Baked Mostaccioli with easy, homemade meat sauce blanketed in three kinds of cheese baked to hot and bubbly perfection. This family-friendly classic recipe is a guaranteed crowd pleaser.  

It’s a full court press this time of year so if you’re (a) having out of town company, (b) planning to feed more than a couple of people or (c)  looking for something new for your holiday meal, this is your recipe.

Homemade tomato meat sauce blended with pasta plus three kinds of cheese. Baked Mostaccioli is easy to make, over-the-top good and one of those dishes everyone enjoys – even the pickiest eater!

overhead view of mostaccioli with melted cheese in blue casserole dish.

I love a good Roasted Tomato Marinara with summer tomatoes but when fresh local tomatoes are gone, I turn to pantry ingredients so I can enjoy the taste year round.

mostaccioli baked in white casserole dish topped with melted cheese

You can use white pasta or whole grain and mostaccioli, ziti or penne pasta all work well in this recipe.

Baked Mostaccioli easily feeds a crowd. Serve it with garlic bread and a salad and it’s guaranteed to please. You can even prep the mostaccioli ahead of time in about 10 minutes then let it bake while you watch the game or catch up with friends. 

Tips:

  1. Generously season the pasta water so every ingredient in your dish is flavored. Pasta sets the groundwork for the dish.
  2. Try buying tomato paste in a tube (similar to toothpaste). It stores easily in the refrigerator then you use only as much as you like without waste.
  3. Dry Italian Seasoning is a great spice to keep on hand for dishes like this and many others. It’s the ideal balance of marjoram, thyme, rosemary, sage, oregano and basil.

What’s in this Baked Mostaccioli recipe? 

  • pasta + reserved pasta water
  • olive oil
  • ground round
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • onion
  • fresh mushrooms (optional)
  • garlic cloves
  • tomato paste
  • dry Italian seasoning
  • tomato sauce
  • fresh parsley
  • ricotta cheese
  • parmesan cheese
  • mozzarella cheese
  • butter

How to make Baked Mostaccioli:

Cook the pasta according to package directions before it reaches al dente (usually 2 minutes less than the shortest time on the package) It will finish cooking as it bakes. 

Reserve ¼ cup of pasta water then drain the pasta and rinse it with cold water to stop the cooking process.

Drizzle the olive oil into a large skillet over medium heat then add the ground beef, onions, (optional) mushrooms and grated garlic. Season with salt and pepper and cook until the beef is no longer pink, breaking up the clumps with a wooden spoon or spatula.

Lower the heat to medium, fold in the tomato paste, Italian seasoning, reserved pasta water, tomato sauce and parsley then cook 3-4 minutes.

Fold the ricotta cheese into the sauce then add the cooked pasta stirring well to combine. 

Assembly:

Use the butter to grease a 9×13 baking dish, then add half of the mostaccioli to the baking dish. Top with half of the mozzarella then add the rest of the mostaccioli, the remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheese.

Bake uncovered at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until the cheese is melted and starting to brown. Serve with your favorite red wine, bakery bread or garlic toast and salad. 

Can I freeze this Mostaccioli?

You sure can! This Baked Mostaccioli ready for immediate baking and enjoying, but can also be frozen for later!

For best results, freeze before baking. First cover with a layer of plastic wrap then a layer of aluminum foil sealing well. Two layers prevents freezer burn. It’ll keep in the freezer up to 3 months. 

Enjoy!

baked mostaccioli in white casserole dish topped with melted cheese

If you tried this Baked Mostaccioli recipe or any other on the blog then I’d love to hear from you with a comment or star rating in the recipe box!

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Baked Mostaccioli ~ blanketed in layers of robust tomato flavor, 3 cheeses and baked. Easy prep and a great dish for a crowd.

Baked Mostaccioli

Three cheese baked Mostaccioli in a rich, flavorful homemade sauce. 
5 from 5 votes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Servings 6
Calories

Ingredients
  

  • 8 ounces pasta mostaccioli, penne, ziti or other short pasta
  • ¼ cup pasta water
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 pound ground round
  • 1 medium onion finely chopped
  • 4 ounces fresh mushrooms sliced OPTIONAL
  • 3 cloves garlic grated
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
  • 28 ounce can tomato sauce
  • ¼ cup fresh chopped parsley
  • ½ cup ricotta
  • ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 3 cups grated mozzarella cheese
  • 1 tablespoon butter

Instructions
 

  • Cook the pasta just BEFORE it reaches al dente (this is usually 2 minutes less than the shortest cooking time on the package). RESERVE ¼ cup of pasta water then drain the pasta and rinse it with cold water to stop the cooking process.
  • Warm a deep skillet over medium-high heat then add a drizzle of olive oil, the ground beef, onions, (optional) mushrooms and grated garlic. Season with salt and pepper and cook until the beef is no longer pink, breaking it up with a wooden spoon or spatula.
  • Once the beef is cooked, fold in the tomato paste, Italian seasoning, reserved pasta water, parsley and tomato sauce and cook 3-4 minutes then fold in the ricotta and pasta, combining completely.
  • Butter a 9×13 baking dish, then add half of the mostaccioli to the dish. Top with half of the mozzarella then add the rest of the mostaccioli, the remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheese then bake uncovered at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Serve hot.

Notes

NOTE : (1) Ground chuck can be used but drain any excess grease after cooking. (2) Cottage cheese drained of its liquid can be used instead of ricotta.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
5 from 5 votes (3 ratings without comment)

Leave a Reply

14 Comments

  1. Your trips sound so fun…that’s a lot of salmon! Can’t wait for your future recipes, especially the chicken pesto mac & cheese. Really sounds yummy! Happy you had a good summer vacation, but glad you’re back. Take care. Chat soon, my friend.

    1. Hi Jean – YUM! I have a couple of other pasta recipes with Italian sausage but never thought to swap it in this one. Thank YOU for the inspiration! So glad you enjoyed the recipe ~ Bernie

  2. this recipe was awesome. i made substitutions cause i didnt have everything. i used italian sausage and 2 jars of marinara. And substitute ricotta with cottage cheese. it came out so creamy and delicious.

    1. Hi Diane – I think of a recipe as a base and love when people use their own creativity – that’s what it’s all about! You have some really good substitutions – so glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for taking the time to comment – Bernie