Slow cooker baked penne recipe

I love lasagne, spaghetti and all things Italian food. I love it so much I even went to Italy to try that food out. There are Italy posts for you to look later though. I wanted to make a crockpot recipe that didn’t turn the noodles to mush. Well I figured it out! You may need to have 15 minutes to cook your noodles separately but let’s be honest that is the only way it’s going to be done. So, I prepared my ingredients the night before and got it ready and in to the slow cooker so it would be ready the next day. Here’s how I did it.

Ingredients:

hamburger meat
onion
garlic powder
italian seasoning
crushed tomatoes
jar of tomato sauce
jar of spaghetti sauce
grated cheese about 2 cups
ricotta cheese or like me cottage cheese
ziti, penne noodles whatever you have on hand is fine.

How to make:

Baked Penne in the Slow Cooker

Cook onions until they become translucent. I cook mine in water until they are clear about 5 minutes on med high heat. Then, I add ground beef and brown it. Once it’s no longer pink, I use a paper towel to soak up the grease. Then, I add a large can of crushed tomatoes and a jar of spaghetti sauce. Add 1 1/2 tsp of garlic powder, a tsp of italian seasoning, a tsp of sugar and simmer on low for 25 minutes. Let cool, refridgerate and add to crockpot in the morning.

The next day I pull it out and add sauce to the bottom, then add a layer of ricotta cheese (or in my case cottage cheese) and grated cheese. Continue layering until you’re out of sauce. Let cook on low for 3 hours. Then because I am not a fan soggy noodles I cook my noodles when I get home. Who doesn’t have 15 minutes to get al dente noodles instead of mush? My family ate this up and loved ever second of it. It’s delicious and a great way to get dinner on the table! Have you ever made a pasta dish in the crock pot? How were the noodles? Next time try my slow cooker baked penne!

Looking for more slow cooker recipes? Check these out:

• Slow Cooker Swedish Meatballs Recipe
• Easy crock pot potato soup recipe
• crock pot Mississippi pot roast recipe

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