Crock Pot Baked Ziti
Updated Feb 11, 2025
This easy Crock Pot Baked Ziti recipe is a great recipe to feed a crowd! It is so simple to assemble and even the noodles cook right in the crock pot.
The Best Easy Baked Ziti!
This baked ziti recipe is so easy to prep and will feed a crowd. Even the noodles cook right in the slow cooker.
I love that the slow cooker does all the work for me with just a few minutes of prep work. Normally when making a pasta dish, I would spend extra time dicing up onion and garlic to get that extra depth of flavor.
For this baked ziti crock pot recipe I didn’t add any extra spices (except fresh basil) and it was so good!
Ready for the step by step? I’ll show you just how simple it is! (full ingredient amounts are included in a recipe card at the bottom of this post).
Ingredients & Notes
- Jarred pasta sauce: go for a good quality pasta sauce for the best flavor
- Tomato sauce
- Uncooked penne pasta: yes, the pasta will go in raw. No need to boil it at all first!
- Ricotta cheese
- Eggs
- Freshly chopped basil: I don’t suggest leaving this out or substituting it. The fresh basil really makes the flavor of this dish!
- Freshly grated parmesan cheese
- Mozzarella cheese
How to make crock pot baked ziti
Step 1: Add the 15 oz of ricotta cheese, basil, and 2 eggs to a bowl. Mix it up until it looks like what is pictured below.
Fresh basil really adds a lot of flavor, so don’t leave this part out!
Step 2: Mix together the pasta sauce and tomato sauce in a bowl and divide your penne pasta into three equal amounts. Now it is time to assemble the baked ziti.
Recipe Tip
Before beginning, spray your crock pot with cooking spray. This will help cleanup be a lot easier!
Step 3: Measure out 2 and 1/3 cups of sauce mixture and pour it into the bottom of the crock pot. Next, measure the penne into three equal amounts and add 1/3 of it to the top of the sauce.
I have eye balled it in the past and usually mess it up, so it’s worth taking the extra minute to divide evenly into three bowls before you begin layering.
Step 4: Add half of the ricotta/egg/basil mixture. You can either add the ricotta in dollops, or spread in an even layer.
Step 5: add half of the parmesan cheese in an even layer.
Step 6: repeat the steps for the next level: another 2 and 1/3 cups of sauce, 1/3 of the uncooked penne, the remaining ricotta mixture, and the remaining parmesan cheese.
Add the rest of your penne on top. And lastly, the rest of your sauce! Spread it out as evenly as you can, so that the noodles on top cook properly.
Step 7: Place the lid onto your crock pot and cook the baked ziti on high for 2 hours and 15 minutes.
I have tested this recipe several times, and the perfect amount of cook time appears to be right around 2 and a half hours, before the noodles get too soft. After the 2 hours and 15 minutes, it should look like this image below.
Step 8: Time for the last step which is the mozzarella cheese on top!
I have used both asiago and mozzarella, and both are delicious. Basically any italian cheese you can get your hands on will be great!
Several readers have commented with their substitutions that turned out to be delicious. After the remaining 15 minutes of cook time, the cheese will look all melted and amazing like this.
It’s time to eat! One note: this makes enough to feed a crowd, so you will need a 6 quart or larger slow cooker.
The flavor of this crockpot pasta is just out of this world delicious. If you have never made pasta in a crock pot, this is a great recipe to start with!
This is a family favorite in our house, and I can always count on it coming out perfect every time! I have tested this recipe to perfection and it gets RAVE reviews every time I make it.
Serving idea
We like serving ours with roasted veggies and garlic bread! My favorite is pairing it with my oven roasted frozen broccoli. Super simple and delicious dinner with barely any cooking!
The layers of pasta and cheese are so good. I love getting the bites of fresh ricotta and basil. And the noodles cook in the sauce so they soak up all the yummy flavor!
Can I substitute the ricotta cheese?
Cottage cheese is a commonly used substitute for ricotta in baked ziti as it has a similar texture. You could also try using cream cheese in place of the ricotta.
Reader Dee says, “Cottage cheese works just fine, the eggs act as a binder. Cream cheese also works well. I’ve made this recipe many times.”
