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Home » slow cooker » CROCK POT MILLION DOLLAR PASTA

CROCK POT MILLION DOLLAR PASTA

June 6, 2019 by Brandie @ The Country Cook 125 Comments

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4.8 from 29 votes

Crock Pot Million Dollar Pasta has layers of sauce, pasta, beef and a special cream sauce all topped with melty, gooey mozzarella cheese!

CROCK POT MILLION DOLLAR PASTA

If there is one thing I could eat over and over and never get tired of – it’s pasta. My son and I love it (especially this Crock Pot Million Dollar Pasta recipe I am sharing today!) My husband – not so much. He’s weird. Who doesn’t like pasta? So what happens is I end up making a big batch (because hey – the other people in the house still like it!) and we end up having a lot leftover. Crock Pot Milliion Dollar Pasta on a white plate with fork

VIDEO INCLUDED BELOW:

DO I NEED TO BOIL THE NOODLES FIRST?

Nope! You do not have to boil the pasta noodles first – woo hoo! A yummy, creamy, flavorful sauce with tender pasta all topped with a gooey, melty cheese. Worth it’s weight in gold 😉 For me, pasta is the perfect leftover food. So I don’t mind if I have lots leftover. This recipe is made all in one pot (yay for less dirty dishes!) but it also takes your traditional pasta and sauce meal to something just a bit more special.Crock Pot Million Dollar Pasta recipe from The Country Cook

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:
ground beef
cream cheese
sour cream
ricotta cheese
garlic
parsley
spaghetti sauce
water,
cavatappi, cellentini or macaroni pasta
mozzarella cheeseground beef, spaghetti sauce, mozzarella cheese, pasta noodles, cream cheese, garlic

HOW TO MAKE CROCK POT MILLION DOLLAR PASTA:

Brown and crumble ground beef (season with salt and pepper.) Drain excess grease and set aside.browning ground beef in a skillet

In a medium bowl, mix together cream cheese, sour cream, ricotta cheese, minced garlic and parsley.sour cream, ricotta cheese, cream cheese, garlic, parsley

In the bottom of a 6 quart (or larger) slow cooker, add half a jar of spaghetti sauce. Evenly layer half the box of the cavatappi pasta on top of sauce. Pour remaining jar of spaghetti sauce over noodles. Pour on half a jar of water.pasta sauce, pasta noodles, water in the bottom of a 6 quart slow cooker

Then layer half the cooked ground beef mixture over top.

cooked ground beef added to crock pot along with cavatappi noodles and spaghetti sauce

Dollop the entire cream cheese mixture evenly as possible over the beef layer. Do not stir.cream cheese, ricotta cheese mixture dolloped on top of pasta sauce and cavatappi pasta in crock pot

Evenly layer the rest of the cavatappi pasta on top of the cream cheese layer.corkscrew pasta layered on top of creamy layer

Top with remaining jar spaghetti sauce. Pour another half jar of water on top of spaghetti sauce. Finally, layer the rest of the cooked ground beef on top. Cover and cook on low for about 3-4 hours. After cooking, gently stir mixture. Then layer with 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese. Cover for an additional 15-20 minutes (until cheese is melted.)Million Dollar Pasta recipe topped with melted mozzarella cheese

Then dig in!Slow Cooker Million Dollar Pasta with melted cheese

Store any leftovers in airtight containers in the refrigerator.
forkful, crock pot million dollar pasta, easy recipe

Enjoy!

Originally published: October 2016
Updated & republished: June 2019

Crockpot Million Dollar Pasta recipe

CROCK POT MILLION DOLLAR PASTA

Crockpot Million Dollar Pasta has layers of sauce, pasta, beef and a special cream sauce all topped with melty, gooey mozzarella cheese!
4.8 from 29 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Crockpot Million Dollar Pasta
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours
Total Time: 3 hours 25 minutes
Servings: 6
Calories: 979kcal
Author: Brandie @ The Country Cook

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs ground beef
  • 1 (8 oz) block cream cheese softened
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1 cup ricotta cheese
  • 1 tsp minced garlic
  • 1 tsp dried parsley
  • 2 (24 oz) jars spaghetti sauce divided use
  • 1 (24 oz) jar water
  • 1 (16 oz) box cavatappi pasta
  • 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions

