Mostaccioli – A Beautiful Mess

Mostaccioli is a pasta shaped very similar to penne, but it is smooth instead of ridged. This hearty pasta is a thick, heavy tube, with diagonal ends and holds up well in thicker meat sauces or pasta bakes.

This baked mostaccioli recipe is simple, easy to make and delicious! This recipe travels well and can be frozen or reheated as needed. If you are looking for a dish to take over to a friend’s house, make this mostaccioli recipe—it’s a crowd-pleaser!

Related: Baked Ziti, Manicotti, No-Boil Lasagna and Spaghetti Bolognese.

Ingredients

• Mostaccioli noodles
• Ground beef
• Shallot
• Garlic
• Marinara sauce
• Water – pasta water is great
• Italian seasoning
• Half and half cream
• Mozzarella
• Parmesan
• Parsley or basil for the top, optional

Directions

Cook the noodles according to the package directions for al dente. You don’t want to overcook the noodles as they will continue to cook some while baking. Once they are done, drain and reserve 1/4 cup of the pasta water.

While the noodles cook, make the sauce. Cook the ground beef, shallot and garlic in a large sauce pan until the beef is just cooked (no pink remains). Unless you use a super lean ground meat you likely won’t need to add any oil or butter as there will be some fat from the meat to cook the onion and garlic in.

Add the marinara to the pan. Add the pasta water to the marinara jar, close the lid, give it a good shake, and then pour this into the pan as well. Add the Italian seasoning and cream as well.

In a 9×13 baking dish, or something very similar in size, add the noodles. Then pour the sauce and 2/3 of the cheeses into the pan as well and give it all a stir so everything gets well combined. Top the dish with the remaining cheese and bake at 350°F for 20 minutes.

Top the pasta bake with a little chopped parsley or basil if using. Serve warm.

Tips & Substitutions

• You can swap the ground beef for any ground meat like Italian sausage, turkey or chicken if you prefer. The nutrition facts on the recipe card below reflect using ground beef.
• If you want to freeze this meal before you bake the dish, allow it to cool instead and then freeze. Thaw and bake according to the recipe when you are ready to serve.
• If you can’t find mostaccioli noodles, you can swap them for ziti, penne, or even bow tie noodles instead.

Serving Suggestions

The hearty baked meat sauce pasta goes great with salad or a vegetable side dish.