Description
A comforting and effortless pasta dish with ground beef, marinara, and cheese, made perfectly in a slow cooker.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1.25 lbs ground beef
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1/2 cup onion, diced
- 5 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 24 oz marinara sauce
- 1.25 cups diced tomatoes
- 1.5 tsp Italian seasoning
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 3.5 cups water
- 2 cups pasta (such as rotini or penne)
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
Instructions
- Brown the beef: Start by heating the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add the ground beef to the skillet, using a spatula to break it up as it cooks. Cook for about 5 minutes until no longer pink.
- Add onion and garlic: Toss in the diced onion and cook for 2-3 minutes until softened. Add the minced garlic and cook for 20 seconds until fragrant.
- Transfer to slow cooker: Carefully move the cooked beef mixture into a slow cooker. Add marinara sauce, diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning, salt, black pepper, and water. Stir well to combine.
- Slow cook: Cover the slow cooker and cook on medium heat for 4 hours.
- Add pasta and cream: After 4 hours, stir in dry pasta, heavy cream, and half of the mozzarella cheese, ensuring even cooking.
- Finish cooking: Sprinkle remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese over pasta, cover, and cook for an additional hour or until pasta is tender and the cheese has melted.
Notes
Serve garnished with fresh herbs and alongside garlic bread or salad. Leftovers can be refrigerated for 3-4 days or frozen for 3 months.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 300 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 532
- Sugar: 6g
- Sodium: 850mg
- Fat: 37g
- Saturated Fat: 18g
- Unsaturated Fat: 15g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 37g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 24g
- Cholesterol: 90mg
Keywords: slow cooker, pasta, ground beef, family-friendly, comfort food