1. Start by browning the ground beef in a skillet over medium heat. Season it with a little salt and pepper while it cooks. Once it’s fully cooked and crumbled, drain off any excess grease and set it aside.
2. In a mixing bowl, stir together the cream cheese, sour cream, ricotta, minced garlic, and parsley until smooth and well combined. Set that creamy mixture aside, it’s about to take this pasta to the next level.
3. Now, grab your slow cooker (you’ll want a 6-quart or larger oval one for this recipe). Pour in half a jar of spaghetti sauce and spread it out evenly on the bottom.
4. Layer half the dry cavatappi pasta right over the sauce (no need to stir, just spread it out). Then pour the rest of the first jar of sauce over the pasta and add half a jar of water on top.
5. Spoon half of your cooked ground beef over the sauce layer.
6. Next, dollop the entire cream cheese mixture over the beef. Try to spread it out as evenly as you can, but don’t stir it in, just let it sit right on top.
7. Layer the remaining uncooked pasta over the creamy layer. Pour the second full jar of spaghetti sauce on top of that, followed by another half jar of water. Then finish with the rest of the ground beef spread evenly over the top.
8. Cover and cook on LOW for about 2 to 3 hours. Every slow cooker runs a little differently, so check at the 2-hour mark to see how the pasta is doing. Mine took about 3 hours total.
9. Once the pasta is tender, give everything a gentle stir to combine the layers.
10. Top with 2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese, cover again, and let it sit for a few more minutes until the cheese gets perfectly melted and gooey.

Sprinkle a little dried parsley on top if you want to add a pop of color—and then, dig in!