Crock Pot Baked Ziti

Crock Pot Pasta is the easiest, most comforting way to enjoy pasta. This recipe for Slow Cooker Ziti features a homemade sauce, tons of cheese, and noodles that are cooked to perfection right in the slow cooker. This is one easy hands-off meal that is PERFECT for busy days! 

Serve this Crock Pot Baked Ziti with Homemade Garlic Toast and a side Greek Salad for a complete family meal that is satisfying, comforting, and super easy to prepare.

My most favorite comforting meal as a child was my mom’s pasta and her homemade tomato sauce. When I came home from school and smelled the tomatoes and oregano, I knew dinner would be good!

I turned my Mom’s pasta into a one-pot, easy, slow-cooker meal by making my homemade tomato sauce in the slow cooker, and then adding pasta and cheese at the end.

YES, you heard me right! You can cook your pasta in the slow cooker! Your life is changed for the better now! 

Crock Pot Baked Ziti is beyond simple, only dirties up one dish, and flavors are reminiscent of lasagna.

Key Ingredients

• Tomato Sauce: I start his dish out with a version of my homemade tomato sauce. You can use any jarred spaghetti sauce your family likes, just be sure to follow the recipe modifications if using jarred sauce. add in an additional 1 cup water for pasta to have something to absorb while cooking. And you still need to let the sauce heat up before adding the pasta. I would cook on low for at least 1 hour.
• Pasta: Shape and size of pasta matter for this recipe. I have tried this Crock-Pot Ziti with ziti, rotini, rigatoni, and elbow noodles with success. Spaghetti, linguine, and bow-tie pasta is not recommended. Gluten-Free pasta does not cook well in the slow cooker either.
• Cottage Cheese: Cottage cheese adds the perfect creaminess and texture to this baked ziti, but you can use ricotta instead.
• Cheese: Mozzarella and Parmesan Cheese add the perfect cheesy touch.
• Meat (optional): This crock-pot pasta makes a hearty meatless dish, however, feel free to brown sausage or ground beef and add to when you add the pasta to the slow cooker.

How to Make Slow Cooker Pasta

• Mix together all the ingredients for the homemade tomato sauce.

• Slow cook for several hours on low for the sauce to develop its flavor and the tomatoes to mellow out.
• Once the sauce has cooked, turn the heat to high. Stir in the pasta, cottage cheese, and mozzarella cheese.

• Cook for 30-45 minutes for whole grain pasta and 15-20 minutes for white pasta, or until the pasta is tender.

• Top with Parmesan cheese, and let warm through before serving.

More Comforting Pasta Recipes

• Creamy Chicken Casserole
• Homemade Lasagna
• Easy Taco Pasta
• Instant Pot Creamy Italian Pasta
• Instant Pot Spaghetti

Make this Slow Cooker “Baked” Ziti and get dinner done without the hassle!

Slow Cooker Ziti

Crock Pot Pasta is the easiest, most comforting way to enjoy pasta. This recipe for Slow Cooker Ziti features a homemade sauce, tons of cheese, and noodles that are cooked to perfection right in the slow cooker.

4.79 from 19 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 5 hours

Total Time: 5 hours 5 minutes

Servings: 8

Calories: 357kcal

Author: Kristen Chidsey

Ingredients

Homemade Tomato Sauce

• 28 ounce can tomato puree28 ounce can tomato puree
• 6 ounce can tomato paste6 ounce can tomato paste
• 3 cups water, divided3 cups water, divided
• 1 tablespoons honey1 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon olive oil1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon salt1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes optional1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes optional

For the Crock-Pot Ziti

• 16 ounce package whole grain rotini or ziti16 ounce package whole grain rotini or ziti
• 1 cup cottage cheese1 cup cottage cheese
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
• 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese freshly grated1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese freshly grated

Instructions

• Mix together tomato puree, tomato paste, 2 cups water, oil, honey, and spices together in a slow cooker.
• Cover and set to low and cook for 4-5 hours.
• Turn slow cooker to high and mix in 1 cup water, pasta, cottage cheese, and mozzarella cheese. Cover and let cook for about 45 minutes for whole grain pasta and 25 minutes for white pasta, or until pasta is tender, stirring half-way through.
• Once the pasta is tender, finish with Parmesan cheese and serve.

Equipment Needed

• 6-8 quart Slow Cooker

Notes

Using Jarred Sauce: In place of the homemade tomato sauce, use 28 ounces of your favorite jarred sauce and add in an additional 1 cup water. Cook on low heat for 1 hour before adding the pasta, cottage cheese, and cheese.

Adding Meat: Feel free to brown up ground beef or sausage and add to the sauce when you add the pasta.

In place of cottage cheese, feel free to use ricotta cheese. 

 

Nutrition

Calories: 357kcal | Carbohydrates: 58g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 675mg | Potassium: 815mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 1000IU | Vitamin C: 15.2mg | Calcium: 130mg | Iron: 3.2mg

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This post was originally published in 2015 but was updated in 2020 with new pictures and a video.