many times when I need a special casual family meal. You can not go wrong with this recipe. I guarantee it a great relatively easy dinner without spending the day in the kitchen.
This takes just a bit more work than my normal slow cooker recipe, but it is so worth it. You can have great Italian at home.
I rarely use the term "best" or anything similar. You will see me use easy, simple, and other pronouns, but I will use "best" here. I can not imagine any crock pot ziti being better than this.
As I read the crock pot recipes, I realized they were not that different than the oven recipes, except they may use uncooked pasta (probably a good idea, or you might have mush) and usually had a bit more liquid to help cook the pasta.
So I modeled what I felt was the best, and that was a Pioneer Woman recipe for Baked Ziti. It was a bit more lasagna-like with ricotta and Parmesan cheese in addition to my normal mozzarella. I will never go back.
My Rating
Outrageously good.
What is Baked Ziti?
Baked Ziti is basically some kind of tomato sauce usually with meat in my house, but you could skip the meat if you must. Add in some kind of cheese and pasta, and you have a classic Italian dish. There are variations, but that is basically it.
👨🍳The Pasta
Cooking pasta in a crock pot can be a bit tricky. Crock pots vary in their temperature curve, and the other ingredients can affect the cooking.
But perhaps the most important variable is the pasta itself. I suggest using a similar pasta each time to learn how it will cook by this method.
Smaller pasta will tend to cook faster. The recommended cooking time for the pasta you are using will give you a clue. The penne pasta I usually use has a suggested cooking time of 12-14 minutes.
Pasta with very short cooking times will not be a good choice and I doubt whole wheat pasta or gluten-free pasta will be a good choice.
So like most recipes, a test cooking before important meals is always in order.
Ziti vs. Penne Noodles
Close but not the same. Ziti is a bit bigger and has straight-cut ends. Penne is a little smaller with angle cut ends.
I have been berated for using penne instead of ziti. Yep, I do it all the time, and it doesn’t matter. Ziti pasta is harder to find for me, and I like smaller pasta. So use what you like.
Should I Cook the Pasta First?
No. It is cooked in the crock pot with the fluid from the sauce. I suggest using standard box pasta here since I know how it will cook in this sort of usage.
If you use non-standard pasta, the results may or may not be good.
🐄The Meat
If you want, leave the meat out. But, in our home, ziti always has meat. It may be burger, Italian sausage, or chicken. But we always do meat.
Ground meat, like hamburger or sausage, must be browned before adding to a crock pot recipe. If uncooked, you will have a clumpy mess. So a nice browning and drain. I take the opportunity to precook the onion here also.
♨️The Crock Pot
The recipe, as written, is a cut-down recipe already. I used my 3.5 qt crock pot, which is "Cooking For Two," after all. This filled the pot about 75%, which is really about the most you should do, so do not use it in a smaller pot.
This would be great to double and would just fit in a 6.5 qt crock pot, but bigger would be better.
Low vs. High
I recommend cooking on low for this recipe. Less likely to overcook your pasta. On low, generally right at 4 ½ hours generally. Plus, use a 4-5 hour range, but always check the pasta at about 3 hours.
If you want to cook on high, generally it will be 2 to 2 ½ hours. And check the pasta at 1 ½ hours, please.
🇮🇹Crock Pot Italian Recipes
This recipe is listed in these categories. See them for more similar recipes.
🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
Use the pasta you want. I happened to use Penne this time. Please see the discussion about selecting your pasta above.
Start by place 1 pound of ground beef over medium-high heat to brown. Then chop one small onion and crush two cloves of garlic and add while the meat is browning. Cook until no longer pink. About 9-10 minutes.
Combine 1 cup (8 oz.) ricotta cheese with one egg white, ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese, ½ teaspoon dry parsley, and ½ teaspoon salt—do not over mix.
To a medium mixing bowl, combine 1 - 28 oz can crushed tomatoes, 1 ½ teaspoon basil, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper—mix well.
Drain the meat of extra fat and combine to make the meat sauce. You can add ⅛ tsp crushed red pepper if you wish. It will not add much heat.
