Ziti is great for potlucks, parties, and baon. It’s not very different from our traditional spaghetti except it uses a different kind of noodles.
So, if you’re a follower of Relaxlangmom, you might notice that I’m partial to quick recipes -well, this one is slow cooked, but you can just prepare it, 20 minutes tops and then just leave it to cook on its own. Which is perfect because, we can multi task and do the laundry while cooking. Huh! Talk about #adulting.
Ziti is great for potlucks, parties, and baon. I love the Ziti at Sbarro but I imagine I’d be hard pressed to stand over the mixture while cooking.
What I love about this recipe is that you don’t need to pre cook the pasta at all. This recipe is a pretty basic version. You can add just about anything you want to it (except hotdog, lol) and create your own version.
Don’t have a slow cooker yet? Read here why you should buy one! If you’re a working mom, this is perfect for you. You can set it up in the morning and come home to a wonderfully smelling home with your dinner already cooked!
SLOW COOKER BAKED ZITI
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 6 hours
Makes: 6 to 8 servings
Ingredients
1 Kilo ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 Liter pasta sauce (I used the Del Monte Italian Style Spaghetti Sauce)
1 container (15 oz.) ricotta cheese
2 cups (8 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 box (16 oz.) ziti pasta, uncooked (Or macaroni will do in a pinch, just be careful to adjust the cooking time)
Instructions:
- Brown ground beef and onion in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until beef is no longer pink. Drain the beef.
- Stir in Italian seasoning and salt to evenly coat meat and onions. Stir in pasta sauce. Set aside.
- Mix the ricotta cheese, 1 cup mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese in a medium bowl.
- Spoon 2 cups of the meat sauce into the slow cooker bowl; top with 2 cups uncooked ziti pasta.
- Drop half of the cheese mixture, by rounded tablespoons, over ziti, spreading to cover ziti using back of spoon.
- Layer with 2 cups meat sauce, the remaining ziti and the remaining cheese mixture. Top with the remaining meat sauce, completely covering all the ziti and cheese mixture.
- Place lid on slow cooker.
- Cook on Low for 6 to 7 hours or on High for 4 to 5 hours or until ziti is tender. Carefully remove lid to allow steam to escape.
- Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup mozzarella cheese; let stand 10 minutes until cheese is melted.
