This Baked Mostaccioli Recipe is a deliciously creamy pasta dish that comes together quickly and is perfect for busy weeknights. It is made with a creamy red sauce, filled with ground beef for some great protein, and topped with melty mozzarella cheese!
Hello Reader! I try my hardest to research recipes as best as I can before posting to ensure I am representing each culture correctly. If this recipe is from your country and I have made a mistake or you have suggestions for how to make it more authentic, I would love to hear! Please leave a comment below letting me know what should be different, and I will rework the recipe. It is always my intention to pay homage and respect to each cultural dish that I cook. Thanks for reading!
Mostaccioli is the perfect, easy weeknight meal. It’s creamy, filling and delicious. Even your pickiest eater can’t complain about the simplicity of pasta, marinara, and meat covered with plenty of cheese. This hearty meal comes together quickly or can even be made ahead and popped in the oven just before dinner.
This dish is very similar to baked ziti. The difference is in the noodles, and the noodles have a huge impact on the texture of the dish.
Smooth mostaccioli noodles have no ridges on the outside, but they still manage to hold onto a great deal of sauce, especially when it is baked into every bite. In a casserole, these noodles do an excellent job of soaking up all the flavor.
If you are on the hunt for the perfect dinner to feed the whole family, bring to a friend in need, or enjoy on a busy weeknight, this mostaccioli pasta bake is a clear winner! Be sure to grab a loaf of bread so you can mop up any sauce with it. For a chicken version of a pasta casserole, try this Chicken Spaghetti casserole.
Recipe Origins + History of Mostaccioli
Mostaccioli is a type of penne pasta called penne lisce that originated in southern Italy. Unlike regular penne noodles, mostaccioli noodles have a smooth exterior with no ridges.
This tubular pasta is a popular choice for casseroles because the lack of ridges makes them slightly softer when baked.
Mostaccioli is an incredibly popular dish and variations can be found in just about every family’s home, but when I searched for the origin it appears to be a very Italian-American dish.
It’s unclear who came up with this delicious casserole, but it has definitely left its mark on the United States.
It’s very common to see a pan of hot mostaccioli pasta on just about any buffet table at a conference, wedding or party, particularly in the midwest in cities like St. Louis and Chicago. It’s definitely a crowd pleaser and a weeknight staple that people return to again and again!
Why Make This Recipe
- Easy: It’s difficult to mess up this simple dish. Just use your favorite jarred or canned marinara sauce, fresh cheese and ground meat and you can’t go wrong!
- Crowd-Pleasing: Even the pickiest of eaters have to admit this dish is delicious. It’s one all ages can enjoy.
- Versatile: This dish can easily be made meat free or filled with hidden veggies. Feel free to experiment with different flavors!
What Do I Need To Make This Recipe?
Ingredients
Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the recipe at the bottom for quantities.
- Mostaccioli: Mostaccioli is very similar to penne but without the ridges on the exterior. If you can’t find it in your local grocery store, penne is a great substitute.
- Yellow Onion: I like to keep this recipe simple with just onion, but you could also add peppers, zucchini or mushrooms
- Lean Ground Beef: You can substitute ground turkey for a healthier option or Italian sausage for extra flavor. If you like a little spice, you could even use hot Italian sausage cut into small pieces.
- Marinara Sauce: Use your favorite canned or jarred marinara sauce
- Heavy Cream: Make sure to use heavy whipping cream.
- Grated Parmesan: Cheese always melts the best when it is freshly grated, rather than purchased pre-shredded, so buy a block of parmesan and hand grate it if possible. If not, you can buy the pre-grated stuff.
- Shredded Mozzarella: Again, hand shred your mozzarella if you can, using a cheese grater. If you want a simpler option, the bags of shredded mozzarella will work just fine.
Tools
- Large Pot
- Saucepan
- Baking Dish: Use a glass 9×13 if possible
How to Make This Recipe
Step 1: Cook your Pasta
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and spray a 9×13 glass baking dish with nonstick spray. Set aside.
