Slow Cooker Pizza Beef & Sausage Noodle Bowls
Get ready to savor a week of deliciousness with these Slow Cooker Pizza Beef & Sausage Noodle Bowls! Packed with hearty ground beef, savory sausage, and gooey melted cheese, this dish transforms your favorite pizza flavors into a convenient meal prep. Just toss it all in the slow cooker and let the magic happen—perfect for keeping hunger at bay all week long!
Prep
15
min
Cook
240
min
Serves
12
people
Level
beginner
📝 Ingredients
Serves 12🥬Fresh Produce(2)
- fresh basil or parsley for garnishoptional
- 2 large yellow onions diced
🥩Meat & Seafood(4)
- 3lbs 96/4 lean ground beef (1.36 kg)
- 1 cup low sodium beef bone broth (240 ml)
- 1 package 60% reduced fat turkey pepperoni
- 2lbs ground Italian style turkey sausage (907 g)
🥛Dairy & Eggs(2)
- 226g light cream cheese (7.98 oz)
- 200g shredded part skim mozzarella (7.06 oz)
🫙Pantry Staples(1)
- 2 boxes (14.5oz each) Barilla Protein+ penne (822 g)
🧂Spices & Seasonings(7)
- 1 tsp black pepper (5 ml)
- 2 tsp garlic powder (10 ml)
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning (15 ml)
- 1 tsp onion powder (5 ml)
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes (5 ml)
- 1 tsp salt (5 ml)
- 1 tsp smoked paprika (5 ml)
🍯Sauces & Condiments(1)
- 2 (24oz) jars marinara or pizza sauce (1.36 kg)
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Cook the ground beef in a pan until fully browned, then add the seasonings.
- 2
Transfer the meat to a crock pot and add the diced onions, pizza sauce, beef bone broth, cream cheese, and turkey pepperoni.
- 3
Cook on low for four hours.
- 4
Cook the protein pasta for two minutes less than the package instructions.
- 5
Once the crock pot is done, mix everything together, then add the mozzarella cheese and mix again.
- 6
Add the pasta and mix everything into the sauce.
- 7
Divide evenly into twelve containers.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Brown the ground beef in batches over medium-high heat (375-400°F) without overcrowding the pan, since too much meat at once traps steam and causes gray, boiled meat instead of a Maillard-browned crust that adds deep roasted flavor to the sauce.technique375-400°F
- ✓Cut the cream cheese into small 1-inch cubes and let it come to room temperature before adding to the crock pot, because cold cream cheese added in a solid block will clump and take much longer to melt evenly into the acidic pizza sauce.ingredient1-inch cubes
- ✓Cook the protein pasta exactly 2 minutes under package directions since it will continue absorbing liquid and softening once mixed into the hot sauce, and starting fully cooked leads to mushy, overcooked noodles by the time you eat leftovers.timing2 minutes less
- ✓Keep the slow cooker on low for the full 4 hours rather than switching to high, because the gentler heat (around 190-200°F) allows the turkey pepperoni's fat and spices to slowly render into the sauce without breaking the cream cheese emulsion.timing190-200°F, 4 hours
- ✓Stir in the mozzarella cheese off the direct heat source after turning the crock pot off, since prolonged exposure to temperatures above 200°F causes the cheese proteins to seize and separate, resulting in a greasy, clumpy texture instead of a smooth melt.techniquebelow 200°F
Share this recipe
Prep
15
min
Cook
240
min
Serves
12
people
Level
beginner
Share this recipe
Slow Cooker Pizza Beef & Sausage Noodle Bowls
Get ready to savor a week of deliciousness with these Slow Cooker Pizza Beef & Sausage Noodle Bowls! Packed with hearty ground beef, savory sausage, and gooey melted cheese, this dish transforms your favorite pizza flavors into a convenient meal prep. Just toss it all in the slow cooker and let the magic happen—perfect for keeping hunger at bay all week long!
📝 Ingredients
Serves 12🥬Fresh Produce(2)
- fresh basil or parsley for garnishoptional
- 2 large yellow onions diced
🥩Meat & Seafood(4)
- 3lbs 96/4 lean ground beef (1.36 kg)
- 1 cup low sodium beef bone broth (240 ml)
- 1 package 60% reduced fat turkey pepperoni
- 2lbs ground Italian style turkey sausage (907 g)
🥛Dairy & Eggs(2)
- 226g light cream cheese (7.98 oz)
- 200g shredded part skim mozzarella (7.06 oz)
🫙Pantry Staples(1)
- 2 boxes (14.5oz each) Barilla Protein+ penne (822 g)
🧂Spices & Seasonings(7)
- 1 tsp black pepper (5 ml)
- 2 tsp garlic powder (10 ml)
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning (15 ml)
- 1 tsp onion powder (5 ml)
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes (5 ml)
- 1 tsp salt (5 ml)
- 1 tsp smoked paprika (5 ml)
🍯Sauces & Condiments(1)
- 2 (24oz) jars marinara or pizza sauce (1.36 kg)
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Cook the ground beef in a pan until fully browned, then add the seasonings.
- 2
Transfer the meat to a crock pot and add the diced onions, pizza sauce, beef bone broth, cream cheese, and turkey pepperoni.
- 3
Cook on low for four hours.
- 4
Cook the protein pasta for two minutes less than the package instructions.
- 5
Once the crock pot is done, mix everything together, then add the mozzarella cheese and mix again.
- 6
Add the pasta and mix everything into the sauce.
- 7
Divide evenly into twelve containers.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Brown the ground beef in batches over medium-high heat (375-400°F) without overcrowding the pan, since too much meat at once traps steam and causes gray, boiled meat instead of a Maillard-browned crust that adds deep roasted flavor to the sauce.technique375-400°F
- ✓Cut the cream cheese into small 1-inch cubes and let it come to room temperature before adding to the crock pot, because cold cream cheese added in a solid block will clump and take much longer to melt evenly into the acidic pizza sauce.ingredient1-inch cubes
- ✓Cook the protein pasta exactly 2 minutes under package directions since it will continue absorbing liquid and softening once mixed into the hot sauce, and starting fully cooked leads to mushy, overcooked noodles by the time you eat leftovers.timing2 minutes less
- ✓Keep the slow cooker on low for the full 4 hours rather than switching to high, because the gentler heat (around 190-200°F) allows the turkey pepperoni's fat and spices to slowly render into the sauce without breaking the cream cheese emulsion.timing190-200°F, 4 hours
- ✓Stir in the mozzarella cheese off the direct heat source after turning the crock pot off, since prolonged exposure to temperatures above 200°F causes the cheese proteins to seize and separate, resulting in a greasy, clumpy texture instead of a smooth melt.techniquebelow 200°F