I enjoy a good party and hosting friends, so I have enjoyed hosting friends this year as we have started having guests monthly and now bimonthly for D and D sessions. It’s always my goal to find food that can feed a crowd and now in the summer, doesn’t heat up the entire kitchen. I am working on perfecting some summer crockpot meals. Last session, I made this delicious Easy Crockpot Baked Ziti.

This meal seemed easy and everyone enjoys a delicious baked pasta. First, I made the cheese filling by combining ricotta cheese, eggs, and basil. Next, I mixed together the jarred pasta sauce and tomato sauce. I grated the Parmesan cheese and greased the crockpot with a bit of butter. Finally, I was ready to assemble. The first layer was sauce, which was followed by uncooked penne, ricotta mixture, and Parmesan cheese. Next, I added more sauce, penne, ricotta mixture, and the rest of the Parmesan cheese. Finally, I added the end of the penne and sauce. I added the lid and cooked on high for about 2 1/2 to 3 hours. I checked it at 2 1/2 hours and let it cook a little bit longer. Then, I added mozzarella cheese to the top and cooked it until it melted. The results were a delicious baked pasta in about 3 hours. The kitchen stayed cool and I could pretty much set the crockpot and forget about the dish. It was a hit with my friends and paired nicely with some delicious Garlic Breadsticks from Dream Dinners and a toasted ravioli appetizer. This made plenty of food for 6 hungry adults with leftovers. Depending on preferences, meat or meat sauce could be added. I am so glad this turned out great-its often a gamble with online recipes, but this was a hit!

The New Austonian