Never Think About What to Make for Dinner for the Next Two Months with My Lazy Cooking Bundle
Crockpot baked ziti is a delicious, rich pasta dish with an amazing cheese topping that is so easy to throw together. Loaded with pasta, ground beef, seasoning, sauce, and cheese this simple, hearty dinner is so easy thanks to your slow cooker! Served with a Caeser salad and cheesy pull-apart bread this meal will be a favorite.
Make sure you also check out our other recipes for making an easy baked ziti as well as baked ziti with chicken.
MORE CROCKPOT RECIPES:
Crockpot Orange Chicken | Crockpot Ranch Pork Chops
Ingredients for Crockpot Baked Ziti
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic, 2 cloves
- 1 teaspoon basil
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 2 24-ounce jars of pasta sauce (or make your own)
- 1 16-ounce box of baked ziti, uncooked
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella, divided into 2 one-cup servings
- Chopped fresh parsley
substitutions and additions
Meat: If you don’t want to use ground beef, you can switch it out for different meats such as Italian sausage for some spice. You could also use ground chicken or ground turkey or you can leave out the meat to have a delicious vegetarian dish.
Meatballs: If you’re making it vegetarian, you could make our homemade meatballs to serve on the side for those that want them.
Pasta: You could use penne or rotini in place of ziti for this recipe. You could also substitute gluten-free pasta for anyone with a sensitivity.
Spice: Add a teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes for some heat if you like things spicy.
Veggies: You could add mushrooms, squash, bell peppers, zucchini, or spinach to this easily.
How to Make this crockpot Baked Ziti recipe
STEP ONE: Cook the ground beef in a skillet with the onions until the meat is no longer pink. After cooked, drain meat if needed.
STEP TWO: Add in the garlic, basil, oregano, salt, and pepper then stir it all together. Cook in the new ingredients for about 1 minute more, stirring it constantly.
STEP THREE: In the same pan, stir in 1 of the jars of pasta sauce into the ground beef mixture.
STEP FOUR: Using the remaining jar of pasta sauce, pour half a jar in the bottom of the slow cooker.
PRO TIP: Before adding anything into the slow cooker, spray it with cooking spray to make clean up easier or use a crockpot liner.
STEP FIVE: Add half of the uncooked ziti pasta on top of the pasta sauce.
STEP SIX: Pour half of the meat mixture on top of the uncooked ziti pasta.
STEP SEVEN: Top the meat mixture with the ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, and 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese.
STEP EIGHT: Add the remaining half jar of pasta sauce on top of the cheeses.
STEP NINE: Add another layer of uncooked ziti pasta on top of the pasta sauce.
STEP TEN: Cover the uncooked ziti pasta with the remaining meat mixture.
STEP ELEVEN: Place the lid on the crock pot. Cook this on low for 6 hours.
PRO TIP: You can also cook on high for three hours, but I think it tastes best on low for longer.
STEP TWELVE: The last 15 minutes before serving add the last 1 cup of mozzarella to the top. Place the lid back on the slow cooker and let the mozzarella cheese melt before serving.
STEP THIRTEEN: Serve and enjoy!
storage
IN THE FRIDGE: Refrigerate the cooled baked ziti in an airtight container for 3 to 5 days. You can reheat it in the oven or microwave.
IN THE FREEZER: Cover cooled baked ziti with a double layer of heavy duty foil and freeze for up to 3 months. To reheat, toss it in the oven for about an hour.
In my opinion, crockpot baked ziti is just as good as the oven baked ziti and takes much less preparation! I love making anything I can in my crock pot, because I can throw it together, set it, and go! This is one of my all time favorite crock pot recipes and I hope it’ll be one of yours as well.
More Recipes You’ll Love
Crockpot Baked Ziti
Ingredients
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 1 tsp minced garlic 2 cloves
- 1 tsp basil
- 1 tsp oregano
- 2 24 oz jar pasta sauce or make your own!
- 16 oz box baked ziti uncooked
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
- 2 cup shredded mozzarella divided into 2 one cup servings
- chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Brown ground beef in a skillet with onions until cooked through. Drain meat if needed.
- Add garlic, basil, oregano, salt, and pepper then stir together. Cook for about one minute, stirring it constantly.
- Stir in 1 of the jars of pasta sauce into the ground beef mixture.
- Take the second jar of sauce and pour half in the bottom of the slow cooker.TIP: Before adding anything into the slow cooker, spray it with cooking spray to make clean up easier!
- Pour half the uncooked ziti pasta on top of the sauce pasta.
- Pour half of the meat mixture on top of the uncooked ziti pasta.
- Top the meat mixture with the ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, and 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese.
- Add the remaining half jar of pasta sauce on top of the cheeses.
- Add the other half of the uncooked ziti pasta on top of the pasta sauce.
- Cover the uncooked ziti pasta with the remaining meat mixture.
- Place the lid on the crockpot and cook on low six hours.Tip: You can also cook on high for three hours, but I think it tastes best low and slow!
- 15 minutes before serving, add the last cup of mozzarella cheese on top and replace the lid until everything melts.
- Serve and enjoy!
I can’t wait to try this – we love pasta, and it doesn’t get easier than a crockpot meal!
If you do want to add spinach, mushrooms, and bell peppers which part will you add? When your cooking the meat with the onions or uncooked when layering the ingredients in crockpot? I do know mushroom and spinach cook quickly so just want to know when. I do add them do I cook them with the meat or add them uncook?
Hi, Nessa – bell peppers could be cooked with the meat. For the spinach and mushrooms – some people add in their layers right at the start and others stir them in for the last hour of cooking. Hope you enjoy!
Definitely was easy to make! Do you stir before adding the last mozzarella so the cheeses are blended throughout?
You can if you’d like. Glad you enjoyed it 🙂
How big are the jars of spaghetti sauce?
They’re 24-ounces – enjoy 🙂
Can meatballs be added to this, such as frizen?
Yes, I’m sure you could – I haven’t done that but I bet it would be yummy!
Can we cook this on high? If so for how many hours?
You could do high for 2-3 hours!
Are you using a large crock pot like the oval shaped?
Yes! 🙂
This is an easy weeknight dinner option. Delicious!