If there’s one approach to feed a big household or to have additional leftovers for the week, you’ll be able to at all times rely on a hearty, scrumptious, baked pasta casserole. This Baked Mostaccioli checks all these bins and extra! It’s made with a flavorful Italian sausage meat sauce, crushed tomatoes, and layers of pasta and melty cheese. Every time I make a giant pasta dish like this one, it at all times makes sufficient to feed my household for two nights! #successful


What Is Mostaccioli?
Mostaccioli is a sort of penne pasta also called penne lisce. It has a tubular form with angled lower ends and a clean or typically ridged floor. This Italian pasta is commonly utilized in baked pasta casseroles, identical to this one, and holds up properly to hearty meat sauces. You possibly can simply substitute common penne pasta in case you can’t discover mostaccioli pasta.
Right here’s every part that you want to make this tacky, hearty, Mostaccioli recipe:
- Mostaccioli: We’re utilizing simply 8 oz. or ½ lb. of mostaccioli pasta on this recipe.
- Italian Sausage: I used gentle Italian sausage as an alternative of floor beef for an additional enhance of taste, however you’ll be able to substitute with floor beef and even floor turkey in case you choose.
- Onion and garlic: Aromatics like onion and garlic give the pasta sauce a number of taste.
- Tomato paste: A bit of little bit of tomato paste added to the sauce helps thicken it up and intensifies the tomato taste.
- Crushed and Diced Tomatoes: Two varieties of canned tomatoes add texture, taste, and construct the sauce for this recipe. You may also use a jar of store-bought pasta sauce or make our do-it-yourself marinara sauce as an alternative!
- Seasoning: A mixture of Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper season the remainder of the meat sauce. And a bit little bit of sugar to stability the acidity of the tomatoes.
- Cheese Layer: The cheese layer is made with a mixture of ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan cheese. It’s then seasoned with salt, pepper, and a few contemporary chopped parsley. I’ve used this cheese mixture a number of occasions in recipes like my lasagna soup and stuffed shells. It’s so good and tastes nice with this baked pasta recipe!
Recipe Variations
- Substitute the Italian sausage for floor beef if that’s what you might have available. You may also examine to see in case your native retailer carries Italian turkey sausage as an alternative.
- Acquired a favourite model of marinara sauce? Be at liberty to make use of that rather than canned & crushed tomatoes to assist make your pasta sauce.
- You possibly can simply substitute mostaccioli pasta for penne or ziti pasta. You may also check out our Baked Ziti recipe in case you love baked pasta recipes as a lot as I do 😉
Serving Ideas
I at all times love serving Italian pasta dishes with some contemporary do-it-yourself garlic bread. It’s tremendous simple to make and tastes a lot higher than store-bought garlic bread. Regardless that this dish is fairly hearty by itself, you may as well add a easy facet salad or Caesar salad to finish the meal.


Baked Mostaccioli
This Baked Mostaccioli recipe is hearty with a number of layers of pasta and melty cheese. Good for feeding a big household!


