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Easy to make Baked Mostaccioli is a weeknight dinner recipe that my family absolutely loves! Tender pasta gets tossed in a rich and hearty Italian meat sauce, then crowned with a decadent combination of creamy ricotta, Parmesan, and mozzarella cheeses. The first time I made this, I knew it was a winner.
What’s in this Mostaccioli recipe?
I’ve made sure this baked pasta recipe is an Italian classic that’s quick to prep and easy to make. With all that cheese, even my kids love it every time!
- Mostaccioli Pasta: Mostaccioli noodles are a smooth, tubular pasta. You can substitute penne or ziti noodles if needed. Be sure boil the pasta before adding it into the baking dish.
- Italian Sausage: This is an herb-y pork sausage that adds great flavor into the pasta sauce.
- Marinara Sauce: Use a jar of your favorite sauce, or make this homemade marinara sauce.
- Ricotta Cheese: The flavor and texture of ricotta is perfect for baked mostaccioli.
- Cheese: Use a mix of Parmesan and Mozzarella. Freshly shredded cheese melts best.
- Egg: Mixing in an egg helps bind ingredients together for a better texture and fully coated noodles.
- Onion & Garlic: Sauteing onion and garlic along with the sausage adds more flavor.
- Oregano: A little bit of Oregano adds some herb-y flavor. You can also use an Italian seasoning blend.
Try adding some crushed red pepper flakes to the meat sauce to add a little spice!
Can I use a different kind of meat in the sauce?
Absolutely! Italian sausage is so juicy and well-seasoned, so I love it in this recipe. But you can just as easily swap it out for ground beef, pork, chicken, or turkey. Follow the same instructions to brown the meat before adding it into the casserole.
I’ve also turned this into a vegetarian-friendly mostaccioli by skipping the meat altogether, or using a plant-based meat crumble.
How to Make Ahead
To make baked mostaccioli ahead of time, make the recipe through step 8, cover tightly, and refrigerate for up to 2 days. When you’re ready to bake it, pop it in the oven and bake accordingly. It might need a couple extra minutes in the oven as it will be cold when it goes into the oven.
To store leftovers, place pasta in an airtight container and keep it in the refrigerator up to 4 days.
How to Freeze
Let the baked pasta cool to room temperature, then transfer it into freezer-safe containers. Keep it in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw it overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Serving Ideas
I find that this easily can be served as a full meal on its own, but when I need an extra side or two, I love to serve it with copycat Olive Garden breadsticks and chicken Caesar salad. When I find its a night where we need some veggies, I’ll quickly roast vegetables in the Air Fryer or make cheesy roasted zucchini.
Mostaccioli Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound mostaccioli pasta
- 1 pound Italian sausage
- ½ cup diced onion
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 24 ounces marinara sauce 1 jar
- 15 ounces ricotta cheese
- 1 large egg lightly beaten
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese divided
- ½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese divided
- Freshly chopped parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 3-quart baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- Boil mostaccioli noodles to al dente according to package directions, then drain and rinse under cool water. Return the pasta to the empty pot.1 pound mostaccioli pasta
- In a large skillet set over medium-high heat, brown the Italian sausage, onion, and garlic until cooked through.1 pound Italian sausage, ½ cup diced onion, 3 cloves garlic
- Add the marinara sauce and stir, simmering for 3-4 minutes.24 ounces marinara sauce
- Pour the meat sauce into the pot of pasta and mix well.
- In a large bowl, combine the egg, ricotta cheese, oregano, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, and ¼ cup Parmesan cheese.15 ounces ricotta cheese, 1 large egg, ½ teaspoon oregano, 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, ½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- Place half of the pasta mixture into the prepared baking dish.
- Spread the ricotta mixture evenly across the pasta, then top with the remaining pasta mixture. Sprinkle the remaining cheeses on top.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove the aluminum foil and bake an additional 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted. Garnish with grated Parmesan cheese, chopped parsley, and serve.Freshly chopped parsley
Becky’s Tips
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this? Leave a comment!
Mostaccioli is a type of pasta similar to penne with a smooth surface instead of ridges.
While baked mostaccioli and baked spaghetti are made with similar ingredients, the differences are the types of noodles used and the middle layer of creamy ricotta cheese in the mostaccioli!
Be sure to cover the mostaccioli for the first 30 minutes of baking. This will prevent the dish from drying out or burning. The ricotta mixture and sauce also helps to stop the noodles from drying out.
At 350F, it will take about 40 minutes to make this mostaccioli recipe.
Yes! Boil that noodles separately before adding them into the baking dish. Cook them al dente, so that they are tender but not fully softened. If you overcook them, they will be mushy by the time it comes out of the oven.
Is there any way to leave out the ricotta cheese? My husband grew up with an Italian family who cooked for him and he has fond memories of the mostaccioli but he HATES ricotta cheese and said they definitely did not use ricotta cheese.
Hi Cindy, It adds creaminess and helps keep the noodles from drying out. You can try without it, but might get different results.
I made this for 40 high school football players as part of their pre-game meal and it was a hit!!! We do have a couple vegetarian players i have learned. How would I make it vegetarian? I have zucchini. What else should I use? I know to dice the zucchini buy how should I cook it?
Hi Michelle, we usually make this with vegetarian meat crumbles, but zucchini should work well. Just sauté until nice and golden brown!
Thank you! I was thinking also maybe Bell Peppers?
You could definitely add those!
Can i make this ahead and freeze it? If so, How long do I bake when it comes from the freezer?
Yes, bake from frozen for 45-60 minutes, or until fully thawed and warmed through!
I am a Dutchman married for 14 years to an American. Her grandmother used to make mostaccioli for the whole family for Christmas every year, until she passed away…
Today I made mostaccioli for my wife. It’s a huge comfort food for her, and it came out amazing! Thank you for the recipe!
What a beautiful story! Your wife is very lucky!!
Great recipe and easy to follow!! We like ours a little saucier and 24 oz of marinara wasn’t quite enough to our liking, but again, just a personal preference! I used fresh mozzarella slices for the first bake, but my husband likes extra cheesy, so I added shredded mozzarella to the top for the second 10 minutes uncovered. Literally perfect!
I also add an extra 24 oz of marinara, I also don’t put very much cheese on top during the first 30 mins, since most of the cheese will stick to the aluminum foil,
Spray your foil with non stick cooking spray. It’s not perfect but works pretty well to keep from losing cheese
Delicious! Family loved it.
Thanks for the recipe! I enjoyed making this for the first time. Nice & cheesy. I wish I would’ve used a little more pasta sauce. Everything else was fine.
Looks great, Veronica!
Delicious and great! My family really enjoyed it and so did I. Everyone had a second serving and I’m happy for sharing the recipe. I would’ve attached
a photo in the comment although we
dug in right away.
Definitely share a photo with us next time!
It was easy and delicious
Happy to hear!
Thanks! It was even better the next nights dinner!
It looks amazing!