Cook the mostaccioli in a large pot of salted water according to the package directions until al dente. You can make the sauce while your pasta is cooking.
Step 2: Prepare Your Sauce
To make the pasta sauce, add the olive oil into a large saucepan or large skillet over medium-high heat.
Once warm, add the diced onion and saute for 5 minutes until the onions begin to turn translucent. Once the onions are sweating, add the garlic and cook for another minute or so.
Add the ground beef into the saucepan along with the Italian seasoning. Cook until the ground beef is cooked all the way through, using a wooden spoon to break up the meat.
Once the beef is cooked, add the marinara sauce into the saucepan and cook until it just starts to bubble. Then add the heavy cream and stir. Cook again until the sauce begins to bubble.
Add the grated parmesan cheese into the sauce and stir once again until the cheese is combined. Taste the meat sauce and salt to taste.
Step 3: Combine the Sauce and Pasta
In a large pot or bowl, toss the cooked pasta with the sauce.
Pour the pasta into the prepared 9×13 pan. Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella cheese on top of the pasta.
Put the pasta in the oven and set the timer for 15 minutes. Your Baked Mostaccioli Recipe is done when the cheese is melted and the sauce just begins to bubble.
Serve with some garlic bread for an easy dinner!
Expert Tips
- This easy pasta dish is so versatile. You could add in zucchini, green bell peppers, ricotta cheese, spinach, provolone or mushrooms to the mix or even top with fresh basil for extra flavor.
- With plenty of extra veggies, you could even leave out the meat and make this a vegetarian dish.
- Be careful not to overcook your pasta. The pasta cooks in the sauce as it bakes.
- Many recipes call for baking your dish for 25-35 minutes, but I feel like that can lead to some dry pasta. For a saucy pasta, I recommend baking just until the cheese is melted and the tender pasta is warm, about 10-15 minutes.
- You can use just about any type of short noodle for this recipe. Penne and mostaccioli do the best job of holding onto the sauce, but any tube-shaped pasta will do.
- I recommend using lean ground beef to cut down on the amount of grease in your dish. If you choose to substitute with sausage, be sure and drain some of the grease before mixing with your sauce.
FAQs
This is a great make-ahead meal or freezer meal. To freeze this dish, do so by assembling it but freezing it before the final bake.
Once the dish has been assembled and cooled, cover it with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and put it in the refrigerator to reheat later. It’s also easy to freeze the dish in an airtight container and the mostaccioli noodles hold up very well to being reheated.
There is not much difference between baked mostaccioli and baked ziti. The main difference is simply the noodles used.
Some recipes call for cooking your noodles for 25-35 minutes. I feel like this is too long and may cause some dry noodles. I prefer to cook the pasta just until the cheese melts and the entire dish is warm.
You can also prevent your noodles from drying out by covering the dish with some foil while it bakes. This isn’t necessary but may be a good tip to try if your recipe doesn’t turn out the way you want the first time.
If you do cover the pasta while it bakes, make sure to spray the aluminum foil with nonstick spray so that it does not stick to the mozzarella on top of your dish!
If you find that your pasta sauce is thinner than you would like, you can reduce some moisture by baking for a few additional minutes.
Did you enjoy this Baked Mostaccioli Recipe? If so, make sure to check out these other recipes I picked out just for you:
- Shrimp and Ricotta Pasta Bake
- Lemon Ricotta Pasta
- Easy Pasta Sauce Recipe
- Homemade Margherita Pizza Recipe
- Italian Ice vs Gelato
Baked Mostaccioli Recipe
Equipment
- Pot(s)
- Saucepan
- Wooden Spoon
- 9×13″ Pan
- Nonstick Spray
- Box Grater
- Oven Mitt
- Mixing Bowl(s)
Ingredients
- 16 oz dry Mostaccioli
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- ½ tbsp minced Garlic
- 1 lb Lean Ground Beef
- 1 ½ tbsp Italian Seasoning
- 36 oz Marinara Sauce, I used 1½ (24 oz) jars of sauce
- 1 ½ cup Heavy Cream
- ¾ cup grated Parmesan
- Salt to taste
- 2 cups shredded Mozzarella
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and spray a 9×13 glass baking dish with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- Cook 16 oz mostaccioli according to the box instructions until al dente. You can make the sauce while your pasta is cooking.
