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This Crock Pot Baked Ziti recipe takes just 10 minutes to prep with uncooked pasta, three types of cheese, and marinara sauce layered right in your slow cooker. No need to boil noodles or dirty extra dishes, this dinner is completely hands-off!
Crock pot Baked Ziti will be your favorite lazy dinner.
Crock pot Baked Ziti will be your favorite lazy dinner.It's completely hands-off, which is perfect for busy weeknights. You literally add uncooked pasta, three types of cheese, and marinara sauce into your slow cooker, turn it on, and walk away. There's no boiling noodles, no pre-cooking, no stress. The three-cheese mixture (cream cheese, ricotta, and parmesan) creates yummy cheesy pockets throughout the pasta, while the mozzarella on top gets bubbly. I prep it in 10 minutes after lunch and then when dinner comes around, it's ready to serve!
If you love easy slow cooker recipes try our Ranch Pork Chops, Pot Roast, Chicken Tacos, Chicken Tikka Masala, Ribs, or Lasagna!
How to make Crock Pot Baked Ziti:
Prep Cheese Mixture and Sauce: Combine cream cheese, sour cream, and ricotta in a mixing bowl. Beat with electric mixers until smooth then stir in garlic and basil. Combine both jars of pasta sauce, tomato sauce, and water in a separate bowl.
Assemble: Pour 2 cups of sauce in the bottom of your slow cooker then arrange ⅓ of the uncooked penne on top then dot half of the ricotta mixture on that and spread with a spoon. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top then repeat the layers again, ending with remaining uncooked penne and the remaining sauce.
Cook: Cook on HIGH for 2 hours or LOW for 3 hours, or until pasta is tender. During the last few minutes, sprinkle with mozzarella cheese then place the lid back on to melt. If you want to place it under the broiler in the oven for 2 minutes to make the cheese golden and bubbly you can.
Serve crock pot baked ziti with homemade breadsticks, cheesy bread, or garlic knots and a green salad or French green beans!
Crock Pot Baked Ziti
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 24 oz jars marinara pasta sauce, or two batches of homemade marinara
- 16 ounces tomato sauce
- 1 cup water
- 16 ounces UNCOOKED ziti pasta, (or penne)
- 4 ounces cream cheese, , softened
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup ricotta cheese, (or cottage cheese)
- 2 cloves garlic, , minced
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, , chopped
- 1 1/2 cups freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- Fresh basil, for topping, optional
Instructions
- Make Cheese Layer: Add cream cheese, sour cream and ricotta to a mixing bowl. Beat with electric mixers until smooth. Stir in garlic and basil.4 ounces cream cheese, ¼ cup sour cream, ½ cup ricotta cheese, 2 cloves garlic, ½ cup fresh basil leaves
- Make Red Sauce: In a large bowl, combine both jars of pasta sauce, tomato sauce and water.2 24 oz jars marinara pasta sauce, 16 ounces tomato sauce, 1 cup water
- Assemble: Add 2 cups of sauce to the bottom of the slow cooker. Top with about ⅓ of the uncooked penne. Dot on half of the ricotta mixture and use a spoon to gently spread it out evenly. Top with ¾ cup grated parmesan cheese.16 ounces UNCOOKED ziti pasta, 1 ½ cups freshly grated parmesan cheese
- Add another 2 cups of sauce. Top with ⅓ of the uncooked penne. Add remaining ricotta mixture and spread. Sprinkle on the remaining ¾ cup parmesan cheese. Add the remaining uncooked penne. Top with the remaining sauce. Make sure the ziti noodles are covered by the sauce so they cook appropriately. Top with mozzarella cheese.1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- Cook: Cover with lid and cook on HIGH for 2 hours, or LOW for 3 hours, or until pasta is tender. Serve garnished with fresh basil, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I originally shared this recipe September 2017. Updated May 2022 and January 2026.
Go do I make this without a slow cooker? Just put it in a casserole dish, foil, and bake?
Here is my baked version: https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/one-pan-baked-ziti/
Made tonight and liked it. Felt there was not enough ricotta mixture. There is no way I can spread it out and have anything but a see-through layer, so put most in the middle of the crock. Would double to ricotta mixture next time. For my family (3 at the meal tonight) this gave us tons of leftovers.
Can this recipe be doubled in a standard crock pot?
I haven’t tried this but I think you might need larger.
Make this all the time! Taking it to a friend today that just had a baby! Love this recipe!
Hi!
Can I substitute the sour cream with something else.
Also, i would like to try it with italian sausage ground beef should i pre cook the meat or should i add it j. The pot un cooked?
Thanks
Yes, precook the meat. You can leave the sour cream out and just add a little more cream cheese and/or ricotta with a splash of milk.
If you substituted with gluten free noodles, would you still put the noodles in uncooked or do you recommend cooking them prior?
Hi Lisa, I’ve never tried gluten-free noodles so I can’t say, but I would probably add them like the recipe calls for, and you may not need to cook it as long.
I made this for my grandfather’s wake. My family loved it, said it was the best dish up there (in competition with several lasagnas). I took away 1 star because the timing for cooking. After 2 hours of cooking in high the noodles were pretty mushy. Definitely check after 1 1/2 hours.
Hi! I love this recipe. I am wondering where you get the straight cut macaroni from. Velveeta used to have one called pre-cut spaghetti and it was the same as a straight macaroni noodle. Fideo is too small but it is the type of pasta in Kraft macaroni and cheese it’s not made into a c shape. I’m looking for what you show in your original picture. Thanks!
The noodles im using in the photo are ziti noodles. 🙂
I want to make this with some chicken so it’s like a super easy chicken parm. Can I use raw chicken bits or precooked? I’m trying to not fry and to make it easy!
Hi Leah, I haven’t tried it but I think raw chicken would work fine, as long as it was cut into very small pieces so that it has enough time to cook all the way through.
I made this and now my boyfriend, his dad, my son, and my aunt won’t stop hounding me to make it again. Lol. I added a pound of hamburger last time, but I’m going to add some Italian sausage as well when I make it again tonight. It’s the bomb!
hello my names Danielle Im going to try to make this meal was just wondering if with the hamburger meat do I cook it first also the sausage would I cook first
If you want to add ground beef or sausage you will need to cook them first. Sounds delicious!
Hi was wondering after what step should I add the ground beef? Thanks in advance 🙂