Who doesn’t love warm dishes on a cold winter night?! Let me tell you this was a real winner the other week. I was looking for something different (we do not eat pasta very much) and this was so great because it was so EASY!! Crockpot saves the day again 😉

 Here is what you need to make the Baked Ziti :

2 (25 ounce) jars of pasta sauce
15 oz tomato sauce
1 pound UNCOOKED penne pasta
15 oz ricotta cheese
2 eggs
1/3 freshly chopped basil
2 cups of freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 cup grated asiago cheese (I use a variety of cheeses so I also add in mozzarella)
*optional add in cooked chicken

1. Combine ricotta, eggs, and basil in a bowl and stir well
2. In a large bowl, combine pasta sauces and tomato sauce together.
3. Grate parmesan cheese and set aside
4. Grease the inside of a 6 qt crockpot
5. Add 2 1/3 cups of pasta sauce to the bottom of the crockpot
6. Add 1/3 of the uncooked pasta
7. Dot on half of the ricotta mixture and spread it evenly
8. Add half of the parmesan cheese
9. Add another 2 1/3 cups of the sauce
10. Add an additional 1/3 of pasta
11. Dot on the remaining ricotta and spread out
12. Sprinkle on the remaining parmesan cheese
13. Add the last 1/3 of the pasta
14. Top with the remaining 2 1/3 cups of sauce
15. Cover and cook on high for 2-3 hours, or until pasta is done.
16. During the last few minutes, add asiago cheese to the top and let it melt.
17. Serve alone or top with red pepper flakes (my husbands favorite 😉 ) and serve with garlic bread

Enjoy! 🙂 xoxo,