Description
A cheesy, saucy, ultra-comforting pasta that cooks itself in the slow cooker—perfect for busy nights.
Ingredients
- Uncooked ziti or penne
- Marinara sauce
- Ground beef (cooked & seasoned)
- Mozzarella cheese
- Ricotta or cottage cheese
- Parmesan cheese
- Italian seasoning
- Garlic
- Salt
- Pepper
Instructions
- Brown ground beef with garlic, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning.
- In the slow cooker, layer: sauce → uncooked pasta → meat → dollops of ricotta → mozzarella.
- Repeat layers until ingredients are used, finishing with sauce on top.
- Cook on LOW for 3–4 hours (or HIGH for 2 hours) until pasta is tender.
- Sprinkle extra mozzarella and Parmesan on top.
- Cover and cook an additional 10–15 minutes to melt.
- Serve warm with herbs or more cheese.
Notes
- For a vegetarian option, omit the ground beef.
- Feel free to add vegetables like spinach or mushrooms for extra nutrition.
- Adjust the seasoning to taste.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 3–4 hours on LOW
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Slow Cooker
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 450
- Sugar: 6g
- Sodium: 800mg
- Fat: 20g
- Saturated Fat: 10g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 50g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 25g
- Cholesterol: 60mg