Slow-Cooker Baked Ziti
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS Pasta in a slow cooker? You bet. But achieving well-cooked pasta and melty cheese
in the slow cooker takes some strategy. Borrowing a technique from risotto was the
key to perfect pasta—we stirred the raw pasta into the browned sausage and onion mixture,
coating the starch in fat and preventing the pasta from bloating in the slow cooker.
To get cheese that was evenly melted, we added it after cooking and let it sit in
the residual warmth of the turned-off slow-cooker. See the sidebar that follows the recipe.
SERVES 6
Our favorite crushed tomatoes are Tuttorosso Crushed Tomatoes in Thick Puree with Basil.
|
2 |
tablespoons olive oil |
|
1 |
pound hot or sweet Italian sausage, casings removed |
|
1 |
onion, chopped |
|
3 |
garlic cloves, minced |
|
½ |
teaspoon dried oregano |
|
½ |
teaspoon salt |
|
½ |
teaspoon pepper |
|
8 |
ounces (2½ cups) ziti |
|
1 |
(28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes |
|
1 |
(15-ounce) can tomato sauce |
|
8 |
ounces (1 cup) whole-milk ricotta cheese |
|
4 |
ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded (1 cup) |
|
2 |
tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil |
1. Make aluminum foil collar for slow cooker by folding 2 (18-inch-long) pieces of foil to make 2 (18 by 4-inch) strips. Line perimeter of slow cooker with foil strips and spray with vegetable oil spray.
2. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook sausage, breaking up pieces with spoon, until well browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Add onion and cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
3. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add ziti and cook, stirring constantly, until edges of pasta become translucent, about 4 minutes. Off heat, stir in crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce, scraping up any browned bits. Transfer mixture to prepared slow cooker. Cover and cook on low until pasta is tender, about 3 hours.
4. Using tongs, remove foil collar from slow cooker. Dollop ricotta over ziti and sprinkle with mozzarella. Cover and let sit for 20 minutes to let cheeses melt. Garnish with basil and serve.