Make a decadent pasta dish in your slow cooker.
Baked spaghetti has a slow-simmered beef sauce layered with pasta and a cream cheese mozzarella layer.
This post sponsored by RAGU but all opinions are mine alone.
Do you have spaghetti weekly at your house? My family does, and it can get boring. This Slow Cooker Baked Spaghetti Casserole is a perfect way to make spaghetti night spectacular.
I remember my mom making spaghetti weekly, and she would simmer the pasta sauce and meat all-day on the stove top, walking by and stirring every so often.
With the slow cooker, ground beef and Ragu Homestyle sauce, I can get my mom’s simmered all day tasting sauce without having to stir until I’m ready to serve.
How I make this spaghetti dinner extra special is by making it a casserole by topping the slow-cooked sauce and noodles with a cream cheese and ricotta mixture, AND I add mozzarella cheese too!
How to make Baked Spaghetti:
You will need these ingredients:
- Ragu Homestyle Pasta Sauce
- Ground beef
- White onion
- Garlic
- Salt
- Oregano
- Basil
- Spaghetti noodles
- Cream Cheese
- Ricotta
- More Salt
- Mozzarella Cheese
Directions:
- Brown the meat in a skillet on the stove top. After the beef has started to brown add the onion and garlic and cook until the beef has no pink. Drain the fat.
- Add the oregano, basil, and salt to the meat, stir.
- Add the beef and sauce into the slow cooker.
- Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on low for 6 hours.
- When the cooking time is up, prepare the spaghetti noodles as directed on the box. Drain and add the noodles to the sauce in the slow cooker. Stir.
- In a small bowl combine the ricotta, cream cheese, and salt. Dollop this over the noodles in the slow cooker, then spread out evenly.
- Sprinkle over the mozzarella cheese. Replace lid and cook for 20 minutes more on low.
What to serve this with:
- Garlic bread or breadsticks
- Fresh green salad and dressing
Which Ragu Homestyle sauce would you use for this recipe? I am going to try the roasted garlic sauce next time I make this, how good does that sound? The sauce hugs the pasta perfectly since it is thick. I hope you enjoy this meal as much as my family does! Have a great week!
More pasta recipes that are just as good as this one!
- Slow Cooker Pesto Mozzarella Pasta
- Slow Cooker Cajun Chicken Fettuccine
- Slow Cooker Mac and Cheese
- Slow Cooker Garlic Butter Chicken Pasta
- Slow Cooker Cheesy Chicken Penne
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Slow Cooker Baked Spaghetti
Equipment Needed:
- Slow Cooker- 6 quart or larger
Ingredients:
- 48 oz. RAGÚ® Pasta sauce
- 1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
- 1/2 cup diced white onion
- 1 minced garlic clove
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp.dried oregano
- 1 tsp. dried basil
- 1 lb. spaghetti noodles see below for cooking instructions, these don’t get cooked or added until after the sauce cooks for 6 hours
Cheese topping after sauce cooks:
- 4 ounces cream cheese 1/2 cup
- 1 cup ricotta
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions:
- Pour the jars of sauce in to the slow cooker. In a large skillet set over medium-high heat, brown the meat and onions together. After the meat is browned add the garlic, cook for a minute a longer. Drain the fat. Add the salt, oregano and basil and stir. Pour the meat onto the sauce in the slow cooker and stir.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 6 hours without opening the lid during the cooking time.
- After the cooking time is up, cook the noodles as directed on the package in boiling water on the stove-top. I cooked my noodles for exactly 8 minutes after adding them to the boiling water. The noodles will cook a bit more after adding them to the slow cooker.
- Drain the noodles and add them to the meat sauce in the slow cooker. Stir, then flatten the noodles in an even layer.
- In a small bowl combine the cream cheese, ricotta and salt. The cream cheese will be in small chunks, but that is fine.
- Dollop the cream cheese/ricotta mixture over the spaghetti, then use a spatula to even it out over the spaghetti. Add the mozzarella cheese.
- Cover and cook for an extra 20 minutes on LOW.
- Serve and enjoy!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition:
This post sponsored by RAGU but all opinions are mine alone.
I grow my own basil and make my own sauce vs store bought.. But I found this to be a splendid idea. We are farmers, athletes, and a very large family. Some nights I am so exhausted and really don’t want to cook late in the evening. This was great and ready when the family was in for dinner.
Can it be cooked without the ground beef and cook with Italian sausages only?
Yes! That will work great.
Do you think this would work with ground turkey rather than beef? I don’t eat beef and dairy in the same meal but there’s no way I’m skipping that cheese!
Yes! It will work great.
I haven’t made it yet but will soon, I will add chopped green bell pepper, bay leaf and red pepper flakes with your ingredients.
wondering why the cooked meat and already made pasta sauce cooks for 6 hours….
sounds good though
Slow cooking it really makes it taste better, I promise!