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. 
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.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED:
ground beef
cream cheese
sour cream
ricotta cheese
garlic
parsley
spaghetti sauce
water,
cavatappi, cellentini or macaroni pasta
mozzarella cheese
HOW TO MAKE CROCK POT MILLION DOLLAR PASTA:
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. After cooking, gently stir mixture. Then layer with 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese. Cover for an additional 15-20 minutes (until cheese is melted.)
Then dig in!
Store any leftovers in airtight containers in the refrigerator.
Enjoy!
Originally published: October 2016
Updated & republished: June 2019
CROCK POT MILLION DOLLAR PASTA
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
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Did you precook the pasta?
Add uncooked pasta!
Your pasta recipe looks awesome! I also luv.???? pasta anytime! I’m wondering if it can be prepared on the stove top or oven and would I need to adjust any of the amounts of ingredients?
Hi Maria! You could definitely make this in the oven. You will need to cook the pasta first and also remove the additional water that I added to make this a crockpot recipe. Layer ingredients into a 9×13 baking dish. Then cook uncovered in a 350f degree oven for 40 mins. Add mozzarella to the top and put back in the oven for an additional 15-20 minutes. Hope that helps!
Thank you so much! I wanted to make it tonight but my boyfriend doesn’t have a crockpot. I’m excited!
Hi Brandie!
I was wondering if you have adapted for Instant Pot?
Hi Lisa, no I sure haven’t. Sorry!
Sounds great! Since I am only one person I will cut recipe in half.
It looks great. I don’t like cooking but crockpot meals are so easy, it doesn’t feel like cooking.
How many servings?
Thanks.
Hi Linda! This makes about 8-10 servings (perhaps more depending on how large the servings are) 🙂
Love the recipe!
Easy and delicious!
This looks incredible. One question though, we are away from home for work at least 9 hours. Is this a recipe that can stand extra cooking, or should I cook it on low and have it go to the warming setting? I don’t want it to dry out.
Regina did you get an answer to this question? This is always my biggest concern with crockpot recipes… I’m usually away at work for 9-10 hours, so a 4 hour crock pot recipe worries me. I have a flex setting on my crock pot that I could cook on low and then it goes to warm, but 5 hours on warm sounds like it wouldn’t be good by the time we got home to eat.
Made this for supper tonight. Outstanding!! My family loved it! So grateful for your recipes… easy to prepare, yet always delicious. Thanks!!
Yay, so glad everyone loved it!!
Hi Brandie, I love this recipe I’ve made it a couple of times and it’s awesome. I did do a little experimenting the last time. I’m on a really tight budget so instead of ricotta I used cottage cheese. I figured it worked for lasagna, it would probably work for this. I also added mushrooms and onions to the ground beef.. I have to say I liked the mushrooms and onions but I much prefer the ricotta cheese. Oh well that the fun of cooking isn’t it? Thank you so much for all your awesome recipes.
Hi Kris! Thanks so much for the feedback! Actually, ricotta is cheaper than cottage cheese. For example, at my Wal-Mart, the Great Value Ricotta is $1.77 and the Great Value Cottage Cheese is $2.48. Now, some folks prefer the taste of cottage cheese. I have a crock pot lasagna that I think it works really well in! I am all about saving money so I have no problem using store brands to save a few bucks! 🙂
Brandy, I love, love your weekly planning menus. At 70, I am running short on enthusiasm and new ideas for meal planning, let alone cooking! I may not follow your menu plan for the week, but I just spent over half an hour reviewing your recipes. Your site is fantastic and I love being able to print the recipes and instructions easily. Everything I have tried so far has been delicious. GREAT JOB!
Hi Diana! Thank you so much for reaching out! I love that you are totally open to trying new recipes and you like the ones I have on here. Always an honor to have an experienced cook say that. Thank you for being here!
I was wondering if you could use other kinds of pasta like, bowtie or penne pasta?
You sure can!
Am I able to use regular spaghetti?
OOOOH be still my heart! This looks like slow cooker busy mama GOLD right here!
Hi! I am wanting to make this for dinner tomorrow night and would have to start it at 5:15 am before I head to work. Unfortunately, I don’t get home from work until 4:30 pm…is that too long to cook it??
Thank you!
Hi Samantha! It probably would be – yes. I’m sorry! Unless you have a digital crockpot where you can set it to cook then it will automatically go to warm. That might work!
