Pearls and Platters: Easy Crock Pot Baked Ziti

I LOVE minimal prep Crock Pot dinners. Especially on busy week nights when I KNOW I am not going to feel like messing with dinner. Sometimes when I am browsing slow cooker recipes I skip over any of them that require you to sear or pre cook the meat. That's how lazy I am on Crock Pot night... I want to dump everything in that bad boy and push the button. I have never done any of the freezer meals I've seen online, but the ease of those intrigue me!

Here's a go to slow cooker meal my family and I make quite often. Aside from the ricotta, a lot of the ingredients are things you would have on hand. Pair it with a crisp green salad and homemade dressing and you're a dinner making super hero.

Crock Pot Baked Ziti

Ingredients:

1 pound ziti or tubular noodle of choice.
1 15oz container of ricotta (I haven't tried this recipe with cottage cheese, but I don't see why it wouldn't work as well)
2 25oz jars of your favorite spaghetti sauce
1 Cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 Cup shredded Parmesan (I suggest you use the real deal but I'm sure the powdery kind is fine to use as well)
2 tsp Garlic Salt (This is a GO TO seasoning for me. You can cut french bread into rounds, brush with olive oil and sprinkle with this seasoning and broil until golden for instant garlic bread!)
2/3 Cup water

Directions:
In a medium bowl, mix the ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan and garlic salt. Set aside

Rinse the noodles under cold water so they get a little damp. Spray your cooker with cooking spray and put half the noodles in an even layer on the bottom.

Pour 1 of the jars of sauce over the noodles and dot half of the cheese mixture on top of the sauce. Then, layer the rest of the noodles evenly on top. Pour your other jar of sauce and dot the remaining cheese on the top.