  • Brown and crumble ground beef (season with salt and pepper.) Drain excess grease and set aside.
  • In a medium bowl, mix together cream cheese, sour cream, ricotta cheese, minced garlic and parsley.
  • In the bottom of a 6 quart (or larger) slow cooker, add half a jar of spaghetti sauce.
  • Evenly layer half the box of the cavatappi pasta on top of sauce.
  • Pour remaining jar of spaghetti sauce over noodles.
  • Pour on half a jar of water.
  • Then layer half the cooked ground beef mixture over top.
  • Dollop the entire cream cheese mixture evenly as possible over the beef layer. Do not stir.
  • Evenly layer the rest of the cavatappi pasta on top of the cream cheese layer.
  • Top with remaining jar spaghetti sauce
  • Pour another half jar of water on top of spaghetti sauce.
  • Finally, layer the rest of the cooked ground beef on top.
  • Cover and cook on low for about 3-4 hours.
  • Stir mixture, then layer with 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese.
  • Cover for an additional 15-20 minutes (until cheese is melted.)

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 979kcal | Carbohydrates: 74g | Protein: 58g | Fat: 49g | Saturated Fat: 22g | Cholesterol: 172mg | Sodium: 1843mg | Potassium: 1531mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 1555IU | Vitamin C: 16.2mg | Calcium: 500mg | Iron: 6.7mg
Did you make this recipe?Share it on Instagram @thecountrycook and mention us #thecountrycook!

WANT MORE SCRUMPTIOUS RECIPES LIKE THIS? GIVE THESE A TRY!
CROCK POT TACO PASTA
CROCK POT SALSA RANCH CHICKEN PASTA
CROCK POT ALFREDO TORTELLINI
CROCK POT LASAGNA

 

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Filed Under: main dishes, slow cooker Tagged With: ground beef, pasta, RECIPES WITH VIDEO

About Brandie @ The Country Cook

I’m a regular home cook, like most of you, doing my best to get a good meal on the table for my family. I like to say the recipes on here are recipes for the busy cook (you know who you are). You can still get a good meal on the table, with a few shortcuts to help you along the way. I hope you’ll find lots of recipes here that you’ll love and hopefully will become family favorites. Read more...

Previous Post: « PANCAKE SAUSAGE MUFFINS (+Video)
Next Post: CROCK POT LASAGNA (+Video) »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Maranda says

    October 13, 2019 at 9:13 am

    Hello, just wondering how cottage cheese would be in replace of ricotta cheese. Thoughts?

    Reply
    • Brandie @ The Country Cook says

      October 13, 2019 at 10:20 am

      Hi Maranda, It should work fine in this recipe. I have a recipe for Crock Pot Lasagna that uses cottage cheese and it comes out great!

      Reply
      • Maranda says

        October 14, 2019 at 10:17 am

        Thanks so much!

  2. Briana says

    October 13, 2019 at 6:59 pm

    I was wondering if I could make this recipe ahead of time? For example, put all ingredients in the crock pot and leave in in the refrigerator until I’m ready to cook it?

    Reply
    • Sharon says

      October 30, 2019 at 7:22 pm

      I was wondering this also. Did you try it?

      Reply
  3. Smithkin says

    October 16, 2019 at 3:57 pm

    Could you freeze this and then cook it?

    Reply
    • Brandie @ The Country Cook says

      October 17, 2019 at 10:09 am

      I haven’t tried it. It’s hard to say because you are putting in the noodles uncooked. I don’t think it would cook properly from frozen…

      Reply
  4. Morgana says

    October 19, 2019 at 5:44 pm

    This sounds absolutely delicious. I have a question about the number of servings. The recipe states that it serves 6, however it calls for 2 pounds of ground beef. That seems a lot for just 6 servings. Is the number of servings listed correct?Thank you for sharing such great recipes!

    Reply
  5. Jobo says

    October 19, 2019 at 6:19 pm

    Will this work as well with a jarred Alfredo sauce. We don’t care for red sauce.

    Reply
  6. Jeri says

    October 20, 2019 at 1:20 am

    This looks so delicious!! There’s only two of us. Could this recipe be cut in half? Thanks

    Reply
  7. Mary says

    October 22, 2019 at 8:25 pm

    Can elbow macaroni be used instead of cavatappi?

    Reply
  8. Xiomara Rodriguez says

    October 27, 2019 at 3:56 pm

    Making this for dinner tonight…..how long if I cook it on high?

    Reply
    • Brandie @ The Country Cook says

      October 28, 2019 at 1:17 pm

      I haven’t tested it on high yet Xiomara. You could try cutting the time in half. You have to be careful with burning though.

