Description
A creamy, cheesy, and flavorful pasta dish made easily in a slow cooker, perfect for gatherings or a cozy night in.
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 beef: Place ground beef in a large skillet and cook until fully browned; drain excess grease.
- Mix the creamy goodness: Combine softened cream cheese, sour cream, ricotta, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder in a medium bowl and mix until smooth.
- Sauce it up: Pour half a jar of marinara sauce into the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Pasta party: Sprinkle half of the uncooked bowtie pasta over the sauce, then pour half of the remaining marinara sauce on top.
- Water works: Fill the empty sauce jar with water and pour half of it over the pasta and sauce layer.
- Beef layer: Sprinkle half of the cooked ground beef evenly over the layers.
- Cheesy cloud: Spoon the cream cheese mixture evenly over the beef layer.
- More pasta: Layer the remaining pasta and pour the second jar of marinara sauce over everything.
- Final hydration: Gently pour the remaining half jar of water over the top layer.
- Top it off: Finish with the remaining ground beef on top, cover, and cook on low heat for about 150 minutes.
- Cheesy heaven: If the pasta needs more cooking, continue for another 30 minutes. Add shredded mozzarella cheese and cover to cook until melted.
- Dish it out: Serve warm and enjoy the layers of creamy goodness.
Notes
This recipe is freezer-friendly and can be prepared a day in advance. Allow to reheat gently in the slow cooker.