Slow Cooker Baked Ziti ATK

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound hot or sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 8 ounces (2 1/2 cups) ziti
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
• 8 ounces (1 cup) whole-milk ricotta cheese
• 4 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded (1 cup)
• 2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil

Instructions

1. 1. Make aluminum foil collar for slow cooker by folding 2 (18-inch-long) pieces of foil to make 2 (18 by 4-inch) strips. Line perimeter of slow cooker with foil strips and spray with vegetable oil spray.
   
   2. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook sausage, breaking up pieces with spoon, until well browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Add onion and cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
   
   3. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add ziti and cook, stirring constantly, until edges of pasta become translucent, about 4 minutes. Off heat, stir in crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce, scraping up any browned bits. Transfer mixture to prepared slow cooker. Cover and cook on low until pasta is tender, about 3 hours.
   
   4. Using tongs, remove foil collar from slow cooker and stir gently to redistribute pasta. Dollop ricotta over ziti and sprinkle with mozzarella. Cover and let sit for 20 minutes to let cheeses melt. Garnish with basil and serve.
   

Key Steps To Great Slow-Cooker “Baked” Ziti

1. To prevent burning, fold aluminum foil into two strips and use them to line the perimeter of the slow cooker.

2. After hours in the slow cooker, pasta turns slimy and bloated. To avoid that, we first sauté it with the sausage and onion.

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