Baked Ziti-Style Penne in the Slow Cooker is the easiest way to enjoy a comforting Italian feast with minimal effort and maximum flavor. Made with only four simple ingredients and no pre-boiling required, this slow cooker pasta recipe lets the sauce and cheese perfectly cook the penne to tender, cheesy perfection. Best for busy weekend dinner, this baked ziti-style penne delivers rich layers of marinara, mozzarella, and Parmesan in every bite — all prepared right in your slow cooker.
Servings: 6
Ingredients
Raw penne pasta
- Quantity: 16 oz (1 pound)
- Notes: Use uncooked pasta directly in the slow cooker.
Pasta sauce (marinara or red sauce of your choice)
- Quantity: 1 (24-26 oz)
- Notes: Any good quality marinara or red sauce works well.
Shredded mozzarella cheese
- Quantity: 3 cups
- Notes: Divided for layering and topping.
Grated Parmesan cheese, in two portions
- Quantity: 1 cup
- Notes: Use half for layering and half for the final topping.
Directions
- Lightly spray the inside of a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray to prevent it from sticking and to clean more easily.
- Pour in the pasta sauce approximately 1 cup of the pasta sauce into the bottom of the slow cooker and then spread the sauce to form a layer on the bottom of the surface.
- Sprinkle a layer of approximately 1/3 uncooked penne pasta on the sauce. It is alright as long as the pieces touch each other a little.
- Around half a cup of the grated mozzarella and 1/3 cup of the grated Parmesan should be sprinkled over the layer of pasta.
- Add the layers two times more: penne, mozzarella, Parmesan, sauce. Top with one more layer of sauce to make sure that all the pasta is wet. You do not have to take all the sauce but do not be shy such pasta must be moist.
- Lightly push down the top using the back of a spoon to assist the sauce in spreading around the pasta. In case any of the pasta bits appear dry or bare, pour a spoonful of sauce on them.
- Put the cover on to cover the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 2 to 3 hours or until the pasta turns tender but not mushy. Do not lift the lid frequently, as this will cause heat and may increase the time.
- Approximately fifteen minutes to service cover the top with the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan. Repeat the covering till the cheeses become bubbly and gooey.
- When you like your pasta cooked, and the cheese on top is melted, switch the slow cooker to WARM. Allow the dish to rest approximately 10 minutes with the lid slightly open to allow the dish to set up making it easier to scoop.
- Bake Serve the baked ziti-style penne directly out of the slow cooker, be sure, however, that each serving receives a share of the cheesy top and an equal amount of the sauce on the bottom.
Variations & Tips for Making Baked Ziti-Style Penne
- You who have been brought up in a farmhouse kitchen know that we do not leave a recipe to ourselves long, and this is not to be an exception.
- To add additional richness, you can insert spoonfuls of ricotta or tiny dots of cottage cheese between the pasta and sauce layers and make it look more like a lasagna dish.
- To your taste as much meat as you wish, brown a pound of ground beef or Italian sausage on the stove, drain well and add to the pasta sauce before layering, it gives that Sunday-supper flavor.
- Each layer will be enriched with a pinch of dried Italian seasoning or a shake of garlic powder without you having to put any additional items on your shopping list.
- In case you are preparing a smaller family, divide the recipe in half and cook it in a smaller slow cooker, and test it a little sooner.
- To those who like the softer, older noodle texture such as our mothers used to prepare their casseroles, let it get nearer to the 3-hour mark; and to firmer pasta, begin to check after about 2 hours.
- Or feel free to make it your own using what you have in the house: a sprinkling of shredded cheddar on the top to make it a farmhouse version, or a sprinkling of red pepper flakes to the sauce to give it a mild kick to the family.
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