Mostaccioli is a weeknight dinner recipe that everyone can get behind. Packed with pasta and cheese (who can say no to that?), it’s so warm, comforting, rich and hearty that, once dinner is over, it might be an early-to-bed kind of night—score!
This mostaccioli pasta recipe is a fuss-free dish that’s fairly easy to cook, assemble and bake. While this recipe makes a lot of mostaccioli, we can’t guarantee leftovers—you’ll know why after the first bite.
Ingredients for Mostaccioli
- Mostaccioli: The star of the show! Grab your favorite brand’s mostaccioli pasta and get cookin’.
- Italian sausage: Whether you prefer hot or sweet, your preferred Italian sausage will taste amazing in this mostaccioli recipe.
- Pasta sauce: If you’re cooking homemade pasta sauce, kudos! If you are grabbing a jar from the store, try one of our favorite jarred pasta sauces.
- Ricotta: This mostaccioli recipe uses a whole carton of ricotta cheese, so no need to get creative with using up the leftovers.
- Mozzarella: Because we’re maybe slightly picky when it comes to cheese, we’ve put together a list of the best mozzarella cheese brands to buy from the store. You’ll have to shred these yourself, but it’s worth it.
Directions
Step 1: Cook the pasta and sausage
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Cook the mostaccioli pasta according to the package’s directions. Drain the pasta and put it in a bowl off to the side.
Editor’s Tip: Toss the cooked pasta in a bit of olive oil after draining so the noodles don’t stick together while sitting.
Crumble the sausage into a Dutch oven. Cook the sausage over medium heat until it’s no longer pink. Drain the juices from the sausage.
Add the spaghetti sauce and the cooked pasta to the sausage.
Step 2: Make the cheese filling
In a large bowl, stir together the egg, ricotta cheese and mozzarella cheese.
Step 3: Assemble the dish
Grease a shallow 3-quart baking dish. Spoon in half the pasta mixture, then add a smooth, even layer of the cheese mixture. Top with the remaining pasta mixture.
Step 4: Bake the mostaccioli
Cover the top of the pan with aluminum foil and bake the mostaccioli until a thermometer reads 160°, about 40 minutes. Take the foil off the mostaccioli and discard. Top the pasta with the Romano cheese, and bake until heated through, about five minutes longer.
Recipe Variations
- Make it meatless: Make meatless Mondays delicious and fun! Instead of the Italian sausage, sautee a mix of veggies like chopped eggplant, zucchini, onions and mushrooms.
- Go gluten-free: Feeding a gluten-free friend or family member? Substitute your favorite gluten-free pasta brand for the mostaccioli pasta, and double-check that your Italian sausage and pasta sauce are certified gluten-free too.
- Swap in a different meat: Feel free to use a ground meat like beef, turkey or chicken as an alternative to the Italian sausage.
How to Store Mostaccioli
To store, cool the mostaccioli completely to room temperature. Cover it with storage wrap or aluminum foil, and keep it in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat the mostaccioli pasta in the microwave to reinvigorate the cheesy goodness.
Can you make mostaccioli ahead of time?
Yes, you can make mostaccioli ahead of time. The day before serving, prepare and assemble the mostaccioli, but hold off on baking it. Wrap the top of the mostaccioli pasta pan with aluminum foil and pop it in the fridge. The next day, bake the mostaccioli according to this recipe’s time and temp. Keep in mind that you may need to bake it for a little longer since it’s chilled from the fridge.
Can you freeze mostaccioli?
You can freeze unbaked mostaccioli for up to three months. Wrap the pan with storage wrap and aluminum foil, and store it in the freezer. There’s no need to thaw—simply remove the storage wrap and replace the aluminum foil on the pan. Bake, covered, for 45 minutes, then remove the foil and bake the mostaccioli until the cheese is bubbling, about 10 to 15 minutes.
Mostaccioli Tips
Can you use penne pasta instead of mostaccioli pasta?
Yes, you totally can. If you can’t find mostaccioli pasta at the store, penne makes a great sub. You could really use any medium-sized pasta shape here, like fusilli, casarecce, cavatappi, gemelli or garganelli.
What can you serve with mostaccioli?
Mostaccioli is a rich and heavy Italian American dish, so we recommend serving it with either Italian-inspired side dishes or light sides like an arugula salad with shaved Parmesan.
