23 Pasta Recipes Your Slow Cooker Wants to Make (2024)

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By Betty Crocker Kitchens

Created October 5, 2020

Making pasta in the slow cooker is like having dinner on call. It's easy, fuss-free and always comes out delicious! With Betty’s best slow-cooker pasta recipes, you can plan to sit down to a warm meal that’s ready when you are. Scroll down and explore the slow cooker pasta recipes that'll make your weekday cooking a cakewalk.

In order to make sure your slow-cooker pasta turns out perfectly, check out the tips and tricks below.

One thing we really love about making pasta in the slow cooker is the way it melds the ingredients together creating super flavorful sauces – for example, Slow-Cooker Bacon-Ranch Chicken and Pasta. To make sure these sauces stick to your pasta, and not the inside of your slow cooker, it’s usually a good idea to coat your insert with cooking spray before adding ingredients.

Slow-Cooker Lasagna comes out tender with rich, creamy layers of melted cheese. But do be aware that not all dairy can cook for an extended period of time in the slow cooker. Betty Crocker recipes will always tell you when to add cheese, but as a general rule, cheese and sour cream should be stirred in during the last 30 minutes of cooking to prevent curdling.

Many of our favorite pasta recipes call for a sprinkle of fresh herbs, which provide a bright contrast to a rich sauce – like our Slow-Cooker Cheesy Chicken Manicotti. Do keep in mind that tender herbs, like basil and oregano, lose flavor when cooked for too long. It’s usually best to stir these herbs in at the end of the cook time or add herbs as a garnish when serving.

Another way to jazz up your pasta is with red pepper flakes. However, they can become bitter when cooked too long, so use small amounts to start and taste the food during the last hour before adding more.

When using frozen vegetables, like the spinach called for in our five-star Slow-Cooker Spinach Alfredo Lasagna, it’s very important to thaw ingredients before cooking. Slow cookers steam food, so there’s no chance for excess liquid to evaporate. Thawing ingredients prior to cooking will help you avoid a soggy dinner.

Do you love making dinner in your slow cooker? Explore the rest of Betty’s slow-cooker recipes, she’s not nearly out of ideas yet!

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23 Pasta Recipes Your Slow Cooker Wants to Make (2024)

FAQs

Can pasta be cooked in a slow cooker? ›

To keep pasta from becoming mushy in the crock pot, be sure to check for doneness periodically and serve once they are tender. It takes slow cooker pasta 3 to 4 hours on low or 1 to 2 hours on high. Check pasta doneness sooner than later, especially as some slow cookers are more powerful than others.

When to add penne pasta to slow cooker? ›

Broth-based slow cooker dinners need their dry pasta added at just the right moment — add the pasta too early and your noodles will be mushy before they get to the table. Adding dry pasta 30 to 4o minutes before serving means you'll have perfectly cooked pasta in your soup.

What cannot be cooked in a slow cooker? ›

10 Foods You Should Never Make in a Slow Cooker
  1. Raw Meat.
  2. Seafood.
  3. Pasta.
  4. Rice.
  5. Delicate Vegetables.
  6. Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts.
  7. Dairy.
  8. Wine and Other Liquor.
Jan 19, 2024

How long does dry pasta take to cook? ›

Most dried ribbons of pasta such as linguine, spaghetti and tagliatelle take between 8-10 mins. Shorter, thicker pasta shapes like bows or penne take 10-12mins and fresh pasta such as ravioli and tortellini will be done between 3-5mins.

How to stop pasta from going soggy in a slow cooker? ›

You can use slow cookers to make pasta as long as you don't mix the pasta in with the sauce and leave it sitting in the slow cooker for an extended period of time. Doing so will result in pasta that is mushy, soggy and unappetizing. For best results, keep the pasta separate until serving.

Can you cook dry pasta directly in sauce? ›

Cook pasta directly in the sauce to save time and cleanup

You may already know you should be using your starchy pasta water to thicken up your sauce, but you can take that logic one step further and cook your pasta straight in the sauce, as recommended by Epicurious.

Do you cook pasta on high or low? ›

Fill a large saucepan with water and place over high heat. Be sure to use a big enough saucepan to allow the pasta plenty of room to cook properly.

What not to do when making pasta? ›

8 Pasta Mistakes That Are Ruining Your Meal
  1. Using a pot that's too small.
  2. Not salting the cooking water properly.
  3. Adding oil to the cooking water.
  4. Breaking the noodles.
  5. Not checking the pasta often enough.
  6. Not saving any pasta water.
  7. Rinsing the pasta.
  8. Not considering the combination of pasta shape and sauce.
Jan 26, 2023

What is the easiest type of pasta to make? ›

Hand-cut pasta (tagliatelle, fettuccine, pappardelle, and more) The easiest “shape” to make at home is cutting hand-rolled sheets of pasta dough into long noodles with a kitchen knife. Here's how: — Use a dough cutter to divide up your pasta dough (approx.

What pasta shape cooks the quickest? ›

Capellini, also known as angel hair pasta, is a delicate and thin pasta variety that is often used in light and delicate dishes. Due to its delicate nature, it cooks faster on average than many other types of pasta.

What are the 5 things to remember in cooking pasta? ›

5 Tips On How To Cook Pasta
  • Cook Your Pasta In A Big Pot.
  • Don't Cook The Pasta In Advance.
  • Salt The Water.
  • Save The Pasta Cooking Water.
  • Add The Cheese At The End.
Feb 4, 2020

What is the secret of making pasta? ›

Shilpa explains that making fresh pasta all comes down to knowing one ratio of flour to water, specifically two parts flour to one part water by weight. For you bread heads out there, yes, that means 50% hydration, or 100 grams of flour to 50 grams of water.

What 3 basic ingredients are used in the production of pasta? ›

Pasta products contain milled wheat, water, and occasionally eggs and/or optional ingredients. Pasta manufacturers typically use milled durum wheat (semolina, durum granulars, and durum flour) in pasta production, although farina and flour from common wheat are occasionally used.

How long will pasta take to cook in a slow cooker? ›

Cooking pasta in a slow cooker is not recommended because it can become mushy. If you do choose to cook pasta in a slow cooker, use a short, small pasta shape and add at least 6 cups of liquid for every 1 pound of pasta. Cook on high for about 3 hours, stirring occasionally.

Can you cook pasta directly in sauce? ›

Cooking pasta in the sauce instead of in boiling water will increase the amount of time it takes to cook through. It's a good technique to use if you want to delay serving your pasta for a few minutes. Make sure to keep the sauce thinned out with pasta water as the pasta finishes cooking if you use this method.

What can I use if I don't cook pasta long enough? ›

Place it in a microwave-safe bowl and submerge the noodles in water. Set it for about a minute and check to see if it's cooked upon removing. It certainly won't be as good as pasta made on the stove, but it gets the job done for when you can't be bothered to pull the pot back out.

Can you cook pasta in any liquid? ›

Substitute water with chicken, beef or vegetable stock to cook pasta. Alternately, you can top off a pan of boiling water with a cup or two of broth or stock. The pasta will still soak up the extra flavor, and you'll save money and have more broth or stock on hand to use another day.

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