This baked mostaccioli is a classic Italian pasta dish made with a homemade sauce, tender pasta and layered with cheese. Perfect for cozy weeknight family dinners!
My family loves easy pasta recipes! Whether it’s this one baked spaghetti, baked ziti or three cheese manicotti, plates are always licked clean.
Table of Contents
An Easy Classic Recipe
As a family of 6, it’s not always easy to find a dish that the whole family will love. However when it comes to this baked mostaccioli recipe made with tender noodles, a rich homemade marinara sauce and melty cheese, seconds are always requested!
Mostaccioli pasta bake is my take on a classic Italian recipe. It’s a filling casserole that bakes until golden and bubbly and can be customized with veggies, meat and cheese. We love it with a basket of easy garlic bread and an Italian salad!
Why You’ll Love It
- Classic family favorite. Baked mostaccioli has everything we love in an easy pasta recipe, a rich tomato sauce, melted mozzarella, and perfectly tender noodles.
- Make ahead and freezer friendly. Like any good casserole or baked pasta dish, you can prepare it now or freeze it for later. It’s perfect for large family dinners!
Recipe Ingredients
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
- Olive oil: We need some oil to saute the onions and garlic and olive oil is my go-to as it’s neutral-tasting, healthy, and traditionally used in most Italian dishes.
- Onion & garlic: Aromatics that will help build the layers of flavor in the sauce.
- Tomatoes: You want a can of whole peeled tomatoes. I love San Marzano tomatoes as they are authentically Italian and less acidic than regular canned tomatoes.
- Salt: To enhance the overall flavor of the sauce.
- Uncooked mostaccioli noodles: Mostaccioli pasta looks like penne, however, it is smooth and without ridges. Mostaccioli pasta is the popular choice for this recipe, however, you can use a different pasta.
- Mozzarella & Parmesan: Freshly grated mozzarella and Parmesan will melt nicely and taste fresher than pre-shredded cheese. It’s what gives the pasta its cheesy goodness!
Variations
You can customize baked mostaccioli by adding meat or veggies if you’d like!
- Meat: Italian sausage, ground beef, or ground turkey can all be used to make it a meaty sauce. Try it with meatballs like I do in this baked ziti pasta with meatballs!
- Veggies: Toss in some spinach, mushrooms, zucchini, or bell peppers.
- Sauce: If you prefer to substitute marinara sauce or spaghetti sauce you can. Of course, you can also use regular canned whole tomatoes if you can’t find San Marzano tomatoes.
- Extra seasoning: To give your sauce some different flavor, add black pepper along with the salt. Sprinkle in some Italian seasoning, fresh parsley, or red pepper flakes for heat!
How to Make Baked Mostaccioli
Saute onions and garlic until softened. Add the tomatoes to the pot, breaking them up with your hands as you add them. Add salt, then bring to a low boil and reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes. Once tomatoes are cooked, use an immersion blender to puree until smooth and creamy.
Cook pasta al dente, drain then start layering the casserole. To the bottom of a casserole dish, spread a thin layer of the sauce. Add 1/2 the pasta on top, then half the sauce, and some of the cheese.
Repeat layers one more time finishing with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil. Bake in preheated oven at 350°F until cheese has melted and sauce is bubbly. Enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- Freshly grated mozzarella. I can’t stress it enough, grate your own fresh mozzarella!
- Cook noodles to al dente. Warm noodles absorb the sauce and will continue to cook in the oven. If they start completely cooked, they will be mushy when they come out of the oven. Brush up on more tips for cooking pasta.
- If using another kind of sauce, be sure to go for the good quality stuff. There are so few ingredients in this easy, baked mostaccioli that each ingredient stands out.
- If placing under broiler, keep an eye on it. If 1 minute isn’t golden enough for you, try another 1-2 minutes but no more. It can easily burn.
Baked Mostaccioli Serving Suggestions
With a saucy, cheesy pasta dish it’s always a good idea to keep it simple with the sides.
