This hearty, flavorful Slow Cooker Italian Bowtie Dinner is packed with flavor and about as easy as it gets! Even your pickiest eaters will love this!

My heart is breaking right now for all those families affected by the horrible tragedy last Friday. I can’t even begin to imagine the sorrow and pain they are feeling. I pray that they can be strengthened through this difficult time and that their hearts can begin to heal. They will all be in my thoughts and prayers.
I had a blast doing 12 Days of Sugar, but after 12 straight days of sugar posts, I thought better share something hearty, a little more on the healthy side and something simple and quick since life is probably busy for everyone right now.
This Slow Cooker Italian Bowtie Dinner is so quick to throw together and doesn’t need to cook for hours. I threw it together the other night just a few hours before we ate. It was simple, quick, and delicious. We all devoured it.
I served it with a spinach salad and some yummy garlic cheese toast . . . it was dee-lish!
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Slow Cooker Italian Bowtie Dinner
- Total Time: 200 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1/2 lb. hot Italian sausage
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 cans (8 oz) tomato sauce
- 1 can (15 oz) Italian diced tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon basil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 6 oz mini bow tie pasta, cooked and drained (cook just before adding to slow cooker)
- 2 cups fresh spinach, chopped
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- In a skillet brown ground beef and sausage until no longer pink. Add garlic and cook a couple more minutes. Transfer to a crock pot.
- Stir in the tomato sauce, tomatoes, and seasonings.
- Cook on low for 2-3 hours.
- Just before serving, stir in chopped spinach, cooked pasta and 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese and parmesean cheese. Stir until well combined then sprinkle remaining mozzarella on top, put lid back on and let sit for about 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.
- Garnish with parmesan cheese.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 180 minutes
- Category: Pasta
Recipe Source: 5Boysbaker
Could you use all Italian sausage?
Of course! You could also use all ground beef if you’d like. 🙂