My mother-in-law couldn't believe I made this dinner with just 4 ingredients. The butter sauce makes these individual bundles irresistible.

These Slow Cooker 4-Ingredient Lemon Butter Pasta Packets are my little secret for busy nights when I still want dinner to feel special. Everything tucks into individual foil bundles, then the slow cooker does the work while you go about your day. When I first served these, my mother-in-law honestly couldn’t believe I’d made such a comforting, buttery pasta dinner with just four ingredients. The lemony butter sauce steams inside each packet, soaking into the pasta and making every bundle feel like its own little present at the table.

Serve these lemon butter pasta packets straight from the foil onto plates or shallow bowls so everyone can catch every drop of the buttery sauce. A simple green salad with a tangy vinaigrette balances the richness nicely, and some warm bread or garlic toast is perfect for mopping up the extra sauce. If you want to round things out even more, add a side of steamed green beans or roasted broccoli. For family-style serving, you can also open all the packets and toss the pasta together in a big bowl right before dinner.

Servings: 4

8 oz uncooked short pasta (such as penne, rotini, or shells)

Prepare the slow cooker and foil: Spray the inside of a large slow cooker lightly with nonstick cooking spray for easier cleanup. Tear off 4 large sheets of aluminum foil, each about 12–14 inches long. Set the foil sheets on the counter, shiny side up.

Divide the dry pasta: Evenly divide the uncooked pasta among the 4 foil sheets, piling it in the center of each sheet so you’ll be able to fold the foil up and around it.

Make the lemon butter mixture: In a medium bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together the melted butter, chicken broth, and lemon zest until well combined. This is your simple lemon butter sauce that will cook and flavor the pasta inside each packet.

Add sauce to each packet: Carefully spoon the lemon butter mixture evenly over the pasta in each foil sheet, making sure each pile of pasta gets some liquid. The pasta should look just barely covered or nestled in the liquid; it will absorb it as it cooks.

Top with lemon slices: Place 1–2 thin lemon slices on top of the pasta in each packet. These will sit right on top, just like in the photo, and gently infuse extra lemon flavor as everything steams together.

Seal the foil packets: Bring the long sides of each piece of foil up and over the pasta, then fold them together tightly to seal. Fold up the shorter ends as well, crimping firmly so the liquid stays inside. You want snug, well-sealed packets so the pasta can steam in the lemon butter sauce.

Arrange in the slow cooker: Place the sealed foil packets in a single layer inside the slow cooker, seam side up. It’s okay if they fit snugly or lean against each other a bit, as long as they’re all mostly flat so the liquid can surround the pasta inside.

Cook the packets: Cover the slow cooker with the lid and cook on HIGH for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or on LOW for 3 to 4 hours. Cooking times can vary slightly by slow cooker and pasta shape, so start checking toward the earlier end of the range. The pasta is done when it’s tender and most of the liquid is absorbed into a glossy butter sauce.

Check for doneness: Carefully open one packet (watch for hot steam) and test a piece of pasta. If it’s still too firm, reseal the foil and continue cooking in 15–20 minute increments, checking again as needed.

Serve the packets: When the pasta is tender, turn off the slow cooker. Open each packet carefully, allowing the steam to escape away from you. Serve each person their own foil bundle, lemon slice on top, or slide the pasta from the foil onto plates or into bowls, spooning any extra lemon butter sauce over the top. Enjoy hot.

For picky eaters, you can skip the lemon slices on top of a couple of packets and just use the zest in the sauce for a milder lemon flavor; mark those packets with a little fold so you know which is which. If you’d like it extra buttery, add 2–4 more tablespoons of melted butter to the sauce mixture before pouring over the pasta. For a slightly richer version, stir a small splash of cream into the lemon butter mixture (this would technically add a fifth ingredient, but it makes the sauce velvety). To keep it vegetarian, swap the chicken broth for vegetable broth. You can also play with different pasta shapes—small shells and rotini hold the sauce especially well. If your family likes a bit of texture, sprinkle grated Parmesan and black pepper over the hot pasta after opening the packets (again, this adds ingredients beyond the basic four, but can be a fun table-side option). For kids who love a little cheese, you can tuck a small pinch of shredded mozzarella or cheddar into their packets just before sealing so they get a gooey surprise inside. Finally, if you’re cooking for a crowd, you can double the recipe as long as your slow cooker can hold all the foil bundles in a fairly even layer; rotate the packets halfway through cooking if the cooker is very full so everything cooks evenly.