Give a 3.5 qt. or larger slow cooker a good spray of PAM. See Notes about crock pot sizes. Now you get to layer the dish. Put about 1 ½ cups of meat sauce in first and spread to cover the bottom. Add 1 cup of uncooked ziti noodles or other pasta.
Now add half the ricotta mixture by placing spoonfuls on the pasta. Add ½ cup of shredded Mozzarella cheese on top of that.
Repeat the lay. Add 1 ½ cup meat sauce. Add 1 cup ziti noodles. Then add the rest of the ricotta and ½ cup mozzarella. Top with the rest of the sauce and 1 cup of mozzarella.
Cook on low for 4-5 hours. But check the pasta one hour early and closer to the end. End cooking early if needed to prevent overcooking.
📖Recipe
Crock Pot Baked Ziti
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef - or Italian sausage
- 1 onion - small chopped
- 2 cloves garlic - crushed
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1 egg white
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese - grated
- 1 ½ tsp salt - divided
- ½ tsp dry parsley
- 28 oz crushed tomatoes
- 1 ½ teaspoon basil
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper - optional
- 2 cups dry ziti noodles
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese - shredded
Instructions
- Start by place 1 pound of ground beef over medium-high heat to brown. Then chop one small onion and crush two cloves of garlic and add while the meat is browning. Cook until no longer pink. About 9-10 minutes.
- Combine 1 cup (8oz) ricotta cheese with one egg white, ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese, ½ teaspoon dry parsley, and ½ teaspoon salt—do not over mix.
- To a medium mixing bowl, combine 1 - 28 oz can crushed tomatoes, 1 ½ teaspoon basil, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper—mix well.
- Drain the meat of extra fat and combine to make the meat sauce. You can add ⅛ tsp crushed red pepper if you wish. It will not add much heat.
- Give a 3.5 qt. or larger slow cooker a good spray of PAM. Now you get to layer the dish. Put about 1 ½ cups of meat sauce in first and spread to cover the bottom. Add 1 cup of uncooked ziti noodles or other pasta.
- Now add half the ricotta mixture by placing spoonfuls on the pasta. Add ½ cup of shredded Mozzarella cheese on top of that.
- Repeat the lay. Add 1 ½ cup meat sauce. Add 1 cup ziti noodles. Then add the rest of the ricotta and ½ cup mozzarella. Top with the rest of the sauce and 1 cup of mozzarella.
- Cook on low for 4-5 hours. But check the pasta one hour early and closser to the end. End cooking early of needed to prevent overcook.
My Private Notes
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips
- This will fit in a 3 ½ quart crock pot but not smaller. A double needs 6 ½ quart or larger.
- The pasta goes in uncooked so the chose of pasta is important. Longer discussion within the post. I suggest a standard penne. I doubt very small pasta, whole wheat, or gluten-free would be a good choice.
- There are variables like the crock pot and the other ingredients. But the biggest variable is the pasta. So check the pasta several times before you think it is done.
- DO NOT SKIP CHECKING THE PASTA early, part way through the cooking and closer to the end. Many pastas will go from under cooked to overcooked rapidly.
To adjust the recipe size:
You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.
Nutrition Estimate
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Editor's note: Originally published December 5, 2013. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
Peter Beckles
What is ziti? The pasta illustrated is penne, isn't it?
DrDan
Ziti pasta is cut straight across on the end and is slightly bigger than penne. My local store doesn't even carry Ziti. I use them interchangeably.
Dan
Nancy
This looks right up our alley. Definitely putting this in my summer rotation when we want a hot meal but don't want to heat up the kitchen.
Ron
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
I made this today it was sooooo good
DrDan
Thanks so much for the comment and the rating.
DrDan
Nicole
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
Thanks for the comment and rating. I have made this twice in the last few weeks.
DrDan
Juanita
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
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
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
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
Also, this made much more than for two for us! I fed our family of four twice!
DrDan
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
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
Doubling the recipe and making for dinner tonight in my 8 qt. slow cooker. Eagerly anticipating!
DrDan
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.
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
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
Just had this for dinner. Everyone REALLY liked it! I made it with Italian sausage, my husband's favorite.
Judy U.
Looks good! I will have to try, I always worry about mushy noodles in the crockpot.
DrDan
No mushy here. If done with precooked pasta, I'm sure it would be...