Swap out the casserole dish and throw everything in the slow cooker to find your freedom once again! Loaded with juicy browned ground beef and hearty bowtie pasta, this dish will fill the bellies of the masses. With fresh spinach hidden throughout, sneaking in some veggies to the kids is a cinch with this dish.
They won’t even notice, right?! Pair it with a crunchy side salad and some crispy buttered bread and you have yourself a hearty meal.
Make sure you hide the leftovers quickly if you want to save them for lunch the next day…
Recipe courtesy of Becoming Betty
Quick Tip: Make sure to liberally spray your crock pot with Pam non-stick cooking spray. it makes cleanup so much easier!
Check out what my friends at Becoming Betty had to say about this tempting crock pot casserole:
“I found this recipe in a Rival cookbook at my Aunt Annette’s house. I get so excited about good crock-pot recipes. They come in so handy on busy days and especially on Sundays, when we come home from church starving and ready to eat. This was filling and flavorful and the kids loved it! Three stars in our house.”
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
- 1 (15 o) can stewed tomatoes
- 1 tsp. oregano
- 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
- salt/pepper
- 10 oz. frozen spinach, thawed (can also use fresh spinach)
- 16 oz. bowtie pasta, cooked
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
- 1 1/2 cup mozzarella, shredded
Instructions
- Brown ground beef with onion and garlic. Put in crock-pot and add sauce, tomatoes and seasonings.
- Cook for 6-7 hours on low. Add the last 4 ingredients during the last 30 minutes of cooking and turn crock-pot to high.
- Add fresh spinach, pasta, parmesan and 1 cup of the mozzarella and mix well. Add the last 1/2 cup of mozzarella to melt on the top.