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- 8 oz. mostaccioli pasta ($1.00)
- 1/2 Tbsp cooking oil ($0.03)
- 1 lb. gentle Italian sausage ($4.79)
- 1 small yellow onion, diced ($0.42)
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced ($0.16)
- 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning ($0.30)
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder ($0.05)
- 1/2 tsp salt ($0.03)
- 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper ($0.02)
- 3 oz. tomato paste ($0.50)
- 1 15oz. can crushed tomatoes ($1.00)
- 1 14.5oz. can diced tomatoes ($1.00)
- 1/2 Tbsp sugar ($0.05)
Cheese Layer
- 15 oz. complete milk ricotta cheese ($3.39)
- 1 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella, divided ($1.87)
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan, divided ($0.58)
- 2 Tbsp contemporary chopped parsley ($0.12)
- 1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper ($0.02)
- 1 massive egg, crushed ($0.18)
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Preheat the oven to 350°F. Carry a big pot of salted water to a boil, then add the pasta. Cook dinner the pasta till they’re al dente, ensuring to not over prepare dinner them. Drain in a colander after which rinse briefly with cool water and put aside.
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Warmth a big skillet over medium warmth and add the cooking oil. Brown the Italian sausage.
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As soon as the sausage has browned, add the diced onion and minced garlic to the skillet. Sauté over medium warmth till the onion is translucent and the garlic is aromatic.
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Subsequent add the Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, black pepper, and tomato paste to the skillet. Stir till mixed. Then add the crushed and diced tomatoes and sugar to the skillet. Stir every part collectively till properly mixed. Scale back the warmth to low and permit the combination to simmer for 3 minutes.
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Now add the cooked pasta to the skillet and thoroughly combine along with the meat sauce.
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Whereas the sauce is simmering, make the cheese filling. In a medium bowl add the ricotta, 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella, 1/4 cup grated parmesan, chopped parsley, salt, black pepper, and the egg. Stir the entire components collectively properly.
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Now it’s time to assemble. In a big 9×13-inch casserole dish add half of the pasta sauce within the backside of the dish. It will function the primary layer. Subsequent unfold the cheese combination on prime of the pasta sauce. Now add the remainder of the pasta sauce on prime of the cheese in a fair layer.
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Sprinkle 1 cup shredded mozzarella and 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese excessive.
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Loosely place some tented aluminum foil over the casserole dish and bake within the preheated oven for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes take away the foil and bake uncovered for 10 extra minutes, or till the sauce is effervescent up across the edges. Serve scorching and luxuriate in!
See how we calculate recipe prices right here.
Serving: 1servingEnergy: 520kcalCarbohydrates: 29gProtein: 26gFats: 33gSodium: 1014mgFiber: 2g
Learn our full vitamin disclaimer right here.


The right way to Make Baked Mostaccioli – Step by Step Images


Preheat the oven to 350°F. Carry a big pot of salted water to a boil, then add 8oz. (1/2 lb.) mostaccioli pasta. Cook dinner the pasta till they’re al dente, ensuring to not over prepare dinner them. Drain in a colander after which rinse briefly with cool water and put aside.


Warmth a big skillet over medium warmth and add 1/2 tbsp cooking oil. Brown 1 lb. gentle Italian sausage.


As soon as the sausage has browned, add 1 diced yellow onion and a couple of minced garlic cloves to the skillet. Sauté over medium warmth till the onion is translucent and the garlic is aromatic.


Subsequent add 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, and three oz. tomato paste to the skillet. Stir till mixed.


Then add 1-15 oz. can crushed tomatoes, 1-14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes, and 1/2 Tbsp sugar to the skillet. Stir every part collectively till properly mixed. Scale back the warmth to low and permit the combination to simmer for 3 minutes.


Now add the cooked pasta to the skillet and thoroughly combine along with the meat sauce.


Whereas the sauce is simmering, make the cheese filling. In a medium bowl add 15 oz. complete milk ricotta, 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella, 1/4 cup grated parmesan, 2 Tbsp contemporary chopped parsley, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, and 1 massive crushed egg. Stir the entire components collectively properly.


Now it’s time to assemble. In a big 9×13-inch casserole dish add half of the pasta sauce within the backside of the dish. It will function the primary layer. Subsequent unfold the cheese combination on prime of the pasta sauce.


Now add the remainder of the pasta sauce on prime of the cheese in a fair layer.


Now add the remainder of the pasta sauce on prime of the cheese in a fair layer. Then sprinkle 1 cup shredded mozzarella and 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese excessive. Loosely place some tented aluminum foil over the casserole dish and bake within the preheated oven for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes take away the foil and bake uncovered for 10 extra minutes, or till the sauce is effervescent up across the edges.


Serve this hearty baked mostaccioli pasta dish with some crusty garlic bread and possibly a fast facet salad and luxuriate in!

