Baked Mostaccioli or penne pasta makes a classic cheesy casserole with Italian sausage, red sauce and lots of mozzarella cheese. This simple pasta casserole recipe is budget-friendly and makes an easy family dinner.
Baked Mostaccioli Casserole
We love baked pasta with red sauce, meat and cheese in every bite! Simple flavors that blend so well together we make this casserole regularly.
This casserole is good for families because it uses basic ingredients that kids will eat, makes generous portions, reheats and freezes well.
Another similar baked pasta variation is our Spaghetti Pizza Casserole. This recipe also reminds me of our Pizza Pasta Bake which is just made with variations of the meat, pasta and cheese in this recipe.
Ground beef can be used to make the casserole more mild and zesty sausage can be used to give it more kick. I like a little kick in the Italian Sausage.
What is Mostaccioli
Mostaccioli is a variety of pasta with a tubular shape very similar to penne pasta. Mostaccioli is smooth and penne has ribbing or ridges. When creamy sauce is used ridges make more spots for the sauce to stick to, but the cheese in baked mostaccioli helps hold the red sauce, sausage and pasta together.
Mostaccioli is not available in many big chain grocery stores in the United States and can easily be substituted for penne. In this recipe you can also substitute mostaccioli for ziti, rigatoni, bow tie, elbow, cavatappi or cellentani pasta.
Baked Mostaccioli Casserole Recipe
- Cook pasta. Brown and drain sausage.
- Mix one pound cooked pasta, one pound cooked meat, 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese and 4 cups of pasta sauce together.
- Spread in a lightly greased 9 x 13″ baking pan and cover with foil. Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes.
- Sprinkle remaining cheese and chopped parsley on top of casserole and return to oven for 5 – 10 minutes until the cheese is melted.
Can This Casserole Be Frozen?
Baked mostaccioli can be mixed up, covered tightly in plastic wrap and then wrapped in foil or covered with a tightly fitting lid OR it can be baked, wrapped the same way and frozen.
I like to keep some extra sauce and cheese handy to mix in the defrosted casserole as it’s heating up because the pasta can dry out a little bit during the freezing and thawing process.
Tips for Making Classic Pasta Casserole
- Ground beef, shredded chicken or small pieces of chicken can be substituted for the sausage
- 4 cups of pasta sauce is 32 ounces
- If you want to add ricotta cheese pour half of pasta mixture in baking dish then spread layer of ricotta and top with remaining pasta mixture
- Refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 – 5 days
- One pound of pasta and meat baked in a casserole should make 12 to 15 servings
How to Make Baked Pasta Casserole
In a skillet over medium high heat brown the Italian sausage while the pasta cooks. Drain pasta and add a couple pats of butter to prevent sticking together if desired.
Mix pasta, sausage or ground beef and half of the mozzarella cheese together.
Use a large pot or mixing bowl because there are a lot of ingredients to mix!
Pour into a lightly greased 9 x 13″ baking dish. Cover with foil and bake in a 350°F oven for 25 – 30 minutes until the casserole is hot in the center.
To determine when the casserole is done I use a digital meat thermometer to check that the center has reached 145°F. Since all of the ingredients were fully cooked before mixing together and baking the goal is to melt the cheese and serve a hot meal.
Once the casserole is warmed through, remove foil and sprinkle remaining 2 cups (or more if you love cheese like we do) over the top of the casserole. Then sprinkle chopped parsley on top and return to the oven for another 5 – 10 minutes until the cheese melts.
Dig in while it’s warm! We absolutely love how simple this recipe is and how it fits into our busy schedule. We reheat the leftovers for an even quicker lunch throughout the rest of the week!
Other Easy Meals with Pasta
- Crock Pot Lazy Lasagna
- Tuscan Chicken & Spaghetti Casserole
- Creamy Chicken and Pasta Casserole
- Instant Pot Loaded Lasagna
- Farmhouse Crock Pot Spaghetti
- Macaroni Grill Copycat Pasta Milano
Printable Bake Mostaccioli Recipe
Baked Mostaccioli
Ingredients
- 1 pound mostaccioli or penne pasta
- 1 pound Italian sausage lean ground beef can be substituted
- 32 ounces pasta sauce
- 4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- parsley chopped
Instructions
- Brown meat and drain any fat. Prepare pasta as package directs.
- In a large bowl combine pasta, sausage, pasta sauce and 2 cups cheese. Mix well.
- Spread into greased 13×9 inch baking dish; cover with foil. Bake 30 minutes at 350°F or until hot and bubbly.
- Uncover and top with remaining cheese and parsley. Bake 5 – 10 minutes longer or until cheese melts.
Notes
- Ground beef, shredded chicken or small pieces of chicken can be substituted for the sausage
- 4 cups of pasta sauce is 32 ounces
- Refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 – 5 days
- One pound of pasta and meat baked in a casserole should make 12 to 15 servings
Equipment
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Yum! Baked pasta is always welcome at our dinner table, especialcarly if there is garlic bread nearby!
Perfect basic recipe. Definitely important to use a meat and sauce you like, as they lend all the flavour to the dish. I used hot Italian sausage and Classico’s Spicy Red Pepper pasta sauce. I also halved the recipe, then added about 2oz baby spinach and about a half cup of leftover canned mushrooms I had (both added to the sausage near the end of its cooking time). Will be making this again, and using this recipe whenever I want to use up some extra veg in the fridge!