Crock Pot Baked Ziti
on Jun 03, 2023, 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.
Have you ever added any veggies like peppers or zucchini?
I made this in a 4 quart crock pot with one less layer.
1 jar of pasta sauce, 1 eight-ounce can of tomato sauce, half a block of cream cheese (no ricotta available), 1 egg, half a bag of penne pasta, 1 cup of Parmesan and 1 of mozzarella and the basil. I cooked on high for 1 hour and 25 minutes. The pasta cooked perfectly and did not get mushy. This is my first time putting uncooked pasta in a slow cooker. It was delicious!
@Rosita, thanks for sharing your smaller version. Will give it a try
@Rosita,
Your comment is a life saver! Wasn’t sure how to adjust things for a 4 quart crockpot. This is perfect. 🙂
Can you add more penne to the recipe? i really like pasta and would much rather have more of it than sauce.
Trust me, this is a very pasta filled dish! I would not add more to it as it fills a 6 quart slow cooker to the very top.
Can I do this without the eggs? I’ve made this many times but my 1 year old is allergic to eggs.
@Kayla, Wondering if anyone has made this without egg as well! I can eat baked goods but I’m not sure if these eggs will be broken down enough in a slow cooker without making me sick as well.
This would NOT be considered BAKED EGG!
Baked means it has to cook at a high enough temp with a certain amount of flour added to the eggs. Like a cake. This is more like a custard.
I am allergic to eggs. I have not made this dish, but I have made other dishes that use ricotta and I have skipped the egg. The texture is slightly different, but the taste is the same.
Also watch out for pasta that contains eggs!
@Kayla, The egg is just a binder, and to make the cheese creamier. You can substitute 3 tbs of whipping cream per egg. 🙂
@Amanda,
Has this ever been tried cooking on low for 8 hours, by chance?
Why is it called “baked ziti” when it uses penne pasta? Aren’t they different?
@Julie, yes they are
@Julie, it’s called baked ziti because ziti is the traditional noodle for this dish. However, you can use penne with it too. Penne is just a slightly bigger noodle. 🙂
Can you make ahead and cook later
We have made it ahead and stored it in the fridge to cook later. It just takes closer to the 3 hours vs. 2.5 because of warming up from cold
Can you add frozen meatballs to this recipe
If I wanted to add meat to this recipe what is your recommendation? If I browned ground beef before hand, could it be mixed into the sauce before placing in the crockpot?
Yes, others have commented that they did that and it worked well.
If making this for 30 people, how long would I cook it for and how much of each ingredient would I need? Thanks!
You would need to make 3 crock pots full. So 3 of this recipe, if it is to be served as a main dish. Cook time would stay the same as each 6 qt slow cooker holds one batch.
I made this tonight and it’s delicious. Will make again!!