Easy Baked Mostaccioli is a classic Italian dish that takes very little effort to make, but has a ton of flavor! This comforting dish is a dinner staple!
Making this Italian meal during the week is perfect because it takes very little time, makes a lot of food (hello leftovers), and is exceptionally delicious. Customizing options for baked mostaccioli are endless as well because you can add tons of veggies, use different meats, or various cheeses. I love using my BEST EVER MARINARA SAUCE for this meal as well! This is a dish even the pickiest eater will enjoy!
Mostaccioli is a great main dish, or it could also be a side dish to delicious Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan! Serve it alongside The Best Ever Easy Garlic Bread and some Oven Roasted Brussels Sprouts for the perfect meal!
Making this meal couldn't be easier! Let me explain how:
How to make Baked Mostaccioli:
**scroll down for full ingredients list and printable directions**
Jump to Recipe- Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Cook the pasta according to directions, keeping it al dente (do not overcook). Strain and set aside.
- While the pasta is cooking, Make the sausage mixture. Place a larger skillet on the stovetop, add oil and heat over medium heat. Add the Italian sausage and cook for 5 minutes while breaking apart with a spatula. Cook and sauté until mostly cooked through. Add chopped onion and minced garlic and cook for 3 more minutes while sautéing. Add seasonings and mix; sauté for 2 more minutes.
- Add strained pasta back to the pasta pot, then add the sausage mixture, half of the shredded cheese, and marinara sauce (I love this homemade recipe, but you can also use pre-made sauce); then mix to combine.
- Add the mixture to a greased oven-safe casserole dish, then top with the remaining cheeses and some additional dried oregano and basil.
- Place Mostaccioli in the oven and cook for 20 minutes. Switch the oven to broil, then broil for 3-5 minutes, watching closely so the cheese doesn't burn.
- Carefully remove. Top with fresh basil and then serve!
There are so many great sides to serve with Easy Baked Mostaccioli as well! These are my favorite sides:
- The Best Ever Easy Garlic Bread
- Simple Wedge Salad with Homemade Chunky Blue Cheese Dressing
- Sautéed Kale (easy healthy recipe)
- Air Fryer Roasted Broccoli (low calorie, low carb)
- Air Fryer Crispy Parmesan Brussels Sprouts
- Oven Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- Air Fryer Roasted Carrots (easy side dish)
Common questions:
Can I use different pasta shapes for Mostaccioli?
Yes- penne, rigatoni, ziti, farfalle, or elbow macaroni all work great for this recipe.
Can I use different meats in Mostaccioli? YES!
- Using ground beef or ground turkey would also be delicious.
- Try using chopped Italian sausage links.
- I think the ground Italian sausage gives the best flavor. Also, mix up the spice level by using different sausages such as mild, medium, or hot!
Can I make Mostaccioli vegetarian? YES!
- This Mostaccioli does not NEED meat! Leave out the meat and load this up with zucchini, mushrooms, spinach, and onions! Yum! This would be very similar to my popular Loaded Vegetable Pasta Bake!
Can I freeze Baked Mostaccioli? YES!
There are a few different ways to freeze this. Decide if you want to freeze after cooking, or before.
To freeze after cooking: First off, it will be easier to make this using an aluminum tray rather than a glass baking dish. Wait until the dish is completely cooled then cover well with a heavy duty foil and place in the freezer. To cook from frozen: Remove from freezer. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook COVERED for 90 minutes. Remove the foil and cook an additional 20 minutes.
To freeze before baking: Assemble the Mostaccioli and then cover tightly with foil. Place in the freezer. To cook from frozen: Remove from freezer. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook COVERED for 90 minutes. Remove the foil and cook an additional 20 minutes.
Do you like Italian recipes as much as we do? Checkout these other easy meals:
- Easy Italian Meatball Sliders
- Skinny Bruschetta Chicken (easy healthy meal)
- Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan
- Loaded Veggie Cheesy Pasta Bake
- Instant Pot Tuscan Chicken Pasta
- Homemade Marinara Sauce
- Air Fryer Toasted Ravioli
Easy Baked Mostaccioli is a classic Italian dish that takes very little effort to make, but has a ton of flavor! This comforting dish is a dinner staple!
- 1 lb rigatoni or penne pasta noodles
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lb Italian sausage (medium spice)
- 28 ounces marinara sauce
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 8 ounce block mozzarella cheese, freshly shredded
- ½ cup freshly shredded parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
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Cook pasta al dente (do no overcook) according to directions on the box. Strain pasta and add back to pasta pot, set aside.
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
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Place a large skillet on the stovetop, add oil and heat 30 seconds over medium heat. Add Italian sausage and cook for 5 minutes while breaking apart with a spatula. Sauté until mostly cooked through, about 2 more minutes. Slide sausage to the side of the skillet, add chopped onion, minced garlic, and seasonings and cook for 3 more minutes while sautéing. Remove from heat and set aside.
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Add the sausage mixture into the pot with the pasta, half of the shredded mozzarella cheese, and marinara sauce; mix to combine.
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Add the mixture to a greased oven-safe casserole dish, then top with the remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheeses and sprinkle a bit of additional dried oregano and basil.
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Place Mostaccioli in the oven and cook for 20 minutes. Switch the oven to broil, then broil for 3-5 minutes, watching closely so the cheese doesn’t burn. Carefully remove. Top with fresh basil and serve!
Beth
This is perfect for dinner tonight! My family is going to devour this. I can’t wait to make this tonight!
April
One of my favorite meals! So freaking delicious and easy!
Amanda
Perfect for the family, everyone was full and it was so tasty!
Alicia B
I make this at least twice a month and love adding extra veggies! Mushrooms and spinach are super easy to toss into the mix!
Allyson
It really is so versatile!
Claire
Looks wonderful! I'll surely try this on our family dinner this Sunday. I can't wait!
Toni
This was a really huge hit at my house! Everyone loved it!
Catalina
Wow! This casserole is so cheesy and amazingly delicious! It's a must make!
Erin | Dinners,Dishes and Dessert
Yum!!! This Baked Mostaccioli is such a great dinner idea. Love it!
Amanda Livesay
This is our favorite pasta dish! It's so delicious and comforting.
Allyson
I am so happy y'll love it as much as we do!
Sarah
So its baked ziti?
Allyson
Yes, basically the same! https://askinglot.com/what-is-the-difference-between-baked-ziti-and-mostaccioli
David
The video is using rigatoni, not mostaccioli. Thought that was interesting they would substitute the main ingredient which is in the title of the recipe. 🤔
Allyson
You say tomato, I say tomahto
Alannah
Made this for my family tonight! It's freezing in Aus at the moment so this meal is the perfect winter weekday dish.
Allyson
So yummy! Stay warm!
Christine
Looks great but what size casserole dish/pan should be used? Thanks
Allyson
You can use an oval or rectangle baking dish that is 5 qts or larger!
Christina
If I use vodka sauce, would it mix poorly with any of the other ingredients? Also, how can I make this ahead of time without freezing?
Allyson
That would be SOOOOO YUMMY!!! How far ahead do you want to make it? If you are talking about like meal prepping for the week, I would just make the sausage ahead of time and keep it in the fridge. I do not recommend making the pasta a long duration before using it. If you are just talking about a few hours. You could make everything, then just combine the ingredients before baking it, then bake and cover with foil until you are ready to serve it.
Christina
Awesome thank you! I was thinking morning of to prepare for dinner.