Can you make this with Italian sausage instead? Or half. Ground beef and half sausage?
Hi Megan! Absolutely you could! 🙂
I always make my spaghetti sauce with sweet Italian sausage (as opposed to hot) instead of ground beef and that makes awesome lasagna. When i make this dish i will definitely be using the sausage. The recipe sounds so easy and yummy…..
Hi I was wondering if I could cook this on high for 2 hours instead on low for four ?
Hi Shiann – you sure could. Just keep an eye on it though. You’ll want to stir it to make sure nothing burns on the bottom. Slow cookers these days run hot. 🙂
I really want to try this because it looks delicious, but I only have a 4 quart slow cooker:( Suggestions before I make a disaster?
Although I have not made it in a smaller crock pot, you could probably 1/2 the ingredients. If you try it, please come back and let us know how it worked out for you.
I’m a bit of a novice when it comes to cooking pasta in the crockpot. This recipe looks so deliciously tempting! I want to bring it to a potluck. Do you think it will be alright on the warm setting for about an hour or so?
Hi Ashley! Yes, you can! Mainly you don’t want the pasta to turn to mush. So maybe undercook it by about an hour, then set it up on warm when you get there. Even the keep warm setting on newer crock pots can still cook the pasta while it is keeping warm. Hope that helps!
Can you cook this on the warm sstting for 10 hours?
Hi. Do you think frozen meatballs coukd work in place of the ground beef? Thank you!
I am making this right now. It smells delicious! Cant wait to try it!????
I want to make this for my 96 yr. old Mom. She doesn’t like sour cream, though. Is it a prominent flavor in this recipe? Can I leave it out or substitute something else? Sounds great to me, though.
What’s considered a serving size? One cup or 1/2 cups?
I just sent this recipe to my daughter who is in her junior year in college and now living off campus. Thanks
Could you make this in a instant pot? If so how would you adapt this recipe for a IP?
Hi Heather! I’m sure you could but I just don’t know how. I’m sorry! Perhaps someone on here will have a good suggestion for you! 🙂
I threw everything into my instant pot as is and just used my slow cooker option..hope all goes well!!
This looks great! I am going to try it this week. Do you have any tips for making a vegetarian version of this?
hello brandie,
would you mind telling me your crockpot size?
Hey Vicky! It’s a 6-quart crock pot. That is my go-to size for pretty much everything. 🙂
I have made this several times and love it. I plan to make it for a work pot luck tomorrow! Can you make ahead the night before, leave in fridge, then cook the next day?
Hi! this looks so amazing!! I plan on cooking this for 4 hrs then it will go to low for 1-2 hrs. Do you think it will dry out that way? Also, Do you think this would be good to freeze afterwards?
Thanks!
Can this be doubled simply by doubling the ingredients or are there other adjustments needed?
Hello! Can this be made in a four quart pot successfully? I need a lot so I don’t want to half the recipe but I don’t want overflow either. Help!!
That would be pretty tight. And it may not cook evenly if it’s close to overflowing… 🙁
I would like to use a crock pot liner when I make this. Any issues with using a liner ? The liner makes clean up so easy.
Nope! I’m cooking it now with a liner!
I’m actually going to try this in my instant pot as is and just cook it as slow cooker…fingers crossed all goes well!!!
Hi Kim i was going to ask the same would this work with instant pot and if yes what settings works best
Do you think I could eliminate the water and cook pasta and then follow layering directions in a baking pan and stick in oven like a lasagna?
Hi Britney – yes, I would think so! 🙂
Do you think I can eliminate the crockpot all together and just bake it in the oven? Obviously cooking the meat beforehand, possibly the pasta too?
Hi Jessica! You sure could! Cook the pasta and brown the ground beef and don’t add the water. 🙂
We don’t eat red meat. Was wondering if ground turkey instead.
Looks great. I don’t have time to pick up ricotta could I leave out or should I replace with more sour cream and Parmesan?
Hi Sarah, I haven’t tried it but it should work. Let me know how it turns out for you!
It’s very good!! I recommend trying it, i used italin sausage and onion too
Thank you Rake!! So happy you loved it with the Italian sausage too! 🙂
Do you have to use cavatappi or can you use any kind of noodles??
