With over 1 million pins, enjoy this addictive slow cooker beef and cheese pasta that is cooked long and slow to bring out the best cheesy meat sauce!
Here’s a really simple meal to throw together that’s pretty kid-friendly too. This slow cooker beef and cheese pasta boasts lots of melty mozzarella cheese strings and a rich meat pasta sauce that has plenty of time to marry the flavors long and slow.
It’s a big enough meal for eight servings so there are plenty of leftovers to go around, although there usually aren’t much leftovers with this one. Though not your conventional pasta sauce, the addition of sugar to balance out the tartness of tomato sauce and other seasonings to make it extra beefy makes this an addictive combination. And with that, let’s get started.
SLOW COOKER BEEF AND CHEESE PASTA RECIPE TIPS
‣ Pasta – I cooked the pasta till al dente and tossed it in the slow cooker 30 minutes before the end. You will end up with soggy pasta if you add uncooked or cooked pasta in the beginning. And no one likes soggy pasta!
‣ Ground beef – If you’re not using lean ground beef, brown it over the stovetop before adding it to the slow cooker. Too much fat will dilute the sauce.
If you have super-lean ground beef, you can skip this step. I would brown anything below 93% lean/7 % fat, then drain away all that fat.
‣ Spinach – I used frozen spinach but if you want to use fresh instead, toss it in once it’s all done cooking and mix. The residual heat will be enough to cook them. It’s the same reason I tossed in the cooked frozen spinach last.
Cooking spinach for too long will make it tough and leathery. There’s no such thing as undercooking spinach since you can eat it raw anyway, but there is such a thing as overcooking it!
‣ Marinara sauce – The marinara sauce is mildly sweetened to balance out the tartness from tomatoes. I’ve also added some beef bouillon cubes and Worcestershire sauce to enhance the beef flavor.
It’s like adding in the flavor of 2 cups of beef broth, only you don’t have to cook it down. Do a taste test and see if you need to add more of the other seasonings to tweak things to your taste.
And that’s about it. As I said, this one is a really simple meal to throw together if you’re craving meaty pasta and happen to like cheese. Because who doesn’t like cheese!
For appetizers, the classic homemade garlic bread or these Parmesan garlic knots pair really well. Enjoy, happy cooking and let me know how you liked it or what substitutions you made in the comments below!
MORE PASTA RECIPES TO TRY
- Meatball Pasta Bake
- Easy Vegetable Pasta
- Slow Cooker Spaghetti Bolognese
- Pizza Pasta Casserole
- Pepperoni and Olive Penne Pasta
- Lasagna Roll-Ups
- Easy Ravioli Lasagna
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Slow Cooker Beef and Cheese Pasta
- Total Time: 6 hours 10 mins
- Yield: 8 1x
Description
With over 1 million pins, enjoy this addictive slow cooker beef and cheese pasta that is cooked long and slow to bring out the best cheesy meat sauce!
Ingredients
- 2 lb. lean ground beef
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
- 15 oz. marinara sauce
- 15 oz. stewed tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- Red pepper flakes to taste
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 beef bouillon cubes
- 2 tablespoons white sugar
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 10 oz. frozen spinach, cooked
- 1 lb. penne/rigatoni/bow tie pasta, cooked al dente
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
- 1 1/2 cups Mozzarella cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Over medium high heat, brown the beef in a skillet until cooked and fat has melted. Drain any excess fat.
- Remove beef and sauté onions and garlic until onions are translucent.
- Transfer onions, garlic and beef to a 6 qt. slow cooker and pour in marinara sauce, tomatoes, basil, oregano, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, Worcestershire sauce, crumbled beef bouillon cubes and sugar.
- Stir to mix well and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Cook for 6-8 hours on low.
- Cook the pasta till al dente according to package instructions. Drain well and add cooked pasta, Parmesan and mozzarella cheese to the meat sauce and stir to combine.
- Cook on high for 30 minutes.
- Mix in cooked or raw spinach leaves and stir well.
- Dish and serve hot.
- Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 6 hours
Comments & Reviews
We absolutely LOVE this!! I had taken screen shots of this recipe in 2017 but missed the instruction part. So for years I’ve been making it in a skillet. Imagine my surprise when I found out it’s a crockpot recipe😳
This whole time I’ve been putting all seasonings including Worcestershire sauce in the meat while cooking. When done I add marinara,sugar to taste and spinach. After spinach is cooked down I add noodles and cheese and mix until melted. Should it work this way? Probably not… but it does.
