You all know by now my love for slow cooker recipes. Slow cookers save my life all the time! I am a busy bee and I needed something that I can make without spending eternity in the kitchen. And slow cooker recipes are delicious! Just like this Cheesy Baked Ziti. It is overwhelmingly good! And slow cooking it is one of the most flavorful ways of making this one of a kind dish without ever turning on the oven. My family’s favorite! And this freezes well. So what I normally do is freeze them in separate containers for lunch throughout the week. This indeed saves me a lot of time. This dish never disappoints. Always on top of its game.
Ingredients
1/2 brick (4 oz.) cream cheese, softened to room temperature
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1/4 cup sour cream
1 pound of ground beef, cooked
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 sprigs basil, chopped
2 (24 oz.) jars marinara sauce
1 (16 oz.) jar tomato sauce
1 cup water
16 oz. ziti pasta, uncooked
1 1/2 cups shredded parmesan cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
How to make Slow Cooker Cheesy Baked Ziti
Step 1: In a medium bowl, add the cream cheese, sour cream, ricotta cheese, garlic, and chopped basil. Mix with a hand mixer until well incorporated.
Step 2: In another bowl, combine the marinara sauce, tomato sauce, cooked ground beef, and water.
Step 3: Into a slow cooker, add about 2 cups of the tomato sauce mixture. Then, top with half of the ziti pasta. Sprinkle half of the cheese mixture over the ziti pasta and spread. Top it with half of the parmesan cheese.
Step 4: Do this for the rest of the ingredients and end with tomato sauce.
Step 5: Cook on high, covered, for about 2 to 3 hours.
Step 6: Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella cheese on top and continue to cook on high for 15 minutes more, covered, until the cheese has melted.
Step 7: Serve and enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1/2 brick (4 oz.) cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 pound of ground beef, cooked
- 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 sprigs basil, chopped
- 2 (24 oz.) jars marinara sauce
- 1 (16 oz.) jar tomato sauce
- 1 cup water
- 16 oz. ziti pasta, uncooked
- 1 1/2 cups shredded parmesan cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
Step 1: In a medium bowl, add the cream cheese, sour cream, ricotta cheese, garlic, and chopped basil. Mix with a hand mixer until well incorporated.
Step 2: In another bowl, combine the marinara sauce, tomato sauce, cooked ground beef, and water.
Step 3: Into a slow cooker, add about 2 cups of the tomato sauce mixture. Then, top with half of the ziti pasta. Sprinkle half of the cheese mixture over the ziti pasta and spread. Top it with half of the parmesan cheese.
Step 4: Do this for the rest of the ingredients and end with tomato sauce.
Step 5: Cook on high, covered, for about 2 to 3 hours.
Step 6: Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella cheese on top and continue to cook on high for 15 minutes more, covered, until the cheese has melted.
Step 7: Serve and enjoy!
