SLOW COOKER BAKED ZITI

Since I needed to take a break, it has been a while since I made an entree for us to enjoy for several days. I had to buy all of the cheeses I needed for this recipe from Reynolds that I cut out of a magazine years ago and glued in my blue spiral notebook that I started a long time ago to keep recipes that I wanted to try. 

It was really good but it makes a lot. It is a good main dish to make when you have family or friends over for a homecooked meal. 

Click here  for a printable version of just the recipe.

SLOW COOKER BAKED ZITI

1       Slow Cooker Liner
1       lb ground beef
1       medium onion, chopped
2       teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
1/2    teaspoon salt
2       jars (apx. 25 oz. each) pasta sauce
1       container (15 oz) ricotta cheese
2       cups (8 oz) mozzarella cheese, divided
1       cup grated Parmesan cheese
1       box (16 oz) ziti noodles

Place slow cooker liner inside a 5- to 6 - quart slow cooker bowl. Fit the liner snugly against the bottom and sides of the bowl; pull top of the liner over the rim of the bowl.

(I didn't have a liner and so I sprayed the inside of the slow cooker bowl with a nonstick cooking spray. The cheese did burn against the inside edge of the bowl in places.) 

Cook ground beef and onion in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until beef is no longer pink.

Stir in seasonings to evenly coat meat;

stir in pasta sauce.

Set aside.

Mix 1 cup mozzarella, the ricotta, and Parmesan in a medium bowl.

(I ended up using my potato smasher to evenly blend the three cheese.)

Spoon 2 cup of meat sauce into the lined slow cooker;

top with 2 cups pasta. (I used two different kinds of pasta to use up what I had.)

Drop half of the cheese mixture by rounded tablespoons, over the pasta; carefully spread over the pasta using back of spoon. (I used my cookie scoop the measure out the cheese mixture and dropped the scoops evenly over pasta.) 

Repeat layers with another 2 cups of the meat sauce,

then pasta, and 

the rest of the cheese mixture.

Top with the last meat sauce.

Place lid on slow cooker and cook on LOW for 6 to 7 hours OR on HIGH for 4 to 5 hours or until noodles are tender.

Grate the other half of the mozzarella cheese.

Carefully remove lid to allow steam to escape.

Sprinkle food with the remaining mozzarella (that I grated);

let stand 10 minutes until melted. Serve directly from lined-sow cooker. 






Do not lift or transport liner with food inside. Cool slow cooker completely; remove liner and toss.