I’ll have to try in the Crockpot. I’m sure it’s great either way
Wow, that’s a long time to have this recipe as a staple. I’m so glad you came back to let me know! You can absolutely make this recipe over the stovetop – the order you described making it is a good way to convert it. Cheese and noodles go in last. You got it!
Can you cook it on high for a shorter amount of time? I don’t want to mess up the flavor but will only have 5 hours maybe
Absolutely! Since beef and onions are sauteed first, the only thing it is doing in the slow cooker is having the flavors marry – similar to simmering a pasta sauce for hours over the stovetop. Trim the initial time down to suit your needs but keep to the instructions for steps 6 and 7 when adding in the pasta and cheese.
Very good sauce.I like the various depth of flavors. I used fresh spinach. Everything turned out great but if I would change one thing I wouldn’t use 1lb of pasta. I think 12oz would be enough and would make it a little more saucy and flavorful. I definitely recommend this recipe. It’s a keeper.
Thanks Susan 🙂 I spent about 10 years perfecting the sauce. Adding in one ingredient each time to tweak it to my personal taste. I’m glad you like it too! I used 1 lb. of pasta because it’s easier to just use one box that’s sold in grocery stores and they usually do it in 1 lb. boxes. Makes no sense to have folks leave a few noodles out and waste them!
I have found a new favorite!! Oh my gosh does this taste amazing! I tweaked it a bit and did sausage instead of ground beef (I like sausage better) and added some mushrooms.
The only thing…I think when I make it next time I’m going to half everything. It was MASSIVE. Made waaaay more than 8 servings (probably in the neighborhood of 13-15 minimum). Guess I’ll freeze some, and I don’t have to cook for a while 🙂
Sounds good to me. I love mushrooms as well! Oh my gosh, maybe the hubby and I just eat HUGE portions then. Or you eat less than most? Thanks for trying it out anyway and I hope the leftovers tasted okay!
I am making this today …wish me luck
Hey, how did it turn out? I hope it was okay for you!
I made this today and did not change one thing. It is delicious!
Yay! Happy it worked out for you, Kelly! Thanks for taking the time and ingredient to try it out 🙂
5 stars with some adjustments!! Made on stovetop in dutch oven pot. Cooked the beef with onion/garlic then dumped everything but the spinach, pasta and cheese. I used 1 1/2 cans of tomatoes and reserved the remaining 1/2 can until the end. Simmered the meat mixture for 45 minutes. I had to add way more seasonings (at least double or more!) and added some granulated garlic. At 45 minutes I cooked the pasta al dente then added to meat mixture with 8oz fresh spinach, parm and mozz cheese. I also added the remaining 1/2 can tomatoes. The sauce really cooks down the tomatoes so this allowed for some tomato to bite into. Stir and cover until the spinach is wilted (about 5-10 mins). Done!! It came out fantastic!!!
Happy you managed to build off it, Rose! You sound like me; I love flavors that punch me in the mouth 😉
Very good and I also cut the cooking time in half. This dish is a favorite.
Thanks for trying it out. Diane! Glad to know if works cooking in half the time as well. It should help others when they search for tips in comments.
Would this work in the instant pot? Any ideas how to convert?
I’d love to be able to answer your questions but I haven’t had the opportunity to test out an instant pot yet. It’s on my to do list. I’m going to be doing one month of instant pot meals so I can teach myself the ins and outs of it. In the meantime, I hope you manage to figure out the conversion yourself. Good luck!
Awesome Recipe! Easy and very flavorful. We will be fixing this again and again at my house. Loved it. Thanks for sharing.
You’re very welcome Sue. Thanks for leaving some love in the comments and for trying it out! 🙂
Made this tonight. Hands down it was delicious. The only thing I did different is I added the spinach when I added the noodles and cheese. bon appétit
Thanks for trying it out, Kelly!
This is an excellent and easy dish!! Even better the next day. I use fresh spinach always. I do double check my sauce for seasonings/taste as you suggest. Family loves it. Thank you!!
You’re very welcome, Laura! Checking the seasonings should always be part of cooking but sometimes, people just need reminding 🙂