You’re going to like making this Tacky Baked Mostaccioli for household dinner! A comforting pasta recipe made with tender mostaccioli noodles tossed in a wealthy meat sauce, layered with three sorts of cheese after which baked to golden, bubbly perfection.
Searching for extra cozy pasta recipes? Strive my crock pot mac & cheese recipe!

Simple & Cozy Mostaccioli Recipe
Pasta lovers, this one’s for you! This casserole is the final word consolation meals that the entire household will love. Baked mostaccioli is a hearty pasta dish made with melty cheese, meaty Italian sausage and candy marinara sauce. Topped with a crisp layer of seasoned breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese, this recipe is filled with scrumptious taste and top-of-the-line weeknight dinners!
Baked mostaccioli is ideal to organize forward for freezing and simple reheating, making it nice for meal prep and potlucks, too!

What’s Mostaccioli?
Mostaccioli is a sort of dry, tubular pasta that could be a specialty in Southern Italy. Much like penne, each have angled ends and are sometimes interchangeable in recipes like this baked pasta casserole! The principle distinction is that mostaccioli pasta has a clean exterior, whereas penne has ridges.
Baked mostaccioli, baked penne, and baked ziti are all roughly the identical dish other than the kind of pasta used within the recipe. These casseroles all contain pasta tubes mixed with pink sauce and floor meat, layered with cheese after which baked.

What You’ll Want
This mostaccioli recipe is crammed with Italian-inspired components and genuine flavors. Right here’s what you’ll want:
- Pasta: This baked pasta recipe requires mostaccioli pasta (nevertheless, you too can make this recipe as baked ziti or baked penne must you substitute these kind of pasta noodles as a substitute).
- Italian Sausage: Good high quality floor sausage meat, both gentle or spicy relying on desire.
- Marinara Sauce: I exploit jarred marinara sauce for comfort. Be happy to make use of contemporary or do-it-yourself marinara sauce if in case you have some useful!
- Cheese: This pasta bake makes use of three sorts of cheeses. Ricotta cheese for its creamy texture, mozzarella cheese for the basic Italian taste, and parmesan cheese (freshly grated is greatest!).
- Garlic: Entire cloves, minced.
- Onion: Diced.
- Italian Seasoning: You too can use a mixture of dried basil, oregano, and parsley.
- Breadcrumbs: Panko or an analogous model. Be aware that unseasoned is greatest!
- Garlic Powder
- Olive Oil
- Butter
- Egg
- Salt & Pepper
How you can Make Mostaccioli
All of it begins with a candy meat sauce! Right here’s learn how to put together this simple pasta dinner:

Make the Meat Sauce: Saute the onions, then add within the floor Italian sausage to prepare dinner till browned. Drain any grease after which pour within the jar of marinara. Go away the sauce to simmer on low.
Make the Cheese Combination: In a separate bowl, combine collectively the ricotta, mozzarella, among the parmesan, together with the Italian seasoning and an egg.
Make the Breadcrumb Topping: Calmly toast the breadcrumbs in a skillet with the garlic powder and remaining parmesan. Set this combination apart for now.

Boil the Pasta & Toss With Sauce: Cook dinner the mostaccioli pasta al dente (it’s greatest to observe the package deal instructions right here, as cooking occasions might differ). Pressure the noodles after which toss them with the meat sauce till the whole lot is evenly coated.
Assemble: To assemble your pasta bake, start by including a layer of pasta into the underside of a baking dish. High with the ricotta cheese combination, adopted by one other pasta layer. Lastly, sprinkle the breadcrumb topping evenly overtop.

Bake: Bake the casserole coated in foil, earlier than eradicating the foil for the previous couple of minutes of baking time. The breadcrumbs must be a pleasant golden brown if you take away your baked mostaccioli from the oven.

Suggestions & Variation Concepts
- Cook dinner the Pasta Al Dente: Boil the pasta noodles till they’re simply al dente, or nonetheless a little bit agency. Because you’ll be baking the pasta within the sauce, keep away from overcooking it.
- Use High quality Components: A pleasant high quality Italian sausage is a should! You may at all times examine together with your native deli or butcher store, as they could have a greater choice than grocery shops. You too can use different floor meat rather than the sausage, akin to floor beef, floor pork, or floor turkey. Ensure that to get a great high quality marinara sauce as nicely!
- Use Recent Cheeses: Belief me, this makes a world of distinction. Freshly grate your mozzarella and parmesan for the perfect and most genuine flavors, minus all of the added sodium and preservatives.
- Substitute Totally different Pasta: Each penne noodles and ziti noodles can be utilized rather than mostaccioli pasta.
- Make Vegetarian Baked Mostaccioli: Use a mixture of your favourite diced veggies rather than sausage. Some good choices are mushrooms, eggplant, zucchini, butternut squash, and spinach.

Serving Ideas
This baked mostaccioli is a meal all on it’s personal! Nevertheless, you possibly can simply serve it together with a contemporary backyard salad and Home made Garlic Bread for a extra full Italian-style dinner. Listed here are another strategies for what to serve it with:

How you can Retailer and Reheat Extras
Leftover baked mostaccioli may be saved hermetic within the fridge for as much as 3 days. Reheat within the microwave on low, or within the oven till heated by.
Can I Freeze this Baked Pasta Dish?
Completely! You may prep and freeze this baked mostaccioli casserole in a freezer-safe dish, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and an additional layer of aluminum foil, for as much as 3-4 months. Thaw the dish in a single day within the fridge after which bake as common.
You too can bake this pasta casserole straight from frozen, including an additional 10-Quarter-hour to the cooking time.
Extra Pasta Recipes to Strive
Description
Scrumptious and comforting Tacky Baked Mostaccioli is ideal for household dinner! A comfy pasta casserole made with tender mostaccioli noodles tossed in a wealthy meat sauce, layered with three sorts of cheese and baked to golden perfection.
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup diced onion
- 1 1/2 kilos floor Italian sausage
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (28- ounce) jar marinara sauce
- 1 giant egg
- 15 ounces ricotta cheese
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups grated low moisture mozzarella cheese
- 3/4 cup contemporary grated Parmesan cheese, divided
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3/4 cup unseasoned Panko breadcrumbs
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 pound Mostaccioli
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Make the meat sauce: Add olive oil to a big skillet over medium warmth. Cook dinner the onions till they’re softened, 3 – 4 minutes. Add within the floor sausage and prepare dinner till the sausage is not pink. Add within the garlic and prepare dinner for an extra minute. Drain any extra grease and add within the marinara sauce. Flip the warmth to low and let the sauce simmer whilst you full the subsequent steps.
- Make the cheese combination: In a big bowl mix the egg, ricotta, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, mozzarella, and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Put aside.
- Make the breadcrumb topping: In a small skillet soften the butter on medium warmth. Proceed cooking and stirring the butter till it turns into a golden brown. Take away the skillet from the warmth and add within the Panko, garlic powder, and remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Put aside.
- Boil the pasta: Cook dinner the pasta based on package deal instructions and drain completely. Add the pasta to the meat sauce and stir to mix evenly.
- Assemble: Add half of the pasta combination evenly into the underside of a 9×13 baking dish. Unfold the ricotta cheese combination evenly on prime. Unfold the remaining pasta on prime. Sprinkle the buttered breadcrumbs evenly on prime.
- Bake: Cowl the pan with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Take away the foil and bake for an extra 5 – 10 minutes till the breadcrumbs are golden brown.
Notes
Retailer hermetic within the fridge for as much as 3 days.
Need To Save This Recipe?
Discover extra recipes like this:
