Slow Cooker Mince Pasta Bake
This slow cooker beef mince pasta bake has a creamy tomato sauce and is topped with a satisfying layer of melted cheese. Plus, it’s budget friendly and takes just 5 minutes to prep!
Equipment
- Slow cooker / crockpot
- Cheese grater and chopping board or plate
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 500 g beef mince
- 1 onion diced
- Salt & black pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon mixed dried herbs
- 500 g passata (tomato purée US)
- 200 ml beef stock (broth)
- 300 g pasta I use conchiglie or conchilglioni
- 80 g cream cheese
- 200 g grated cheddar see notes
See notes for baby & toddler
Instructions
- In your removeable slow cooker pot (or a frying pan), fry the mince and onion in the olive oil over a medium-high heat until the meat has browned, for about 5 minutes. Drain any liquid fat left.
- Transfer the slow cooker pot back into its base. Add the passata, stock and seasonings and stir well. Level out, cover and cook on low for 7-8hrs. Once done, if there is any burnt sauce around the edge of the pot, run a silicone spatula round it, any burnt food will stick to it.
- When it’s nearly done, cook your pasta as per packet instructions and drain.
- When the slow cooker has finished, turn it to high and add the cream cheese. Stir until fully melted. Then stir through your cooked pasta. Level out and top with the grated cheddar. Recover and leave until the cheese is melted, about 5-10 minutes (see notes).
Notes
If you use shop bought grated cheddar the shreds will be thicker so it will take longer to melt, allow 15-20 mins. Home grated cheddar as shreds will be thinner, will melt quicker, 5-10 mins.
Baby & Toddler
Baby-Led Weaning
Use a pasta shape that little one can palm, like the large Conchilglioni shells pictured here, penne, fusilli, rotini, rigatoni or casarecce. Omit salt from the cook. For smaller babies, remove their serving before you add the layer of cheddar as melted cheese could cause gagging and choking.Spoon-Fed Weaning
6 months Add some pasta and sauce to your stick blender pot or food chopper (if you have that one that purées) and whizz into a purée. Add a little warm boiled water to loosen as needed. 7-9 months Add their pasta and sauce to your food chopper. Use short sharp pulses to finely chop. 10-12 months Add some pasta and sauce to your food chopper pot. Gradually pulse, just a few times then check the consistency. It should lumpy with small pieces of pasta.STORAGE
Store leftovers in an air-tight container or resealable food bag in the fridge for up to 3 days (cook day + 2). Leftovers can be frozen, just defrost for 24 hours in the fridge and reheat in the microwave, stirring halfway, until steaming hot all the way through. Add a just a little water before microwaving.
Nutrition
Calories: 807kcalCarbohydrates: 29gProtein: 46gFat: 57gSaturated Fat: 26gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 21gTrans Fat: 2gCholesterol: 164mgSodium: 13865mgPotassium: 1439mgFiber: 4gSugar: 19gVitamin A: 1742IUVitamin C: 21mgCalcium: 470mgIron: 6mg
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