Ziti with Mushroom and Bell Pepper Ragu

Hard durum pasta (such as Barilla brand) works best in this recipe. If using a pasta other than a hard durum semolina, such as whole wheat or rice pasta, the pasta may become too soft when cooked directly in the slow cooker, so you may want to opt for stovetop cooking. In addition, this recipe needs to cook on High in order to properly cook the pasta. Alternatively, you may cook the sauce on Low for 6 to 8 hours, and then add stovetop-cooked pasta 20 minutes before serving. For gluten-free,