- Vegetable sides: Roasted vegetables, Parmesan roasted broccoli, or grilled zucchini are simple, flavorful options.
- Salad: You could also go with a salad. We love this copycat Olive Garden salad and the Olive Garden breadsticks to go along with it!
- Protein: If you plan to serve this baked mostaccioli as a side dish, it goes great with Parmesan ranch chicken as well as Parmesan crusted chicken!
Looking for more pasta recipes? Try goulash, million dollar spaghetti, or baked macaroni and cheese next!
More Pasta Bakes
Browse all
HUNGRY FOR MORE? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all the newest recipes!
Baked Mostaccioli
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 cup chopped yellow onion
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 (28-ounce) can whole, peeled San Marzano tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 pound uncooked mostaccioli
- 2 cups grated fresh mozzarella cheese
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese
- fresh basil , for topping
Instructions
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Saute onion and garlic. In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Stir 1 cup onions and cook 5 minutes, or until softened. Add 3 cloves garlic and cook 1 minute more, being careful not to brown.
- Simmer sauce. Using your hands, break up 28 can San Marzano tomatoes when adding to the pot. Add 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a low boil and reduce heat to low. Simmer 20-30 minutes. Using an immersion blender, blend the sauce until smooth and creamy.
- Cook pasta noodles. Cook one pound mostaccioli according to package directions. Drain.
- Assemble. In the baking dish, spread a thin layer of sauce. Layer 1/2 pasta, 1/2 sauce, 1 cup of the cheese. Repeat the layers with remaining ingredients and sprinkle the parmesan over the top. Cover with foil.
- Bake. Bake 30 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly. You can broil the last minute to make the top golden, if desired. Serve with fresh basil on top.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Recipe FAQs
In a nutshell, mostaccioli is a type of pasta noodle. It’s a tube with ends cut diagonally, very much like penne. However, unlike penne, the outside of the noodles is smooth without ridges.
The baked mostaccioli dish itself isn’t widely known in Italy, as it’s very much Italian-American. If you were to ask Italians what mostaccioli is, they’d tell you they were a type of Christmas cookie originating in Southern Italy. Naples to be exact!
Absolutely! As with most of my baked pasta recipes, the noodles themselves are interchangeable. Chicken Parmesan pasta, for example, uses rigatoni or penne, so both can be used in this baked mostaccioli as well.
Caprese pasta bake uses ziti, penne, or rigatoni and all three can also be used in this dish.
Prepare the baked mostaccioli in advance by assembling it completely without baking it. Cover with aluminum foil and keep it in the fridge for up to 48 hours. When ready to bake, remove the foil and bake for a total of 35-45 minutes. You’ll need to account for extra time as it’s going in straight from the fridge.
Yes, cover the baking dish with foil. I like to use disposable foil dishes for times like these. Transfer it to a freezer-safe zip-top bag and keep frozen for up to 1 month. Thaw on the counter for 1 hour or overnight in the fridge then pop it in the oven to bake.
Cool then store leftovers in an airtight container for 3-5 days. Reheat in the microwave or rewarm the whole dish in the oven at 350°F.
Categorized as: Casseroles, Dinner, Freezer-Friendly, Italian, Kid-Friendly, Meal Prep, Nut-Free, Pasta, Vegetarian, Vegetarian
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook and shares easy family-friendly recipes and desserts for every occasion.
Made this ahead for the fam while out of town! Lots of turned out great and packing leftovers for lunch from the kids! Yeah! Added one teaspoon of oregano and 2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning to sauce. Going in the rotation!
Mostaccioli pasta bake is so filling and. satisfying! Served this with our homemade garlic bread and they’re such a perfect combo. Our whole family devoured this pasta last night, we all enjoyed it!
Oh my word. This is my new favorite dinner recipe! Will be making it again, my kids LOVED it!
That is great to hear your kids loved it! Thanks for sharing and a great review!
Another pasta recipe to add to my list. So yummy and easy!