Crockpot Baked Ziti

I recently had surgery and knew I'd be off my feet for a few days. Anticipating this I searched for some super easy crockpot meals that I could throw together and allow to cook away. The crockpot is an appliance I wish I used more frequently. For some reason my crockpot has super powers or something and always cooks much faster than it says it should! Because of this I don't feel comfortable leaving it to cook all day while I am at work, which ultimately defeats the purpose. Blech. Anyway, I've digressed...

I was hesitant about cooking pasta in the crockpot. I wasn't sure if it would really cook the pasta through but it did! And it was absolutely delicious. The cheese and sauce really mingled together with the pasta and made it taste perfect. John said he preferred this method to my go to baked ziti recipe. I have to say it was pretty nice to just throw it all in and walk away. Plus it dirtied less dishes which is a bonus. Definitely give this a shot- you won't be disappointed.

I just wanted to add that you need to use a lot sauce. The sauce is what cooks the pasta. I found that 28 ounces was perfect for the proportions I listed below. If you add more pasta or cheese definitely adjust it and add more sauce.

Source: Adapted from A Year of Slow Cooking

Ingredients:
1/2 box of tube shaped pasta (I used campanelle)
28 ounces of tomato sauce
3/4 cup of ricotta cheese
1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese
Cooking spray

Directions:
1- Spray the stoneware of your crockpot with cooking spray.
2- Pour in some sauce so that it covers the bottom of the stoneware.
3- Place the uncooked pasta in a colander and run water over the pasta. This will add some moisture to help cook the noodles.
4- Add half the pasta, cheese, and remaining sauce (in that order). Add the remaining pasta, cheese, and sauce.
5- Cook on low for 3-4 hours (mine was perfect in 3 but I do have a speedy crockpot). Stir halfway through to ensure all of the pasta is cooking evenly.