Mostaccioli

In the world of homemade pasta, none is as decadent and worthwhile as this mostaccioli. This is by far one of my favorite pasta recipes with layers of deep, rich flavors and cheesy goodness browned to perfection on top.

This baked mostaccioli isn’t just another pasta recipe. These little tube-shaped pastas in their robust meaty sauce evoke images of grandma’s open-windowed kitchen with the rolling hills of the Italian countryside in the background! The savory aroma virtually envelopes my body drawing me to the open door of the oven and that delicious bubbling dish inside. Salivating yet?

If you like cheesy, comforting baked pasta dishes you’ll love my baked ziti with ricotta, stuffed shells, cannelloni, or my creamy chicken lasagna!

Let’s make this!

What I Love About Mostaccioli Recipe

• Great for potlucks
• Makes 8 generous servings
• Plenty of cheesy goodness

Mostaccioli Recipe + Ingredient Notes

• Salting The Pasta Water: You must salt your pasta water! No, it doesn’t lower the boiling point of the water, but it does add a ton of flavor. Pasta naturally absorbs water as it cooks. If that water is properly salted, it will absorb salt too. This process essentially seasons the pasta from the inside out giving it a far superior flavor. Be generous, too. I have found that about 1 ½ – 2 tablespoons of salt work best in 4-6 quarts of water.
• Cooking Pasta: Since the mostaccioli pasta is the star of your dish, you’ll want to make sure it is cooked to a tee. Cooking your pasta al dente will prevent it from becoming mushy as it continues to cook in the oven. Al dente is slightly firm, but not hard, in the middle.
• Size Matters: Chopping all the aromatic veggies roughly the same size also helps the flavor profile. If they are similar in size, then all the little pieces will reach the same stage in the cooking process together. It’s kind of a scientific thing but it really helps with flavor too!
• Sautéing Aromatics: This is very important to the flavor of the finished dish. It brings out their natural sweetness for a more mellow balanced flavor profile.
• Toast Spices: Toasting the Italian seasoning in a warm pan allows them to release its aromatic nuances and reinvigorate flavors. In essence, it lets them bloom.
• Using your favorite sweet Italian sausage amps up the taste factor of your baked mostaccioli tremendously! Just make sure you remove the casing and cook it like ground beef. That slightly sweet savory meat adds something very special that just sends this dish over the top!

Storing + Freezing + Make-Ahead

• Storing: Store this dish in an airtight container with a secure lid or covered in plastic wrap in the refrigerator and it should stay fresh for 3-4 days. Be sure to follow the FDA recommendations for food safety and refrigeration. This includes ensuring that your fridge is set to 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Can You Freeze This? Yes!! Your mostaccioli can be a make-ahead freezer meal. It just makes things so much easier during the week. Just follow the recipe instructions and do NOT bake. Seal it and toss it in the freezer instead. It can stay parked frozen for up to 3 months time.
  • Simply slow-thaw the mostaccioli in the fridge overnight the day before baking.

• Make-Ahead Tips: This dish is easy to throw together on prep day too! Just follow the recipe instructions and store in an airtight container in the fridge. Remove it from the fridge and let it come to room temp before baking. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Baked, covered, for 50-60 minutes. I love making it this way because it’s one of those dishes that just tastes better to me the next day! I think it’s because it gives all of the flavors plenty of time to mingle.

Recipe Variations

• Change The Pasta: I love mostaccioli in this recipe, but ziti and penne work just fine too. The mostaccioli has just a little larger ‘tubing’ or valuable real estate to transport all the yummy meat sauce but that’s just my opinion.
• Change The Protein: While the sweet Italian sausage really amps up the flavor of this dish, you could use turkey sausage if you’re trying to save calories. Using a half-and-half mixture of Sweet Italian sausage and turkey sausage gives you the best of both worlds.
• Add More Veggies: Some people even like to add a few more veggies, like mushrooms or peppers, to the dish.
• Cheese: Experimenting with different cheeses is also a popular option. You may prefer a six-cheese Italian blend to mozzarella or perhaps cheddar is your thing. Another really neat thing you can do with this dish is to make it reminiscent of lasagna. Simply use a larger baking dish and add a layer of ricotta cheese to the middle of your pasta.

Serving Recommendations

This is wonderful served with garlic bread or olive garden breadsticks and roasted broccoli or roasted peppers fill out the meal very nicely.

