Crockpot Boursin Pasta
Crockpot Boursin pasta is the slow cooker dinner that delivers a rich, creamy, deeply flavored pasta with almost no active cooking time. Ground beef or Italian sausage browned with onion, garlic, and Creole Trinity seasoning, transferred to the crockpot with marinara, diced tomatoes, and beef broth, slow cooked for hours until the sauce is deeply developed and fragrant, and then finished with a full round of Garlic and Fine Herb Boursin melted into the sauce before the wheel pasta goes in and absorbs everything. Mozzarella and Parmesan stirred in at the end turn the sauce into something rich, silky, and irresistible. One crockpot, minimal effort, and a pasta dinner that tastes like it came from a restaurant kitchen.
The Boursin is the ingredient that changes the entire character of the sauce. Added at the end of the slow cook when the meat and tomato base has already developed hours of depth, it melts in and adds a concentrated garlic and herb creaminess that transforms the sauce from a classic red meat sauce into something layered and extraordinary. Combined with the mozzarella and Parmesan stirred in immediately after, the finished sauce is creamy, slightly tangy, deeply savory, and coats every piece of wheel pasta completely.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
The slow cooker builds the sauce for hours unattended. Brown the meat, add everything to the crockpot, and walk away. The sauce does all its development work while you do other things.
The Boursin finish is the move that makes this pasta unforgettable. One round of Garlic and Fine Herb Boursin melted into a slow-cooked tomato meat sauce produces a creaminess and herby depth that no amount of added cream alone could replicate.
Wheel pasta is the right shape for this recipe. Barilla Rotelle traps the meaty, creamy sauce in its spokes and produces a bite that has sauce and meat in every forkful rather than plain pasta occasionally interrupted by something flavorful.
It feeds six people from one crockpot. This is the dinner for a busy weeknight when you need to feed a crowd without standing over the stove.
How to Make Crockpot Boursin Pasta
One skillet for the meat, one crockpot for everything else.
1
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef or Italian sausage and cook, breaking it apart, until fully browned with no pink remaining. Add the diced onion and minced garlic to the meat halfway through cooking and continue cooking until the onion is softened and the garlic is fragrant. Season with the Creole Trinity and Herb seasoning, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Drain any excess fat before transferring.
2
Transfer the seasoned meat mixture to the crockpot. Pour in the entire jar of marinara sauce, the can of diced tomatoes with all their juice, and the beef broth. Stir everything together until the meat and sauce are evenly combined throughout.
3
Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours or on high for 2 to 3 hours. The sauce will deepen in color, thicken slightly, and develop a rich, concentrated flavor as it cooks. The longer the cook on low the more developed the finished sauce flavor will be.
4
About 30 to 40 minutes before serving, break the Boursin round into several pieces and add them directly to the crockpot. Stir continuously until the Boursin is completely melted and incorporated into the sauce with no visible pieces remaining. Add the dry rotelle pasta and stir well to submerge it in the sauce. Every piece of pasta needs to be in contact with the liquid to cook evenly.
5
Cover and switch to high. Cook for 20 to 30 minutes until the pasta is completely tender, stirring once halfway through to prevent any pieces from sticking to the bottom and to ensure even cooking. The pasta absorbs the sauce as it cooks and each wheel will be deeply flavored throughout rather than just coated on the outside.
6
Stir in the shredded mozzarella and grated Parmesan until both are fully melted and the sauce is glossy, creamy, and coats every piece of pasta. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Top with fresh parsley or basil and serve immediately directly from the crockpot.
Crockpot Boursin Pasta
Ingredients
The Meat Base
- 1 lb ground beef or Italian sausage
- 1 small onion diced
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 2 tbsp Creole Trinity and Herb seasoning
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- Salt and pepper to taste
The Sauce
- 1 jar marinara sauce 24 oz
- 1 can diced tomatoes undrained (14.5 oz)
- 2 cups beef broth
The Pasta and Cheese
- 10 to 12 oz Barilla Rotelle wheel pasta
- 1 round Garlic and Fine Herb Boursin cheese 5.2 oz
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
For Garnish
- Fresh parsley or basil optional
Instructions
- In a skillet over medium heat, cook the ground beef or Italian sausage with the diced onion and garlic until fully browned and cooked through. Season with Creole Trinity and Herb, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Drain any excess fat.
- Transfer the meat mixture to the crockpot. Add the marinara sauce, diced tomatoes with their juice, and beef broth. Stir to combine.
- Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours or on high for 2 to 3 hours.
- About 30 to 40 minutes before serving, break the Boursin round into pieces directly into the crockpot and stir until completely melted and creamy throughout the sauce. Add the wheel pasta and stir well to submerge it in the sauce.
- Cover and cook on high until the pasta is tender, about 20 to 30 minutes, stirring once halfway through.
- Stir in the shredded mozzarella and Parmesan until fully melted and the sauce is rich and creamy.
- Top with fresh parsley or basil and serve warm directly from the crockpot.
Notes
Break the Boursin into several pieces before adding so it melts evenly and quickly into the sauce rather than sitting as one large chunk that takes much longer to incorporate.
Stir the pasta once halfway through the final cook so it cooks evenly and does not stick to the bottom.
Wheel pasta (rotelle) is the right choice here because its spokes and shape trap the creamy sauce and hold the meat in every bite.