Hi Dawn – you could really use any kind of noodle. I like the cavatappi because it kind of grabs and holds onto the sauce and cheese.:)
This is SooOo good. I used Italian sausage but that was all I changed because I wanted some. Daddy and my 18 month old Loved it! There’s enough for dinner tonight, too. Can I just reheat this in the crockpot on low? Or do I have to reheat plates in the microwave?
Hi Jamie! Sorry for my delay in responding! So, so happy you loved this one! You could reheat in the crockpot. The key is not letting it dry out. So, I tend to cover with a paper towel and just reheat in the microwave. 🙂
Hey there making this tonight! Would halfing the recipe work? Will it affect anything?
Shouldn’t be a problem! Just keep an eye on the cooking time. Hope you love it!
I don’t often have time or the energy to make anything fancy anymore. I always loved having a crockpot to make easy meals, but never thought of making something like this in a crockpot. I thought that I would give it a try. I used some of my own seasoning when cooking the burger. When we came home for dinner, I was amazed at how good this was. Easiest recipe to make and SO GOOD!
I don’t want to bother with pasta any other way. And my family is fine with that.
Hi Kathy!! Yay! Absolutely love hearing that! Thank you so very much for taking the time out of your busy day to come back here and leave such a great comment!
If I cut this recipe in half, how long should I cook it instead?
Donesha, I haven’t tested that out to be honest so I couldn’t really give you a proven time. I think you could perhaps cut it back by a couple of hours but you’ll have to play around with the time yourself to see what works best.
Wow! This was amazing. For those of you wondering…I cut the recipe in half and cooked for 3 hrs/10 minutes and it was perfect!! Next time I’ll try Italian sausage! So good!
When you say jar how many ounces is a jar?
If you read the recipe it states the amount clearly. Two 24 oz. jars.
LOL! Your hubby must be my long lost brother/cousin, etc! I don’t like pasta either except for Chinese lo mein. But I do have a family of pasta lovers and I love having some good pasta recipes on hand for them. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Anytime I mention that we’re having any type of pasta, his shoulders drop like a disappointed five year old. LOL
This was really good. I am very busy and didn’t have time for the crock pot so I tried it in the pressure cooker. It was so delicious. I will definitely make it again.
Can it be cooked even quicker? Skillet maybe? I can’t wrap my brain around it right now. ????
I bet it could. You could turn it into a one pot spaghetti but not sure how the layering would work.
How long did you cook it?
I cooked it for about 10-12 minutes
Kristyn,
You just followed the recipe exactly as written except cooked it in your Instant Pot at 10 min on manual high? Did you let it vent naturally? Thank you so much!
Can this be converted to a non – crockpot version? I’m short on time but want this meal… Haha
Absolutely amazing. Shared with all my mama friends
Thank you so very much Elizabeth!! 🙂
I cooked my noodles first and still added the water is it going to be too watery now?
Yikes, possibly?
Can this be cooked in the oven ? If I cook the pasta noodles ? I’m running low on time.
Someone asked on Nov.7th of last year if this could be doubled and there’s been no reply. Plannig to do that for a church pot-luck this Sunday so may be too late for a reply. Wondering if it would need to cook longer
I wouldn’t double it in one slow cooker. It would be far too much to cook evenly. I would recommend two separate slow cookers.
Thank you for the quick response. I had already browned half the meat and told my husband I thought it would be too much if I doubled it and would use 2 slow cookers which fortunately I have. I must have bee reading your mind since I took a break between the two batches of meat to check e-mails and you confirmed my suspicions, Can’t wait to try it, just reading the ingredients makes my mouth water. thanks again
Ha! I was hoping I would get my response in time before you made it!! Hope everyone enjoyed it!!
Hello, just wondering how cottage cheese would be in replace of ricotta cheese. Thoughts?
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!
Thanks so much!
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?
I was wondering this also. Did you try it?
Could you freeze this and then cook it?
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…
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!
Will this work as well with a jarred Alfredo sauce. We don’t care for red sauce.
This looks so delicious!! There’s only two of us. Could this recipe be cut in half? Thanks
Can elbow macaroni be used instead of cavatappi?
Making this for dinner tonight…..how long if I cook it on high?
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.
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!
Nothing makes me happier than to hear when the kiddos love a recipe! Thank you so much Jessica!!
Can this recipe be made the night before and be kept in the refrigerator?
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.
Is there another replacement for ricotta instead of cottage cheese?
Thank you.
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.
