Looking for the easiest family dinner EVER? My Slow Cooker Pasta Bake is for you! The Meat Sauce is slow cooked over 4 – 6 hours (depending on if you use the low or high temperature function) and then it is simply a matter of adding cooked pasta and sprinkling with cheese.
This recipe will feed 6 adults or you can freeze the leftovers. Please note this recipe has been updated.
We’ve been giving our slow cooker a good work out over the past few months (and have been loving this Slow Cooker Curried Beef and Vegetables!) as I’ve been loving how easy it is to put together a yummy family dinner.
This recipe feeds A LOT! It makes enough to easily feed our family of five for 2 -3 meals. Thankfully it’s also super freezer friendly, which makes it a great no fuss mid week meal to pull out of the freezer. It’s also a great way to pack some extra vegetables into your whole family and you can easily substitute or omit any of the vegetables listed to suit your taste – and also what you have left in your fridge!
What you will love about this recipe:
Budget friendly – You can use any type of vegetables you have in the fridge AND you can bulk the meat sauce up with extra vegetables to make a batch go further.
Set and forget – Once you pop all of the meat sauce ingredients into your slow cooker, you can get on with your day before it is time to add the cooked pasta and cheese.
Freezer friendly – Store any leftovers in the freezer for an easy meal and enjoy within two months.
Feeds a crowd – You will get six adult sized serves from this recipe, if you are cooking for children you will get 2 -3 more serves and/or leftovers.
Ingredients
Please note you will find a full list of ingredients and the cooking method in the recipe card below.
- Beef Mince
- Pork Mince
- Passata – substitute with 2 x 400gram tins of crushed tomatoes if needed.
- Tomato Paste
- Vegetable Stock – can also use white wine.
- Brown Onion
- Garlic – either fresh or minced garlic can be used.
- Dried Mixed Herbs
- Sugar
- Cinnamon
- Carrots
- Zucchini
- Short Pasta – any type of short pasta can be used.
- Cheese – I used grated tasty cheese for this recipe.
How to Cook Pasta Bake in a Slow Cooker
In previous versions of this recipe I have cooked the pasta in the slow cooker with the meat sauce with great success. However results can vary depending on the type/brand of pasta being used which is why I now recommend adding the cooked pasta at the end of the recipe.
Step 1. Combine the meat sauce ingredients in slow cooker.
Step 2. Stir to combine.
Step 3. Cook for 4 hours on high or 6 hours on low.
Step 4. Add the cooked pasta and stir to combine. Top with grated cheese and return the lid to the slow cooker to allow the cheese to melt.
Recipe Hints and Tips
- You can use any type of short pasta for this recipe. I like to use penne or macaroni.
- Use tinned crushed tomatoes in place of the passata.
- Stir the meat sauce halfway through cooking time to ensure the meat is broken up.
- You can also use any type of vegetables you like for this recipe.
- Freeze leftovers for up to two months.
Yes you sure can! I have also done this using this recipe.
It really depends on what the recipe is that you are making. For this slow cooker pasta bake there is no need to brown the mince first however for other recipes such as slow cooker Mexican mince, I would recommend browning the mince before slow cooking.
Take care not to leave cooked pasta in a slow cooker for an extended period of time as it will start to go mushy.
You may also enjoy:
- Slow Cooker Mexican Chicken
- The Best Slow Cooked Beef Recipe
- Family Friendly Slow Cooked Beef Casserole
- Ham, Corn and Cheese Impossible Pie
- Curried Sausage Pasta
- Creamy Chicken Pesto Pasta
- Easy Quiche Lorraine Recipe
- Easy Thermomix Chicken Curry
Slow Cooker Pasta Bake
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 500 grams beef mince
- 250 grams pork mince
- 2 brown onions grated (approximately 200 grams).
- 4 cloves garlic crushed
- 2 carrots grated
- 1 zucchini grated
- 3 tablespoon dried mixed herbs
- 700 grams passata
- 50 grams tomato paste
- 250 mls vegetable stock you can also use water
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 400 grams dried penne pasta You can also use any other type of short pasta
- 100 grams tasty cheese grated
Instructions
- Grate all of your vegetables and crush the garlic. Set aside until needed.
- Place the mince into your slow cooker and use a wooden spoon to break it apart.
- Add the remaining ingredients (apart from the pasta and cheese)and stir to combine.
- Turn your slow cooker and cook for 6 hours on low or 4 hours on high.
- Close to the end of the cooking time, cook the pasta as per the packet instructions.
- Once cooked, add the cooked pasta and stir gently through. Sprinkle with the grated cheese and replace the slow cooker lid for 5 – 10 minutes or until the cheese has melted.
Notes
- You can use any type of short pasta for this recipe. I like to use penne or macaroni.
- Tinned crushed tomatoes can be used in place of the passata.
- If you can, give your pasta bake a good stir approximately half way through the cooking time, ensuring the meat has been broken up.
- You can also use any type of vegetables you like for this recipe.
- Any leftovers can be frozen for up to two months.
Nutrition
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Julie
Looks like an awesome recipe!
What brand of pasta do you recommend to avoid the glugginess mentioned above?
Thanks
Lauren Matheson
Hi Julie, I usually use either Leggos or the woolworths brand pasta 🙂
Aysha Dunmore
Please can I ask what size your slow cooker is please? xxxxx
Lauren Matheson
Hi Aysha, my slow cooker is an 8 litre
Wer ruft an
It looks so tasty. Too bad I don’t have slow cooker:( Do you think, that if I put it to the oven the taste will be the same? Those photos really make me apetite to eat that.
Lauren Matheson
Hi, thank you 🙂 To be honest I’m not sure how it would go in the oven I’m sorry.
Liesl
Mine was also gluggy. I was really hoping it wouldn’t be but it did. Still tasted good though. It was really good after 4.5 hours. I think next time I make it I’m going to cook it for a shorter time. Thanks for sharing Lauren
Lauren Matheson
Ahh I’m sorry to hear that Liesl. I hope it works better for you next time x
Anna
I was so looking forward to this but it’s turned out to be one big doughy mess. Think I’ll try again, half the recipe and put pasta in half way through.
Lauren Matheson
Hi Anna, I’m so sorry to hear this. This has never happened to me before. I’m guessing it may be the brand of pasta that you use? I would suggest adding some extra water/stock to your mixture. I hope it works out for you next time xx
Lauren Matheson
Sorry just another thought, did you use 4 x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes? Just looking at the formatting of the recipe card I thought maybe you may have thought it was just one 400g tin. I’ve just added a ‘x’ to make is super clear xx