Description
A creamy and cheesy pasta dish that cooks effortlessly in a slow cooker, perfect for busy nights.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs lean ground beef
- 1 (8 oz) block cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 cup ricotta
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 (24 oz) jars marinara sauce, divided
- 1 (24 oz) jar filled with water
- 1 (16 oz) box bowtie pasta, uncooked
- 2 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Brown the ground beef in a skillet over medium heat, draining any excess grease.
- In a bowl, mix cream cheese, sour cream, ricotta, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder until smooth.
- Pour half a jar of marinara sauce into the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Evenly sprinkle half of the uncooked bowtie pasta over the marinara sauce.
- Pour the remaining half jar of marinara sauce over the pasta.
- Fill the empty marinara jar with water and pour half over the pasta and sauce.
- Sprinkle half of the cooked ground beef over the layers.
- Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly over the beef layer.
- Layer on the remaining pasta and drizzle the next jar of marinara sauce over it.
- Pour the remaining half jar of water over the top layer.
- Finish with the rest of the ground beef on top.
- Cover and cook on low for 2 hours and 30 minutes. Check pasta; if not tender, cook for another 30 minutes.
- Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over the top and cover, cooking for an additional 20 minutes until melted.
- Serve hot and enjoy!
Notes
Avoid leaving grease in the beef, mix the cream cheese well, and ensure to check pasta tenderness during cooking.