Here’s a simple and comforting Slow Cooker Mostaccioli recipe 🍝—perfect for an easy, hands-off dinner.
🌟 Ingredients (Serves 6–8)
- 1 lb (450 g) mostaccioli pasta (or penne)
- 1 lb (450 g) ground beef or Italian sausage
- 1 jar (24 oz / 680 g) marinara sauce
- 1 can (14.5 oz / 410 g) diced tomatoes
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2–3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- Fresh basil or parsley for garnish
👩🍳 Instructions
- Brown the meat (optional but recommended)
- In a skillet, brown ground beef or sausage with onions and garlic until fully cooked. Drain excess fat.
- Combine ingredients in slow cooker
- Add meat mixture, marinara sauce, diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes. Stir well.
- Cook sauce
- Cover and cook on low for 4–5 hours or high for 2–3 hours to allow flavors to meld.
- Cook pasta separately
- Boil pasta until just al dente (slightly undercooked) since it will finish cooking in the slow cooker. Drain.
- Combine pasta and sauce
- Add drained pasta to the slow cooker about 30 minutes before serving. Stir in half of the mozzarella and Parmesan. Cover and let cheese melt.
- Serve
- Spoon into bowls or a serving dish, top with remaining cheese, and garnish with fresh basil or parsley.
🔥 Tips
- For a creamier version, stir in ½ cup ricotta or cream cheese when adding pasta.
- Use uncooked pasta in the slow cooker if you increase the sauce by ½–1 cup and cook a bit longer—check for doneness.
- Freeze leftovers in portions—they reheat well in the microwave or oven.
If you want, I can also make a one-pot slow cooker mostaccioli recipe that doesn’t require pre-boiling the pasta for an even easier version. Do you want me to do that?
