I’d use thinly sliced beef instead of ground if you can’t brown the ground beef–USDA recommends that you don’t use raw ground meats in the crock pot. My pasta was pretty soft so if you like it al dente, I’d add that midway in the cook time (everything ends up getting stirred anyway so don’t worry about the layers). This is delicious–it’s one of those meals that may not be pretty, but it’s tasty!