Easy Crockpot Baked Ziti

easy-crockpot-baked-ziti-18
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Yield: 6-8 servings
Ingredients
  • 2 (25 ounce) jars of pasta sauce
  • 15 oz tomato sauce
  • 1 pound UNCOOKED penne pasta
  • 15 oz ricotta cheese
  • 2 eggs
  • ⅓ cup freshly chopped basil
  • 2 cups of freshly grated parmesan cheese (I bought an 8 oz block and had a little left over)
  • 1 cup grated Asiago cheese (or use shredded mozzarella)
Instructions
  1. Combine ricotta, eggs, and basil in a bowl and stir well
  2. In a large bowl, combine both pasta sauces and tomato sauce together.
  3. Grate Parmesan cheese (I used around 2 cups) and set aside.
  4. Grease the inside of a 6 qt slow cooker (I used vegan butter spread but you can use whatever you have)
  5. Add 2⅓ cups of pasta sauce to the bottom of the slow cooker
  6. Add ⅓ of the uncooked penne.
  7. Dot on half of the ricotta mixture and spread out evenly.
  8. Add half of the Parmesan cheese (1 cup)
  9. Add another 2⅓ cups of sauce mixture
  10. Add an additional ⅓ of the uncooked penne.
  11. Dot on the remaining ricotta and spread out.
  12. Sprinkle on the remaining parmesan cheese (1 cup)
  13. Add the last ⅓ of the uncooked penne.
  14. Top with the remaining 2⅓ cups of sauce mixture
  15. Cover and cook on high for 2-3 hours, or until pasta is al dente (we cooked ours for around 2½ hours)
  16. During the last few minutes, add asiago cheese (or sub mozzarella) to the top and allow to melt
  17. Serve alone or topped with red pepper flakes and served with garlic bread
  18. Enjoy!
Notes
*Note – since the noodles use the sauce to cook in, the pasta may become a little dry once reheated. We just added a bit more pasta sauce when reheating and it was perfect!

*If you can’t find Mezzetta, just substitute with the same quantity of your favorite jarred pasta sauce!