Family Fave: Baked Mostaccioli

The only thing I have asked my mother for in the last ten years has been the family recipes. She has been a bit stingy with them and one of the few I have managed to get from her is her Baked Mostaccioli. I don’t know a member of my family, or my good friends for that matter, who does not love this dish. I’ve made it for dinner, for parties, for funerals, for the office… it makes it rounds and is so good. It was actually the last meal I asked her to make before I left the Fort for college in the south all those years ago. It is rather easy to make, but it just takes a lot of steps!

Baked Mostaccioli

Ingredients

• One box of mostaccioli noodles (or penne noddles)
• 1 large jar of marinara sauce (I have been on a Prego traditional kick)
• 1 yellow onion (medium sized)
• 1 package ground beef ( 2-3 lbs)
• 1 package Italian sausage links
• 1 container ricotta cheese (small)
• 1 package shredded mozzarella cheese (medium to large)
• Minced garlic (1/2 TBSP)
• Olive oil
• Basil, oregano and garlic powder

Steps

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees for later. Also, start a pot of water to boil for the pasta.
2. Slice sausage and fry, set aside on plate when cooked
3. Dice onion and brown in olive oil. Set aside when done
4. Saute olive oil, do no brown.
5. Add ground beef into olive oil and garlic mix. Cook until meat is no longer pink.
6. Add in onion
7. I toss in some basil, oregano and garlic powder. But that is just because I like the taste.
8. Add in sausage.
9. Cook pasta
10. In large pot, add meat mixture and a quarter of the sauce. Mix together.
11. Once pasta is cooked and drained, slowly mix into the sauce and meat mix. Pasta does not need to be done all the way. Add more sauce to mix.
12. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with a butter or oil spray.
13. Add pasta, meat and sauce mixture to cover the bottom of the dish so it makes a shower layer. Scoop ricotta cheese on top in several places. Add a layer of mozzarella cheese. Then add more pasta, meat, sauce to create another layer. Then more ricotta and mozzarella. Repeat as needed. I usually have two layers of pasta and two layers of cheese.
14. Cover the dish with tin foil
15. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes. Remove tin foil for the last ten minutes.
16. Serve with salad and garlic bread.

PS- It is even better over the next few days!

Olive oil and onion

Italian sausage

Browning the beef

Layer number one of the baked mostaccioli

Ready to go in the oven!

Done! Baked mostaccioli and soooo good!