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.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Keyword Baked Mostaccioli, Baked Mostaccioli recipe, how do I make Baked Mostaccioli, how to make Baked Mostaccioli

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 45

Total Time 1 15

Servings Servings

Calories 1079kcal

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.

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!

Nutrition