Description
This Slow Cooker Million Dollar Pasta is a creamy, hearty one-pot meal featuring layers of pasta, ground beef, marinara sauce, and a rich blend of cream cheese, sour cream, and ricotta. Slow cooked to perfection and topped with melted mozzarella, it’s a comforting dish perfect for busy weeknights or family dinners.
Ingredients
Scale
Meat
- 2 lbs lean ground beef
Dairy
- 1 (8 oz) block cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 cup ricotta
- 2 ½ cups shredded mozzarella
Pantry
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 (24 oz) jars marinara sauce
- 1 (24 oz) jar filled with water
- 1 (16 oz) box bowtie pasta
- Salt, to taste
- Black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Cook the beef: Place the ground beef in a large skillet and season with salt and pepper. Crumble and cook over medium heat until fully browned. Drain any excess grease and set the cooked beef aside.
- Prepare the cream mixture: In a medium-sized bowl, combine softened cream cheese, sour cream, ricotta cheese, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder. Mix thoroughly until smooth and set aside.
- Layer the slow cooker: Pour half a jar of marinara sauce into the bottom of the slow cooker and spread it evenly to the edges.
- Add pasta and sauce layers: Sprinkle half of the uncooked bowtie pasta over the marinara sauce, then pour the remaining half of the jar of marinara sauce evenly over the pasta.
- Add water: Fill the empty marinara jar with water and pour half of the water over the layered contents in the slow cooker.
- Layer beef and cream mixture: Sprinkle half of the cooked ground beef over the sauce and pasta, followed by spreading all of the cream cheese mixture evenly on top.
- Add remaining pasta and sauce: Layer the remaining pasta over the cream mixture, then pour the second jar of marinara sauce evenly on top.
- Finish layering: Gently pour the remaining half jar of water over the top layer, then add the remaining ground beef evenly as the final layer.
- Cook the pasta: Cover the slow cooker and cook on low heat for 2 hours and 30 minutes. Check if the pasta is fully cooked; if it’s not quite tender, continue cooking for an additional 30 minutes.
- Add cheese and melt: Once the pasta is cooked, sprinkle the shredded mozzarella over the top. Cover again and cook for about 20 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Serve: Scoop the pasta from the slow cooker to serve, making sure to get a bit of each layer in every serving for the best flavor combination.
Notes
- Use a lean ground beef to reduce grease and keep the dish from becoming too oily.
- Mixing the cream cheese, sour cream, and ricotta before adding ensures a smooth and creamy texture throughout.
- If marinara sauce jars differ in size, measure carefully to maintain correct liquid ratios for cooking pasta.
- Bowtie pasta works well because it holds sauce nicely, but penne or rotini can be good substitutes.
- To speed up cooking, you can cut pasta size smaller, but cooking times and texture may vary.
- Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and reheated in the microwave or oven.
- For a lower-fat option, substitute part of the cheese with reduced-fat versions or use ground turkey.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 480 kcal
- Sugar: 8 g
- Sodium: 780 mg
- Fat: 28 g
- Saturated Fat: 15 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 35 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 24 g
- Cholesterol: 80 mg
