Mostaccioli

A hearty meat sauce pasta bake with mostaccioli noodles.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Italian

Keyword pasta

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 35

Total Time 40

Servings

Calories 562kcal

Author Emma Chapman

Ingredients

12 ounces mostaccioli noodles
1 pound ground beef
1 shallot
3 cloves garlic
24 ounces marinara sauce
¼ cup water
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 cup half and half cream
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
¼ cup Parmesan
2-3 tablespoons chopped parsley or basil optional

Instructions

Cook the noodles according to the package directions for al dente. You don’t want to overcook the noodles as they will continue to cook some while baking.
Once they are done, drain and reserve 1/4 cup of the pasta water.
While the noodles cook, make the sauce. Cook the ground beef, chopped shallot and minced garlic in a large sauce pan until the beef is just cooked (no pink remains). Unless you use a super lean ground meat you likely won’t need to add any oil or butter as there will be some fat from the meat to cook the onion and garlic in.
Add the marinara to the pan.
Add the pasta water to the marinara jar, close the lid, give it a good shake, and then pour this into the pan as well.
Add the Italian seasoning and cream as well.
In a 9×13 baking dish, or something very similar in size, add the noodles.
Then pour the sauce and 2/3 of the cheeses into the pan as well and give it all a stir so everything gets well combined.
Top the dish with the remaining cheese and bake at 350°F for 20 minutes.
Top the pasta bake with a little chopped parsley or basil if using. Serve warm.

Notes

You can swap the ground beef for any ground meat like Italian sausage, turkey or chicken if you prefer. The nutrition facts on the recipe card reflect using ground beef.

If you want to freeze this meal before you bake the dish, allow it to cool instead and then freeze. Thaw and bake according to the recipe when you are ready to serve.

If you can’t find mostaccioli noodles, you can swap them for ziti, penne, or even bow tie noodles instead.

Nutrition