- To make the sauce, add 2 tbsp olive oil into a large saucepan over medium-high heat.
- Once warm, add one yellow diced onion and saute for 5 minutes until the onions begin to turn translucent. Once the onions are sweating, add the ½ tbsp garlic and cook for another minute or so.
- Add 1 lb ground beef into the saucepan along with the 1 ½ tbsp Italian seasoning. Cook until the ground beef is cooked all the way through, using a wooden spoon to break up the meat.
- Once the beef is cooked, add 36 oz marinara sauce into the saucepan and cook until it just starts to bubble. Then add the 1 ½ cup heavy cream and stir. Cook again until the sauce begins to bubble.
- Add the ¾ cup grated parmesan cheese into the sauce and stir once again until the cheese is combined. Taste the sauce and salt to taste.
- In a large pot or bowl, toss the cooked pasta with the sauce.
- Pour the pasta into the prepared 9×13 pan. Sprinkle the 2 cups shredded mozzarella on top of the pasta.
- Put the pasta in the oven and set the timer for 15 minutes. Your Mostaccioli Pasta Bake is done when the cheese is melted and the sauce just begins to bubble. Serve and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Mostaccioli: Mostaccioli is very similar to penne but without the ridges on the exterior. If you can’t find it in your local grocery store, penne is a great substitute.
- Yellow Onion: I like to keep this recipe simple with just onion, but you could also add peppers, zucchini or mushrooms
- Lean Ground Beef: You can substitute ground turkey for a healthier option or Italian sausage for extra flavor. If you like a little spice, you could even use hot Italian sausage cut into small pieces.
- Marinara Sauce: Use your favorite canned or jarred marinara sauce
- Heavy Cream: Make sure to use heavy whipping cream.
- Grated Parmesan: Cheese always melts the best when it is freshly grated, rather than purchased pre-shredded, so buy a block of parmesan and hand grate it if possible. If not, you can buy the pre-grated stuff.
- Shredded Mozzarella: Again, hand shred your mozzarella if you can, using a cheese grater. If you want a simpler option, the bags of shredded mozzarella will work just fine.
- This easy pasta dish is so versatile. You could add in zucchini, green bell peppers, ricotta cheese, spinach, provolone or mushrooms to the mix or even top with fresh basil for extra flavor.
- With plenty of extra veggies, you could even leave out the meat and make this a vegetarian dish.
- Be careful not to overcook your pasta. The pasta cooks in the sauce as it bakes.
- Many recipes call for baking your dish for 25-35 minutes, but I feel like that can lead to some dry pasta. For a saucy pasta, I recommend baking just until the cheese is melted and the tender pasta is warm, about 10-15 minutes.
- You can use just about any type of short noodle for this recipe. Penne and mostaccioli do the best job of holding onto the sauce, but any tube-shaped pasta will do.
- I recommend using lean ground beef to cut down on the amount of grease in your dish. If you choose to substitute with sausage, be sure and drain some of the grease before mixing with your sauce.
Emily says
Can this be made the day before?
Alexandria Drzazgowski says
Yes, I would recommend getting through step 8. Then pour the pasta into a 9×13 and put it in the fridge for the night. The next day, stir, sprinkle it with mozzarella cheese and then bake!
Elisabeth says
I’ve made this recipe so many times for family events it’s always a hit! It’s become a staple in our holiday meals.
Alexandria Drzazgowski says
Hi Elisabeth, that is great news! I am so glad that you love the recipe 🙂 Thank you so much for letting me know!