Crockpot Pot Million Dollar Pasta

This Crockpot Million Dollar Pasta recipe is so easy to make with 10 minutes of prep, the slow cooker does all of the cooking for you. It’s rich and delicious, plus uses pantry ingredients. It’s one of our family’s favorite pasta recipes and we’re sure it will be yours too!

We love a great slow cooker meal, it’s the easiest cooking solution for the whole family on a busy weeknight. This Crockpot Million Dollar Pasta is a recipe on our mealtime rotation – all of my kids as well as my husband love it so much.

If you’ve never had million dollar pasta before, traditionally it’s a baked pasta casserole with meat sauce, a cream cheese and ricotta filling, and topped with shredded mozzarella cheese. Our version makes it so easy to assemble in 10 minutes and you don’t even have to boil the noodles! If you love a comforting pasta recipe, try our Marry Me Tortellini and Boursin Pasta, you can’t go wrong.

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Why You’ll Love this Recipe

• Affordable ingredients. If you need to serve a crowd, this pasta is both quick to make and won’t break your wallet.
• Foolproof for any level of cook. We’ve made this pasta too many times to count, it’s that good! We know the the recipe is simple to prepare and will come out delicious every time.
• Ideal for meal prepping. I like to make it in advance right after I drop the kids off at school in the morning, so by dinner I can just reheat and serve.

Leanna’s Tip: Don’t boil the pasta before layering it into the crockpot. The noodles will cook in the sauce over the 3 to 4 hour time period. If you cook them in advance, you risk them becoming soggy or mushy.

Ingredients

• Ground beef: The protein in the meat sauce for the million dollar pasta. We like to use a leaner beef so the pasta doesn’t become too greasy.
• Cream cheese: Adds creaminess in texture and rich flavor to the sauce.
• Sour cream: Another secret ingredient as to why this million dollar pasta is so addicting. You can also use Greek yogurt.
• Ricotta cheese: Luscious and rich in every bite.
• Minced garlic: Necessary for any pasta recipe in our opinion and adds that classic flavor.
• Dried parsley: Gives nice dried herbal flavor.
• Spaghetti sauce: Use your favorite brand here.
• Cavatappi pasta: We love the ridges in the noodles and the corkscrew shape. You an also use other shorter noodles with ridges like rigatoni or penne.
• Shredded mozzarella cheese: Adds the gooey factor with mild cheesy flavor.

How to Make Crockpot Million Dollar Pasta

1. Brown and crumble ground beef. Drain grease and set aside.
2. In a medium-sized bowl, mix cream cheese, sour cream, ricotta cheese, minced garlic and parsley.
3. Add half a jar of spaghetti sauce to crockpot and layer half the box of the pasta.
4. Pour jar of sauce over noodles. Then fill the sauce jar halfway with water and pour over noodles and sauce.
5. Layer half the ground beef.
6. Dollop the entire cream cheese mixture. Do not stir.
7. Evenly layer the rest of the pasta, then sauce, half jar of water, then the rest of the cooked ground beef
8. Cook on low for about 3-4 hrs. Stir.
9. Top with shredded mozzarella cheese and cover for 15-20 mins. Sprinkle dried parsley for garnish.

Expert Tips

• Brown the beef before adding it to the slow cooker. You don’t want to add it raw, by browning it in advance, you add more flavor to the pasta recipe and also make sure it’s cooked all the way through.
• Layer the million dollar pasta ingredients correctly. In order to guarantee the texture and flavor turn out perfectly, make sure you layer according to the instructions and don’t stir! The slow cooker does all of the work for you.
• Swap the beef for another protein. You could also use ground chicken, ground turkey, or even ground chicken sausage in this recipe.
• Make it spicy. Add a pinch of red chili flakes to the sauce for an added kick!
• Grate the cheese yourself if you have time. The pre-shredded cheese has a powdered coating on it that can prevent it from melting as nicely. If you have a minute, grate the cheese yourself on a box grater.

Serving Slow Cooker Million Dollar Pasta

Crockpot: I used my favorite 6-quart crockpot from Walmart, which is at a great price! It also has a cute 2-quart option for smaller meals and an 8-quart option for larger meals.

Individual Serving Plates: I layered white bowls over black-and-white checkered plates from MacKenzie Childs, which also come in a blue or pink version! For adorable and more affordable serving plates, I am obsessed with this beautiful coordinating set from Target for a great price!

Placemats: You can find similar woven placemats at JCPenney, Pottery Barn, or Walmart!

Serving Platters: I get so much use out of this set of two white porcelain platters, which I absolutely love! You could also go with this faux white marble tray from Walmart that is also a great choice!

Kitchen Links: I get asked all the time about the products in the background of my kitchen. Much of it is from MacKenzie-Childs, which I have slowly grown a collection of over the years! My favorites are this checkered chopping board, my black and white checkered teapot, and the gray and white checkered utensil holder. I also have this enamel canister that you can find in small, medium, or large.

Storage

This million dollar pasta recipe also makes the best leftovers! Store in an airtight container in the fridge, where it should stay fresh for about 3 days. Reheat in the microwave or in the oven until just warmed through before serving.

You can freeze this pasta bake as well, we just can’t guarantee the texture will be great once it thaws. You’ll want to defrost in the refrigerator overnight.

When it comes to making this slow cooker pasta recipe in advance, that’s the magic of the crockpot. Just toss the ingredients in the slow cooker and you can go about your busy day. It’s such a nice feeling to have dinner ready when you get home!

FAQs

More Delicious Crockpot Recipes

• Crockpot Cajun Chicken Fettuccine
• Crockpot Honey Mustard Chicken
• Crockpot Italian Sausage and Peppers
• Crockpot Chicken Drumsticks