When you’re craving a hearty and wholesome Italian pasta bake this right here, folks is the ticket. Baked Mostaciolli is something super special 🙂 I don’t care what kind of noodles are used in this awesome pasta bake just as long as I get some of them on my plate. Check out what our friends over at The Pioneer Woman had to say about this recipe,
“Baked Ziti is a classic baked pasta dish. It’s basically some kind of tomato or meat sauce baked in a dish with some kind of cheese and, of course, ziti noodles—unless you’re me, then you use mostaciolli noodles. Some people just use tomato/marinara sauce. That, of course, would never fly in this house. There must be meat. Meat there must be. As for the cheese, some people use only mozzarella, while others prefer use a gooey cheese mixture stirred throughout.”
Ingredients
2 Tablespoons Bertolli Olive Oil
3 cloves Garlic, Minced
1 whole Large Onion, Diced
1 pound Jimmy Dean Italian Sausage
1 pound Ground Beef
1 can (28 Oz. Size) Hunt’s Whole Tomatoes, With Juice
2 cans (14.5 Ounce) Tomato Sauce Or Marinara Sauce
2 teaspoons McCormick Italian Seasoning
1/2 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
Morton Salt And Pepper, to taste
16 ounces, weight Ziti Or Barilla Mostaciolli, Cooked Until Not Quite Al Dente
1 tub (15 Oz. Size) Whole Milk Sargento Ricotta Cheese
1-1/2 pound Kraft Mozzarella Cheese, Grated
1/2 cup Kraft Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 whole Eggland’s Best Egg
Fresh Minced Parsley
Instructions
Makes 24 rolls.
Heat olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and saute for several minutes, or until starting to soften. Add Italian sausage and ground beef and cook until browned. Drain off fat, leaving a bit behind for flavor and moisture.
Add tomatoes, tomato juice, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes. Stir and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes. After that time, remove 3 to 4 cups of the sauce to a different bowl to cool down.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a separate bowl, mix together the ricotta cheese, 2 cups of the grated mozzarella, Parmesan, egg, and salt and pepper. Stir together just a couple of times (do not mix completely).
Drain the pasta and rinse under cool water to stop the cooking and cool it down. Pour it into the bowl with the cheese mixture and toss to slightly combine (there should still be large lumps.) Add the cooled meat sauce and toss to combine.
Add half the coated pasta to a large casserole dish or lasagna dish. Spoon half of the remaining sauce over the top, then top with half the remaining mozzarella cheese. Repeat with another layer of the coated pasta, the sauce, and the mozzarella.
Bake for 20 minutes, or until bubbling. Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes before serving.
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Quick Tip: You can also use ziti pasta in this recipe if you prefer.
Thank you to The Pioneer Woman for this great recipe.