Easy Crockpot Baked Ziti with Ricotta

Crockpot Baked Ziti is a delicious and easy dinner that you can make in your slow cooker. This recipe only takes a few minutes to prepare, since you use uncooked ziti. The entire family will love this hearty pasta dish and it's sure to become one of your favorite crockpot meals. 

Crockpot recipes are perfect for busy days when you don't have time to cook or don’t even want to think about what to make for the family dinner. They're also good if you want to get all of the cooking out of the way before guests arrive so that there's nothing else left to do but enjoy company.

This crockpot baked ziti is easy to customize. For example, try adding ground cooked ground beef, cooked Italian sausage, mushrooms, or spinach to the sauce for a little extra flavor and nutrition. Add a pinch of red pepper flakes if you want to spice it up.

Crockpot baked ziti is a great way to use up leftover dry pasta from earlier in the week, so be sure to add it to your meal plan! This recipe makes a large batch, so it's great for a large family or if you want to have plenty of leftovers for lunch or dinner the next day.

Love pasta? Try my Creamy Crockpot Garlic Chicken Parmesan Pasta next.

Key Ingredients

This is an overview of the recipe. Please scroll to the bottom of the post for exact amounts and printable recipe card.

Pasta - you cannot have a baked ziti dish without the pasta! Ziti noodles are the natural choice, but you can really use any short cut pasta like penne or bowties (farfalle). Gluten-free varieties can also be used, but cooking time might need to be adjusted. 

Ricotta cheese - we love the richness in ricotta cheese, but cottage cheese can be substituted. Or use a mixture of the two.

Mozzarella cheese - this is the classic cheese to use in this hearty meal. Other good options should be good melting cheeses like provolone.

Marinara sauce - use your favorite jar of sauce for this dish. You can also use homemade sauce if you like. Just make sure that it is a tomato-based sauce. 

Parmesan cheese - a great addition to the cheese mixture of this Italian inspired dish. 

Eggs - helps to bing it all together

Tomato sauce - this will add a bit more liquid tomato flavor. A can of diced tomatoes with it's juice can be used as well.

Italian seasoning - adds some extra flavor

Dried parsley

Dried basil - fresh basil is optional for garnish

Cooking spray or olive oil to grease bottom of crockpot

Instructions

Step One: In a bowl, combine ricotta cheese, eggs, dried herbs, and salt and pepper and stir until well combined. In another bowl, combine marinara sauce and tomato sauce, stir. Coat the inside of the slow cooker/crockpot with nonstick cooking spray.

Step Two: Add a third (about 2 ⅓ cup) of the marinara sauce to the bottom of the crockpot. Add a third (about 1 ⅓ cup) uncooked penne pasta over the sauce, evenly. Try not to overlap pasta. Add half of the ricotta mixture (about 1 ⅓ cup) over the pasta layer. Spread evenly to the edges of the crockpot. Top ricotta with mozzarella and parmesan cheese.

Step Three: Repeat the process by adding another 2 ⅓ cup marinara sauce, another 1 ⅓ cup uncooked penne, remaining ricotta mixture, parmesan and mozzarella cheese, and remaining penne pasta, and the last of the marinara sauce.

Step Four: Cover and cook on high for about 3 hours, or until all the pasta is tender. Remove lid and top with 1 cup mozzarella cheese. Replace the lid and serve once the cheese has melted. 

Top tips

• Use your favorite marinara or tomato-based pasta sauce.
• This baked ziti is done when you have tender noodles. Since appliances cook differently, be sure you test the doneness of the noodles before serving.
• Use low-fat ricotta cheese for less fat and calories.
• Use pre-cooked or fresh pasta for an even quicker meal. For best results, cook al dente. Reduce cooking time to about an hour to an hour and a half. 

How to serve baked ziti

Serve baked ziti as a one pot dish or enjoy it with some sides such as garlic bread, breadsticks, or green salad.

This meal is great for company because it makes a nice, large portion. It's also great for potlucks.

I like to make this on vacation so the family can have a nice hot meal after a day of sightseeing, skiing, or swimming at the lake.

Some great desserts to pair with your baked ziti would be No Bake Chocolate Pie Apple Dump Cake, or No Bake Lemon Pie.

Storage and reheating

Store your baked ziti covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Freeze your ziti in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.

To reheat from refrigerated: reheat your baked ziti in the microwave until heated through. To reheat it in the oven, bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven for 30 minutes or until hot.

To reheat from frozen: while I suggest thawing your baked ziti in the fridge overnight before reheating, you can microwave the ziti or reheat it in the oven from frozen as well. You will just need to add a bit more cooking time.

More crockpot/slow cooker recipes

• Slow Cooker Meat Sauce
• Crockpot Cream Cheese Chicken Chili
• Slow Cooked Cranberry Meatballs
• Crockpot Ham and Potato Soup