Slow Cooker Baked Ziti
Slow Cooker Baked Ziti is rich, cheesy, and easy to make. Absolutely overflowing with cheese, marinara sauce, al dente noodles, and Italian seasonings, this baked ziti is perfect for weeknight dinners, parties, or potlucks.
I’m Italian through and through, and my family likes to say that my husband is an honorary Italian. So it should come as no surprise that we love Italian food. One of our favorite dishes to make is this baked ziti because it’s so good and so easy. It’s made in the slow cooker, so it’s incredibly convenient to make any day of the week.
Table of contents
❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It only uses a few simple ingredients.
- It’s an easy slow cooker meal anyone can make.
- It’s loaded with marinara sauce, al dente pasta, ground sausage, and tons of cheese.
🛒Ingredients
You’ll only need a few basic ingredients to make this recipe, and you can find them all quickly and easily at your local grocery store. That’s if they’re not in your kitchen already!
Everything you need to make this slow cooker baked ziti is right here, but you’ll find the exact amounts in the recipe card at the end of the post.
- Ricotta cheese
- Eggs
- Salt
- Pepper
- Italian seasoning
- Grated parmesan
- Mozzarella cheese
- Marinara sauce
- Penne pasta
🔪 How to Make Slow Cooker Baked Ziti
Making this recipe is just as easy as shopping for the ingredients. It’s made in the slow cooker, so you’ll mainly just be mixing and letting the slow cooker do the work.
Step 1: Prep
Spray the slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray.
Step 2: Make the Cheese Mixture
Mix ricotta, eggs, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and Italian seasonings in a large mixing bowl.
Step 3: Layer in the Slow Cooker
Add half a jar of marinara sauce to the bottom of the slow cooker. Then, sprinkle some sausage over it, add pasta, and 5 dollops of ricotta cheese. Add more marinara, then top with mozzarella cheese. Repeat 2 to 3 more times until the slow cooker is full.
Step 4: Cook
Cook on high for 2 1/2 hours, top with parmesan cheese, and enjoy!
📝Variations
Do you want to change up this recipe and make it your own? Here are some ways that you can do that!
- Penne – Use your favorite short noodles for this recipe.
- Italian Sausage – You can use mild or hot Italian sausage, ground beef, or ground turkey.
- Marinara Sauce – Use your favorite brand of marinara sauce or a variety of spaghetti sauce.
If you love new takes on classics like this one, then you’ll enjoy our bacon jalapeno pepper jack mac and cheese.
🥄 Equipment
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Large mixing bowl
- Slow cooker
- Skillet
🥫 Storage
Refrigerate this slow cooker baked ziti for up to 4 days in an air-tight container. For longer storage, freeze it for up to 3 months in an air-tight, freezer-safe container.
💭 Tips
- If you have the time, you can cook this ziti on low for 4 to 5 hours.
- Be sure to push down any noodles that might be sticking out of the sauce. They won’t cook unless they’re submerged.
- Be sure to use nonstick spray so you don’t have any burnt bits on the side of your slow cooker.
⁉️ FAQ
Do you have questions about this recipe? Here are the answers to the most commonly asked questions.
Baked ziti is a noodle dish made with ziti noodles, cheese, sauce, and Italians sausage. It’s very similar to lasagna.
Baked ziti is much easier than lasagna. Rather than layering every ingredient, baked ziti tosses the cheese and sauce with the noodles before baking.
Sort of. While baked ziti isn’t a dish that comes from the Old Country, it was invented by Italian-American immigrants, so it has all the sensibilities and ingredients of authentic Italian dishes.
🍽 More Recipes
Do you enjoy slow cooker recipes? Then try these delicious recipes:
🧾Recipe Card
Want to make this recipe? Print the recipe card below, or pin this recipe, so you can find it later.
Slow Cooker Baked Ziti
Equipment
- large bowl
- 6 quart or larger slow cooker
Ingredients
- 15 ounces ricotta cheese
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ cup Parmesan grated
- 16 ounces mozzarella cheese
- 48 ounces marinara sauce 2 jars
- 12 ounces penne pasta
- 1 pound mild Italian ground sausage browned
Instructions
- Spray slow cooker with cooking non stick cooking spray. In a large bowl mix ricotta, 2 eggs, Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning and mix together.
- Add half of one jar of marinara sauce on the bottom of the slow cooker then sprinkle some sausage on top of that. Add some pasta then add 5 drops of ricotta on top. Add more marinara then top with mozzarella cheese. Repeat those steps 2-3 more times.
- Make sure to end with marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese. Cook on high for 2 and a half hours.
- Top with Parmesan cheese on top and serve!