More Yummy Pasta Casserole Recipes

• Chicken Spaghetti with Rotel
• Million Dollar Spaghetti
• Baked Spaghetti with Cream Cheese
• Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole
• Chicken Noodle Casserole

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Mostaccioli

Baked mostaccioli is a tubular pasta in a robust meaty sauce with a cheesy topping and savory aroma that evokes images of grandma’s open-windowed kitchen.

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Cook Time45 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Servings: 8 Servings

Author: Kathleen

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 (16-ounce) box mostaccioli
• ▢ 1 1/2 pounds sweet Italian sausage casing removed
• ▢ 2 cups yellow onion chopped
• ▢ 1 tablespoon garlic minced
• ▢ 1 1/2 tablespoons dried Italian seasoning
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 3/4 teaspoon black pepper
• ▢ 1 (24-ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
• ▢ 1 (15-ounce) jar Alfredo sauce
• ▢ 16 ounces Mozzarella shredded~divided
• ▢ fresh parsley Chopped

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Spray a 9X13 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
• Cook pasta (16 ounces) according to package instructions, in a large pot, just until al dente. Drain and set aside. Dry out the pot and set it aside.
• In another large pot, brown sausage (1 1/2 pounds) over medium heat, crumbling with a spoon as it cooks, until no longer pink; Remove sausage to a paper towel-lined plate; set aside.  
• Pour off and discard all but 2 tablespoons of the fat from the pan. Add the onion (2 cups) and garlic (1 tablespoon) then sauté on low heat until they're very soft about 10 minutes.
• Turn up the heat to medium. Add the dried Italian seasoning (1 1/2 tablespoons), salt (1/2 teaspoon), and pepper (3/4 teaspoon) to the onion mixture and continue to sauté, stirring constantly, until fragrant, 1-2 minutes.
• Add spaghetti sauce (1 jar), alfredo sauce (1 jar), and drained sausage, to skillet and mix.
• In the dried pasta pot combine the drained pasta, half the mozzarella, and the sausage-sauce mixture. Mix until evenly combined. Pour into prepared baking pan. Evenly sprinkle top with remaining mozzarella. Bake, uncovered, in preheated oven for 40-50 minutes, until heated through and cheese is melted. Garnish with fresh parsley. Serve.

Fans Also Made:

• 
  Beefaroni (Ready in less than 30 minutes!)
• 
  Cavatappi with Creamy Tomato Sauce
• 
  Chicken Riggies (Italian-American Recipe)
• 
  Johnny Marzetti Casserole

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Notes

1. Salting The Pasta Water: You must salt your pasta water! No, it doesn’t lower the boiling point of the water, but it does add a ton of flavor. Pasta naturally absorbs water as it cooks. If that water is properly salted, it will absorb salt too. This process essentially seasons the pasta from the inside out giving it a far superior flavor. Be generous, too. I have found that about 1 ½ - 2 tablespoons of salt work best in 4-6 quarts of water.
2. Cooking Pasta: Since the mostaccioli pasta is the star of your dish, you’ll want to make sure it is cooked to a tee. Cooking your pasta al dente will prevent it from becoming mushy as it continues to cook in the oven. Al dente is slightly firm, but not hard, in the middle.
3. Size Matters: Chopping all the aromatic veggies roughly the same size also helps the flavor profile. If they are similar in size, then all the little pieces will reach the same stage in the cooking process together. It's kind of a scientific thing but it really helps with flavor too!
4. Sautéing Aromatics: This is very important to the flavor of the finished dish. It brings out their natural sweetness for a more mellow balanced flavor profile.
5. Toast Spices: Toasting the Italian seasoning in a warm pan allows them to release its aromatic nuances and reinvigorate flavors. In essence, it lets them bloom.
6. Using your favorite sweet Italian sausage amps up the taste factor of your baked mostaccioli tremendously! Just make sure you remove the casing and cook it like ground beef. That slightly sweet savory meat adds something very special that just sends this dish over the top!

Nutrition

Serving: 1/6 of the recipe | Calories: 1079kcal | Carbohydrates: 83g | Protein: 47g | Fat: 63g | Saturated Fat: 27g | Cholesterol: 171mg | Sodium: 2183mg | Potassium: 438mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 530IU | Vitamin C: 6.6mg | Calcium: 437mg | Iron: 2.3mg

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