      Reply
  9. Jessica says

    October 31, 2019 at 10:54 am

    5 stars
    My kids LOVE this pasta! The 8 year old asked me yesterday to make “that thing with the noodles I really like” lol I used 1lb of ground beef and 1lb of ground sausage the first time i made it and it was so good that I’m not gonna change it. I also just throw in whatever small pasta I have on hand at the time. Tonight we are using halloween shapes!

    Reply
    • Brandie @ The Country Cook says

      November 4, 2019 at 9:50 am

      Nothing makes me happier than to hear when the kiddos love a recipe! Thank you so much Jessica!!

      Reply
  10. Niki says

    November 11, 2019 at 8:56 pm

    Can this recipe be made the night before and be kept in the refrigerator?

    Reply
  11. Niki says

    November 12, 2019 at 9:49 pm

    I set up the crockpot the night before and cooked it the next afternoon. Only use 1/2 a jar of water and dont put it in until you start cooking it. Also I would suggest seasoning with salt both when cooking your meat and before you add the mozzarella cheese.

    Reply
  12. Diana Angel says

    November 19, 2019 at 11:40 pm

    Is there another replacement for ricotta instead of cottage cheese?
    Thank you.

    Reply
    • Brandie @ The Country Cook says

      November 20, 2019 at 8:56 am

      Maybe mascarpone cheese? You may want to add a tad bit of salt to the mascarpone because it’s more of a sweeter style cheese.

      Reply
  13. Andrea Acuna says

    November 20, 2019 at 11:43 am

    Can I use a different type of pasta? Like a garbanzo bean based pasta or a lentil based one? Thank you! It looks delicious!

    Reply
  14. Carol says

    November 23, 2019 at 2:13 pm

    5 stars
    Thank you for the super easy, throw together, delish meal. Has anyone tried this this with 1 part red sauce & 1 part white garlic sauce OR 2 parts white garlic sauce with chicken, broccoli or broccolini and parmesan? Just curious. I like to make my lasagna like my hubby’s grandmother from Italy/Sicily with either all red OR half white garlic and half red sauce with fresh chiffonade basil on top symbolizing the Italian flag. Might be good with some mushrooms and finely chopped olives too :).

    Reply
    • Brandie @ The Country Cook says

      November 25, 2019 at 6:24 pm

      I love the mix of the two sauces. Now I’m drooling. Ha! I think you could totally do some chicken, broccoli and white sauce!

      Reply
  15. Carol says

    November 23, 2019 at 9:54 pm

    5 stars
    Following up…Kids loved it. Made as described just added seasoning salt, dried oregano, dried basil, onion powder, garlic salt and diced onions while cooking the beef. We like spices. Also threw a handful of.mushrooms that I diced and a few teaspoons of white sugar on the top while cooking after it was layered. Took 3 hours in an Instant Pot on slowcooker low vent open. I haven’t heard a word since it was served except “Wow this is the best pasta ever!!!” from “Mr Picky” followed by a quick “Yes” from “Miss I Hate Red Sauce” and my oldest “Mr Garbage Disposal” didn’t even come up for air… just silently hoovered. Guess it must be good. ???????????? Saving this one for sure! Thank you for the new super easy recipe. Can’t wait to try the different variations but this recipe is solid! Love this new way to cook pasta.

    Reply
    • Brandie @ The Country Cook says

      November 25, 2019 at 6:22 pm

      I am cracking up Carol! I absolutely loved reading your comment!! Thank you so very much for taking the time to come back and leave all of this great feedback!

      Reply
  16. Carol says

    November 23, 2019 at 9:57 pm

    5 stars
    Forgot to add that I used shells and it held the sauce and cheese beautifully.

    Reply
  17. Janice McMillan says

    November 24, 2019 at 10:47 am

    Could I use mostocchioli noodles? Would the cook time be different since noodles are bigger? Thanks

    Reply
  18. Jacqui S says

    November 27, 2019 at 9:38 am

    I’m going to make this without the ground meat, but adding spinach. Thoughts?

    Reply
    • Brandie @ The Country Cook says

      November 27, 2019 at 6:35 pm

      I never say not to spinach. 🙂

      Reply
  19. Kirsten Naya says

    December 7, 2019 at 6:07 pm

    5 stars
    Made this in a 4 QT for dinner and it turned out perfectly, seriously addicting plus my son who normally hates sauce on his pasta was obsessed!!!!

    Reply
    • Brandie @ The Country Cook says

      December 8, 2019 at 11:25 am

      Score one for Mom! Ha! Love hearing that Kirsten! Thank you so much for coming back to leave a comment!

      Reply
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