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There's nothing better than an easy pasta dinner that practically makes itself, and this Crockpot Ziti does just that. With tender noodles, rich sauce, and plenty of gooey cheese, it's comfort food the whole family will love.
This slow cooker pasta is the ultimate easy crockpot dinner. The noodles cook right in the sauce, the cheese melts into every bite, and cleanup is minimal. It delivers baked rotini and lasagna vibes with little to no effort involved.
Kristen's Keys for Crockpot Pasta
Cooking pasta in the crockpot can be a little tricky, but with the right method and my tips, it turns out perfectly tender--never mushy.
- Select the right pasta. While this recipe is for Crockpot Ziti, you can swap out the ziti for rigatoni, elbow, or rotini noodles. Skip spaghetti, linguine, bowties, and any variety of gluten-free pasta.
- Always cook the noodles on high. This helps the pasta to cook evenly and not become mushy or gummy.
- Take a shortcut or start from scratch. To make things even easier, you can start with a jar of spaghetti sauce, or go the homemade route for extra flavor.
Happy Cooking! xo Kristen
How to Make Baked Ziti in the Crockpot
While clearly not baked, this Crockpot Ziti recipe delivers the same flavors of baked ziti--without the need to turn on the oven! Let me walk you through the steps so that you can achieve perfect results.
Step One: Start with the Sauce
Whether starting from scratch or using jarred sauce, you want to cook the sauce a bit on its own before adding the pasta.
- For Homemade Crockpot Spaghetti Sauce: Add crushed tomatoes, olive oil, honey, water, garlic, and seasonings to the slow cooker. Let it simmer on low for a few hours so the flavors deepen and mellow out.
- For Jarred Sauce: Just pour it in the slow cooker with a cup of water and let it heat on low for about an hour.
Step Two: Add Pasta and Cheese
Once the sauce has been heated, stir in the pasta, cottage cheese, and mozzarella cheese, along with a bit more water (or stock).
Want to add meat? Add up to 1 pound of cooked and crumbled ground beef, Italian sausage, or ground turkey along with pasta.
Step Three: Slow Cook Pasta
Cover and cook on HIGH until the noodles are tender, stirring once midway through the cooking process.
- For Regular Pasta: 25-30 minutes
- For Whole Wheat Pasta: 45-50 minutes
Step Four: Finish with Cheese
Once the pasta has cooked, sprinkle with Parmesan (and more mozzarella if your crew likes things extra cheesy like mine). Stir gently and serve right away for the best texture.
Make it a Meal
Crockpot pasta can be served as a hearty entree all on its own. However, to round out dinner, serve with a salad, veggies, or bread on the side.
- Add a Salad: We love serving this pasta alongside a tossed greek salad, Caesar salad, or Copycat Olive Garden salad.
- Serve with Veggies: Instead of a salad, serve the crockpot ziti with steamed veggies of choice, green beans almondine, or glazed carrots.
- Pair with Bread: No one ever complains about a side of garlic toast or breadsticks to soak up the pasta sauce.
More Easy Cozy Pasta Recipes
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Crockpot Baked Ziti
Video
Ingredients
For the Spaghetti Sauce
- 28 ounces crushed tomatoes
- 6 ounces tomato paste
- 2 cups water, or chicken stock, vegetable broth, or beef broth
- 1 tablespoon honey, or granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
For Crockpot Pasta
- 1 cup water, or chicken stock, vegetable broth, or beef broth
- 16 ounces ziti, or rotini
- 1 cup cottage cheese
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
- ¼ cup Parmesan Cheese, freshly grated
Instructions
- Combine crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, 2 cups of water, oil, honey, oregano, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes in the base of a large slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours. Note: If using jarred sauce, simply combine 28 ounces of your favorite spaghetti sauce with 1 cup of water and cook on low heat for 1 hour.
- After 4-5 hours, remove the lid and add the remaining 1 cup of water along with the pasta of choice, cottage cheese, and mozzarella cheese. Stir to combine.
- Cover, turn the slow cooker to high, and cook for 25 minutes for regular pasta and 45 minutes for whole grain pasta, or until pasta is tender, stirring halfway through the cooking time. Once the pasta is tender, finish with Parmesan cheese and serve.
Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This post was originally published in 2015 and updated in 2025.
Wonderful recipe. Has become a family and friends favorite. I added a small amount of garlic powder to the sauce. I also cook in a couple shakes of Parmesan cheese — has passed the family test! Thank you for sharing.
I love when meals get the family seal of approval. Thanks for sharing 😊
I made this recipe with rigatoni! I made a couple of modifications. I used 36 oz jar of my favorite pasta sauce and put crockpot on warm for 2.5 hours. Then added 1 lb browned ground beef, cottage cheese, and rigatoni. Note, you’ll need to add 12 oz (1.5 cups) of water for the rigatoni to cook in. Then took about 40 min on high to cook all the way through!
I love when people are able to take inspiration from my recipe and make it their own. Sounds delicious Nadia!
Do you cook the ziti first. The recipe is not clear
Hi Michelle, I am going to update right this recipe shortly to be sure it is super clear. You do NOT cook the ziti first. Part of the beauty of this fast meal 🙂 Enjoy!
What is the significance of the honey? Can it be left out? I typically don't care for sweet red sauces.
Hi Amy,
You can certainly leave out the honey. However, this small amount doesn't add much sweetness. It just helps to balance out the acidity of the tomatoes. Enjoy 🙂
Baked Ziti is definitely a comfort food from my childhood! and now also a comfort food for my kids!
My comfort food go to as well.
My picky daughter will love this easy baked ziti! Can't wait to try it!!
Picky eaters DO love this!
Can and how would you add meat?
Stephanie, you can certainly add meat. You can brown up ground beef or sausage (1 pound) and add to remaining ingredients and cook as directed. You can also add raw sausage links and let cook with sauce--remove before serving and slice up and stir back into dish. Enjoy!