Can I use a different type of pasta? Like a garbanzo bean based pasta or a lentil based one? Thank you! It looks delicious!
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 :).
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!
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.
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!
Forgot to add that I used shells and it held the sauce and cheese beautifully.
Could I use mostocchioli noodles? Would the cook time be different since noodles are bigger? Thanks
I’m going to make this without the ground meat, but adding spinach. Thoughts?
I never say not to spinach. 🙂
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!!!!
Score one for Mom! Ha! Love hearing that Kirsten! Thank you so much for coming back to leave a comment!
Can I put this together the night before? It looks wonderful
Haa anyone tried to double the batch? Have a big crowd to feed, maybe needs to cook longer?
Hi Julie, I would do it in two separate crock pots. Doubling it in one won’t allow it to cook properly. 🙂
would rigatoni work or would it get too soggy? i am trying to clean out the pasta in my pantry.
Hi Brittney – I imagine you could. I haven’t tested it with rigatoni but if you give it a try – let me know!
Hi,
Have you made a vegetarian version? Or for a potluck? Any advice? Thanks
Is there a reason to layering it all at first when once it’s cooked you stir it all together anyways? Just wondering if it would be the same turnout?
Thoughts on using chicken broth instead of water? Plus, I am thinking of adding some sort of frozen veggies, like an italian blend, or maybe some spinach, tho I’m not sure how it would turn out.
What can I use as a substitute if I’m taking out ricotta cheese?
Most folks substitute ricotta cheese with cottage cheese.
You can also use Marscapone cheese, rather than cottage.
Marscapone would be a replacement for cream cheese. I wouldn’t substitute cottage cheese. Just use the ricotta.
Can I also make this in a pressure cooker? Does anyone know the timing at heat level for that?
I haven’t tested it yet in a pressure cooker. Perhaps someone on here has though and can help!
This food is amazing!
Thanks so much Bry!
Thank you for this delicious recipe!! I love this but I ALWAYS make it with 1lb hamburger and 1 lb Italian sausage. Today I am using cottage cheese because I was out of ricotta. I put it in the food processor to make it smooth although that wasn’t necessary. My advice is to always use a sauce you love because it will make a difference in the flavor.
Sometimes I layer it in the oven with no boil pasta and put the cheese mixture in the middle of two layers of noodle and sauce/water mixture. I cover and bake on 350 for an hour uncover, add cheese, bake until melted then I remove from the oven and stir. The noodles have more texture this way. But either way this recipe is wonderful! Thanks again!
Didnt have cavatappi..hopefully rotini will work?…have u tried other pastas
Can this be made with spaghetti noodles?
Has anyone tried doubling the recipe? Will everything still fit in the crock pot? Any adjustments you would suggest?
In reply to Judi -I have a very large crockpot and this recipe fills the crockpot so if I were going to double the recipe I would use two crockpots or put it in a roaster pan and make it in the oven for an hour or an hour and a half on 350 covered.
How much pasta for the serving of carbs? We have a diabetic.
Hi Judy, for people with medical conditions, I ask that you use your own trusted nutritional calculators. The nutritional information on this recipe are for informational purposes only and should not be used as guidance for a particular health condition.
Used plant based gluten free pasta and completely dissolved!
Anyone have issues? Still tastes good but NO PASTA! So heads up!
Do you cook the noodles 1st or put them in the crock pot uncooked?
Can your Million Dollar Pasta be frozen and still taste good? Thank you!
Hi Ann! That is a good question. I will be perfectly honest – I haven’t tried freezing it. It seems like it would work and be okay. If you try it – please let me know!
The flavors are fantastic! Cooking on low for 4 hours resulted in overcooked noodles and a mushy consistency. I think I’ll do this recipe with cooked noodles in the oven as someone suggested in the comments.
I halved this recipe and used a 4 quart crockpot.
I cooked it for the 4 hours and it was perfect.
A real hit with our whole family!
Brandie, You have great recipes and I thank you. This is one we didn’t like. I used Penne Pasta, a lb. of ground beef and a lb. of Italian sausage. In browning the meat, I added sliced fresh mushrooms and a small Vidalia onion, chopped.
Everything else exactly as recipe called for. It seemed bland and the pasta was mushy. I used my large casserole crock pot and it was full to almost running over. It made way too much. We ate it twice and disposed of the rest. Hated to waste it, but we just couldn’t eat again.