Slow-Cooker Baked Ziti

A family-pleasing dish like this is a great place to sneak in some extra vegetables. If you have leftover cooked carrots, zucchini, spinach or broccoli, chop up finely and add to the sauce. You can also cook this dish with whole-wheat pasta for added fiber and other nutrients.

• Ready In: 3 hrs 10 mins
• Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 1 (15 ounce) container part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1  cup  shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1  cup  grated parmesan cheese
• 1  teaspoon salt
• 1  lb ziti pasta
• 2 (25 ounce) jars  marinara sauce
• 2  tablespoons  finely chopped fresh basil leaves

Directions

1. Combine all three cheeses and salt in a medium bowl. Rinse ziti under cold water in a colander, allowing some water to cling to pasta.
2. Mist inside of slow cooker with cooking spray. Place half of pasta in an even layer over bottom of cooker. Spoon half of sauce over pasta. Dot with half of cheese mixture and half of basil. Repeat with remaining pasta, sauce, cheese and basil. Pour in 2/3 cup water.
3. Cover and cook on high until pasta is tender, 2 to 3 hours.