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Slow Cooker Creamy Tuscan Pasta

Make Creamy Tuscan Pasta easily in your slow cooker! This simple recipe cooks penne right in a rich sauce with sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, and Parmesan

Ingredients

Let’s walk through this incredibly simple slow cooker pasta method:

1. Combine Sauce Base:

  • In the insert of your slow cooker, combine the heavy cream, chicken broth, chopped sun-dried tomatoes, minced garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Stir well.

2. Add Uncooked Pasta:

  • Add the uncooked penne pasta to the slow cooker.
  • Stir everything together thoroughly, making sure the pasta pieces are separated and submerged as much as possible in the liquid mixture.

3. Cook Pasta in Slow Cooker:

  • Cover the slow cooker securely with the lid.
  • Cook on the LOW heat setting for 2-3 hours. Start checking pasta tenderness around the 1.5-hour mark. Cooking time varies depending on the slow cooker; cook until the pasta is tender (al dente or softer, to your liking). Stir once or twice during cooking if possible to prevent sticking.

4. Add Spinach and Parmesan:

  • Once the pasta is cooked, turn off the slow cooker or switch to the “Keep Warm” setting.
  • Stir in the fresh spinach leaves until they wilt from the residual heat (this takes just a minute or two).
  • Stir in the grated Parmesan cheese until it melts into the sauce and everything is creamy and well combined.

5. Serve:

  • Serve the Creamy Tuscan Pasta hot. Garnish generously with fresh chopped basil.

A rich, flavorful pasta dinner with minimal active work

Instructions

Let’s walk through this incredibly simple slow cooker pasta method:

1. Combine Sauce Base:

  • In the insert of your slow cooker, combine the heavy cream, chicken broth, chopped sun-dried tomatoes, minced garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Stir well.

2. Add Uncooked Pasta:

  • Add the uncooked penne pasta to the slow cooker.
  • Stir everything together thoroughly, making sure the pasta pieces are separated and submerged as much as possible in the liquid mixture.

3. Cook Pasta in Slow Cooker:

  • Cover the slow cooker securely with the lid.
  • Cook on the LOW heat setting for 2-3 hours. Start checking pasta tenderness around the 1.5-hour mark. Cooking time varies depending on the slow cooker; cook until the pasta is tender (al dente or softer, to your liking). Stir once or twice during cooking if possible to prevent sticking.

4. Add Spinach and Parmesan:

  • Once the pasta is cooked, turn off the slow cooker or switch to the “Keep Warm” setting.
  • Stir in the fresh spinach leaves until they wilt from the residual heat (this takes just a minute or two).
  • Stir in the grated Parmesan cheese until it melts into the sauce and everything is creamy and well combined.

5. Serve:

  • Serve the Creamy Tuscan Pasta hot. Garnish generously with fresh chopped basil.

A rich, flavorful pasta dinner with minimal active work!