Baked Mostaccioli Recipe

Baked Mostaccioli is a warm, delicious, comforting meal. Tubular pasta with Italian sausage and creamy cheese. This is a dinner the whole family will love and makes amazing leftovers. 

If you like baked pasta be sure to try baked ravioli, chicken lasagna and chicken and broccoli stuffed shells. 

Why you will love this baked pasta recipe

• Cheesy, meaty, the ultimate comfort food.
• Can be prepped ahead of time and baked when ready to eat. 
• Makes the best leftovers! Perfect for two weeknight meals. 

What is Mostaccioli

Mostaccioli noodles are a short, diagonally cut, tube shaped pasta that is smooth on the side.

The difference between it and Ziti is that Ziti is blunt cut. 

The difference between it and Penne is that Penne is ridged on the side while Mostaccioli is smooth. 

Ingredients needed

Italian sausage – Choose your favorite, you could use sweet or hot. I have even used breakfast sausage. 

Mostaccioli pasta – If you can’t find, substitute with penne or ziti. You can even substitute with gluten-free pasta. 

Cottage cheese – I prefer using small curd. You can also substitute with Ricotta cheese.

Shredded mozzarella cheese – If possible, shred the cheese yourself. I find it melts much better than bagged, pre-shredded cheese.

Parmesan cheese – Can use grated or shredded.

Jarred marinara sauce – Choose your favorite spaghetti sauce. 

Eggs – Helps to bind the cottage cheese and cheese together. 

Fresh parsley – This adds a little green and a nice freshness to the dish. You can substitute with dried parsley. 

How to make Baked Mostaccioli recipe

Scroll to the bottom for full, printable recipe, ingredients and video. 

• Prepare: Cook Italian sausage in large skillet or saucepan over medium heat. Be sure to cook until browned and cooked through. Cook pasta according to package in a large pot. You can add olive oil to the water to help prevent sticking but I don’t think it’s necessary. Cook al dente, around 10 minutes. 
• Sauce: Once the sausage has cooked. Pour in marinara sauce. Stir and turn heat to low. Let sit until ready to use.  
• Filling: In a small bowl, mix together eggs, cottage cheese, 1 cup mozzarella, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, parsley, salt and pepper. 
• Layer 1: Spray 9 x 13 casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray. Layer half of the meat sauce mixture on the bottom. Top with half the cooked pasta.

• Layer 2: Next, layer all of the cottage cheese mixture. Top with rest of the pasta, then sauce mixture, 1 cup mozzarella and 1/4 cup Parmesan. 

• Bake: Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove foil and cook another 10 minutes. 

Recipe tips

• Be sure to cook the mostaccioli al dente since it will be baked for about 40 minutes. You don’t want to past too soft or it will fall apart. 
• Use your favorite jarred or homemade sauce, I like Rao’s marinara. If you like a little extra seasoning, feel free to stir in 1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning in with the meat sauce. 
• Want to sneak in some vegetables? Add diced green pepper in the skillet after cooking the sausage. Let cook for 2-3 minutes to soften.  
• Want to add a little heat? Try mixing in 1/2 tablespoon of red pepper flakes into the sauce mixture. 

How to store easy baked mostaccioli

Store: Let the baking dish and pasta completely cool. Cover with foil or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. 

Freeze: This makes a great freezer meal. Make the dish according to instructions BUT do not bake. Cover with plastic wrap and then foil. Store in freezer for 3 months. 

Reheat: This dish makes wonderful leftovers. Cover with foil and bake for 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes or warm in the microwave. If reheating from frozen, let thaw in the refrigerator and then reheat in oven. 

More pasta recipes

These are some great pasta recipes even the pickiest eater will enjoy.

• Green pasta sauce – This sauce is a great alternative to marinara. Made with spinach, it’s nutritious and delicious.
• Sour cream beef noodle bake – Cheesy, pasta bake that is always a hit. 
• Fiesta chicken casserole – Made with chicken, black beans and more. A tasty spin on pasta casserole. 
• Supreme pizza casserole – Filled with all the favorite supreme pizza toppings. 
• Skillet hamburger casserole – Made on the stove, this is an easy weeknight meal. 
• Buttered noodles – The perfect, easy side dish. 

*** If you made this recipe, please feel free to leave a comment and star rating below.