Baked Mostaccioli

This baked mostaccioli recipe is a cheesy, comforting pasta bake made with ricotta, marinara, sausage, and plenty of mozzarella. If you need an easy baked pasta dinner that works for weeknights, meal prep, or feeding a crowd, this it delivers classic Italian-American comfort with minimal fuss.

What is Mostaccioli?

Baked mostaccioli is a baked pasta casserole made with tubular pasta, cheese, sauce, and often sausage or ground meat. It is similar to baked ziti, but traditionally uses mostaccioli pasta, which has smooth sides instead of ridges.

Mostaccioli pasta is a long cylindrical pasta but with no ridges and blunt edges. Penne is smaller but still cylindrical and has ridges and diagonally cut ends. And Ziti is the same size as mostacollini but with the features of penne, ridges and diagonal ends.

But I will tell you this: most of the time it is called mostaccioli even if the correct pasta is not being used. It’s like making spaghetti and meatballs with fettuccine or angel hair.

Baked Mostaccioli vs Baked Ziti

Baked mostaccioli and baked ziti are extremely similar, and many home cooks use the names almost interchangeably. The main difference is the pasta shape: mostaccioli is usually smooth-sided, while ziti is straight-cut and penne is angled and often ridged.

In practical terms, all three work in this recipe. The most important thing is to use a sturdy tube-shaped pasta that can hold sauce and cheese well.

Gather This

Perhaps one of the reasons baked mostaccioli is so popular is that it only uses a handful of inexpensive ingredients. A full list of ingredients with measurements for this recipe is available in the printable recipe card below.

• Dry mostaccioli , penne or ziti– I only use a half of a pound, usually about half of a standard box. You can use more, but you’ll need a larger casserole dish.
• Cooked sausage- Sweet Italian sausage or spicy Italian sausage- or meatballs or ground beef- or go meatless! Bake it in the oven or cook it in a large skillet to get a nice brown.

How to Make Baked Mostaccioli (Step-by-Step)

Some folks choose to just mix it all together and let mozzarella, provolone or Parmesan cheese bind the pasta. Here is how I do it:

1. Prepare oven and dish. Preheat the oven and prepare a large casserole dish with cooking spray.
2. Cook the pasta al dente according to package directions, drain and set aside. Be careful to not overcook the pasta- even cook 1 minute less than the box instructs if you want a toothy texture. It will continue to cook in the oven. Sometimes I even rinse it with cold water to stop the cooking process. If you are making it far in advance, toss with 2 teaspoons of olive oil to prevent it from getting gummy and sticking to each other.
3. Combine ingredients and add to baking dish. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the ricotta cheese, egg, garlic powder, onion powder, fine sea salt, black pepper and parmesan cheese. Get it evenly distributed is key. Then add the marinara sauce, half of the mozzarella, cooked pasta and sausage and toss together. Move it all to the prepared baking dish.
4. Top with cheese. Top with the rest of the mozzarella cheese and bake uncovered until hot and cheese is brown and bubbly.
5. Rest before enjoying. Allow the dish to rest for 15-20 minutes before digging in.

Tips for the Best Baked Mostaccioli

Easy baked mostaccioli is really a hard recipe to mess up, but I do have a few tips to make it perfect.

• Cook pasta to al dente – Sometimes I even rinse it with cold water to stop the cooking process. This prevents it from going soft after baking.
• Drain sausage well – Removing excess grease keeps the casserole from feeling heavy or oily.
• Mix cheeses evenly – Distributing the cheese throughout the casserole gives you a better bite in every serving instead of all the cheese being concentrated on top.
• Rest before serving – A short rest helps the cheese settle and makes the casserole easier to slice and serve cleanly.

You’ll Love These Other Casserole Recipes

I love a good casserole, especially on busy nights. Here are some of my favorites.

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Baked Mostaccioli Recipe

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This baked mostaccioli recipe is cheesy, hearty and easy to make with pasta, cheese, sausage and marinara. A crowd-pleasing dinner.

Prep Time: 20 minutes mins

Cook Time: 30 minutes mins

Total Time: 50 minutes mins

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Servings: 10

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Equipment

• Garlic press

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound dry mostaccioli , penne or ziti
• 15 ounces whole milk ricotta cheese
• 3 cloves garlic , minced
• 1 small white onion , chopped
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese , shredded
• 3-4 cups cooked sausage** , drained and cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 1/2 cups marinara sauce*
• 2 cups mozzarella cheese , grated and divided
• Cooking spray

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F and coat a large casserole dish with cooking spray.
• Cook the pasta al dente according to package instructions, drain and set aside. If you are making the pasta ahead of time, toss with 2 teaspoons olive oil to prevent sticking and drying out.
• In a large mixing bowl, stir together the ricotta cheese, garlic, onion, egg, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper and parmesan cheese.
• To the ricotta mixture, add the cooked pasta, sausage, marinara sauce and 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese. When combined, pour into prepared casserole dish.
• Top with remaining 1 cup mozzarella cheese.
• Bake, uncovered, for 25-30 minutes or until top cheese is melted and bubbly.
• Remove and serve hot or wait until fully cooled before covering and refrigerating or freezing.
• If you've tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was in the comments or ratings.

Video

Notes

*If you are using a bland or plain jarred sauce, add 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning.
** You can use any type of meat you’d like- bulk sausage, ground beef, shredded chicken or link sausage. You can also go vegetarian by doubling the pasta to a full pound.

Storage: Store leftover baked mostaccioli in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. For best texture, reheat individual portions in the oven or toaster oven at a moderate temperature until warmed through.

Freezing: Can you freeze it, can you make it ahead? Ha! This dish was practically developed for the primary reason of freezing and making ahead of time. It is the dish you bring to a meal train to keep in the dark depths of the freezer and it never seems to go bad (but I don’t recommend going past 6 months).

You can also make it ahead, either just assembled or baked. It lasts for up to 5 days covered with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and refrigerated. My husband would be the first to tell you tell you that it tastes better on the second day and also cold.

Nutrition

Calories: 472 kcal, Carbohydrates: 22 g, Protein: 26 g, Fat: 31 g, Saturated Fat: 13 g, Trans Fat: 1 g, Cholesterol: 109 mg, Sodium: 1101 mg, Potassium: 439 mg, Fiber: 1 g, Sugar: 3 g, Vitamin A: 597 IU, Vitamin C: 4 mg, Calcium: 254 mg, Iron: 2 mg

Author: Jessica Formicola

Calories: 472

Course: Main Course, Main Dish

Cuisine: American, Italian

Keyword: baked mostaccioli

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