How to store
Leftover baked ziti can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
More Pasta Recipes
Crock Pot Baked Ziti
Ingredients
- (2) 25 ounce jars of pasta sauce
- 15 oz tomato sauce
- 1 pound UNCOOKED penne pasta
- 15 oz ricotta cheese
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup basil, freshly chopped
- 2 cups parmesan cheese, freshly grated
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Combine the ricotta cheese, eggs, and fresh basil in a bowl and stir well.
- In a large bowl, combine both jars of pasta sauce and the tomato sauce together.
- Grate the Parmesan cheese and set aside.
- Grease the inside of a 6 qt slow cooker.
- Add 2 1/3 cups of pasta sauce to the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Add 1/3 of the uncooked penne. It's worth measuring the penne into 3 parts. before you begin to ensure an evenly cooked dish.
- Dot on half of the ricotta mixture and spread out evenly.
- Add half of the Parmesan cheese (1 cup).
- Add another 2 1/3 cups of sauce mixture.
- Add an additional 1/3 of the uncooked penne.
- Dot on the remaining ricotta and spread out.
- Sprinkle on the remaining parmesan cheese (1 cup).
- Add the last 1/3 of the uncooked penne.
- Top with the remaining 2 1/3 cups of sauce mixture.
- Cover the crock pot baked ziti and cook it on high for 2-3 hours, or until the pasta is al dente. Mine was perfect right around 2.5 hours.
- During the last 15-30 minutes, add the mozzarella cheese to the top and allow it to melt.
- Serve alone or topped with red pepper flakes and served with garlic bread and a side salad.
Just wondering if this would be okay to freeze after cooking? Making it for the first time and there will likely be a lot of leftovers!
If one made half a recipe, would you say the cook time would be the same?
I was just wondering the same thing
How long would I cook it if I cut the recipe in half
@Dani, I was wondering the same thing. Loved the dish but I have a lot of leftovers. Would like to freeze portions for my work days.
Anyone out there have a thought?
@Randa, I made half the recipe last night, cooked for 2.5 hours and it was perfect! My daughter said it was better than the restaurant she and her colleagues go in T.O!
I have an egg allergy in the house. Is there anything I can substitute in?
Just leave it out! Should be fine, if just a slightly different texture. The egg is just used for binding.
I’m excited to try this recipe tomorrow. I’m wondering if I prepare the meal this evening and cook it tomorrow would the meal turn out well. Has anyone experimented?
If I were to start this in the morning before leaving for work (~7:30AM) and had the timer switch it to warming after the 2:15… do you think it would still taste okay after being on “warm” for like 9 hours? I want to make this for a Wednesday night gathering, but I probably can’t get off work early enough to cook this 2 hours ahead of time and I’m worried it might dry out.
I personally wouldn’t, it may end up in mushy pasta if left for that long.
Are there any substitutions for the eggs? Are they necessary? My son has an egg allergy. Any help would be appreciated! Thanks
I haven’t tried making it without eggs, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work, just may have a slightly different texture to it.
@MIchelle, the egg’s help to bind the riccotta so it doesn’t ooze out. You can do a couple of things.
1. add some bread crumbs to the ricotta
2. sit the ricotta out in a bowl for a few hours before, put several paper towels under and on top of ricotta to drain some of the water, changing the paper towels a few times. This will make the ricotta less runny. I learned this from a famous Italian chef and my lasagna has never been better!
Nice post!
This was so good! I added hot Italian sausage because I needed some protein, and it made it amazing! Definitely a do over!
I’m going to try that next time, I added 2lbs of cooked ground beef to mine, the family loved it..
Did you cook your sausage first?
Yes you need to cook your meat before adding it.
Made this for a pot luck last night and it was awesome! Thankful for a little leftovers today!! Now it’s all gone 🙁 Thank you! Five stars for easy and delicious!!
Thanks for the lovely comment Beverly! So glad you enjoyed the ziti!
I help at a fundraiser bingo event and have included this item on the menu for two years. It is always gone before intermission! Super easy and delish! I’m going to feed some hungry theater kids this weekend with it and I’m sure my crock will come home empty. Thanks again for the great recipe!
That’s awesome, thanks so much for sharing Jen! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe.
I have been making this over the past two years and I love it. Single guy so I have enough for dinners for a week! Thinking about adding some sort of Italian sausage too it that I pre cook on the stove. Don’t think about make this one, just do it!
Thanks for the review, Tyler! So glad you enjoyed the recipe!