This Slow Cooker Baked Ziti is a simple recipe with all tastes! It’s the ideal weeknight meal with tender noodles coated in the beef of the ground and mixed with a melted cheese flavor. Pasta in the slow cooker has an overcooked and soggy reputation, as a result of too much liquid or too long a cooker’s time. But here it’s not going to happen. Yes, in your slow cooker you can make baked ziti. And the results aren’t good — they’re incredible. It gains from what is missing in the crispy corners of the ooey-gooey comfort-food service: tender, marinara-coated noodles, mixed with two melts of melts. We minimized the amount of liquid to get those noodles right by cooking dried noodles in a marinara sauce directly rather than in the broth and water. And because most marinara purchased at the store is infused with extra flavor, it also means that your ziti gets more flavor.
Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
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1 onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
28 oz can diced tomatoes
1 jar pasta sauce
2 1/2 cups water
4 cups ziti or penne noodles, uncooked
3/4 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
fresh parsley for garnish, if desired
Directions:
Brown the ground beef and chop the onion in a large casserole. Mix the garlic, salt, basil, and oregano. Cook in a slow cooker for 1 minute. Add the mixture of beef, diced tomatoes, paste, and water. Stir to mix. Mix. Cook at low heat for six hours or three hours at high heat.
Stir in the high heater and add the noodles of ziti or penne. Cover, cook until the noodles achieved your desired consistency, for about 20-30 minutes.
Top with shredded Mozza and if desired you can add parsley. Cover and cook until cheese is melted on top. It takes approximately 15 minutes.
Serve warm.
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp basil
- 1 tsp oregano
- 28 oz can diced tomatoes
- 1 jar pasta sauce
- 2 1/2 cups water
- 4 cups ziti or penne noodles, uncooked
- 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
- fresh parsley for garnish, if desired
Instructions
Brown the ground beef and chop the onion in a large casserole. Mix the garlic, salt, basil, and oregano. Cook in a slow cooker for 1 minute. Add the mixture of beef, diced tomatoes, paste, and water. Stir to mix. Mix. Cook at low heat for six hours or three hours at high heat.
Stir in the high heater and add the noodles of ziti or penne. Cover, cook until the noodles achieved your desired consistency, for about 20-30 minutes.
Top with shredded Mozza and if desired you can add parsley. Cover and cook until cheese is melted on top. It takes approximately 15 minutes.
Serve warm.
