Baked Mostaccioli Recipe

This easy baked mostaccioli recipe combines pasta, savory meat sauce, ricotta, Parmesan, and mozzarella for a cheesy Italian-American casserole perfect for family dinners, and is a Midwest classic. 

If you grew up in the Chicago suburbs, you already know there was no birthday party, no graduation, no church potluck, no summer picnic without a foil-covered pan of baked mostaccioli somewhere on the table. It was just part of the deal. And if you didn’t grow up here, you may have spent your whole life making baked ziti and thinking you had the full picture. I am here to fix that!

The best baked mostaccioli recipe is made of layers that include a hearty meat sauce with a creamy ricotta mixture and finishes under a blanket of melty mozzarella cheese. It’s the kind of pasta casserole that feeds a crowd, tastes even better the next day, and requires almost no special technique to pull off. And no, we do not call this baked ziti… 

Why This Recipe Works

• The pasta shape actually matters. Mostaccioli noodles are smooth, straight tubes cut on the diagonal. That smooth surface lets the sauce coat without getting gummy, and the tubular shape holds the cheese inside. It’s a different bite than ridged penne, and once you notice it, you can’t un-notice it.
• Cooking the pasta slightly under al dente prevents it from turning mushy. The cooked pasta finishes in a preheated oven, covered with foil. Pulling it from the large pot of salted water 1 to 2 minutes early means it won’t be overcooked by the time it hits the table.
• The ricotta layer is a full building block, not just filler. Mixing the ricotta cheese with egg, Parmesan cheese, and fresh parsley creates a cheese mixture that sets up during baking instead of just melting into the sauce.
• Baking covered first, then uncovered, gives you the right texture. The foil traps steam so the pasta stays moist. Finishing it open lets the top brown and the mozzarella cheese get that pull-apart, golden finish.

What Is Mostaccioli and Why Is It a Chicago Thing?

Mostaccioli is a tubular pasta with a smooth exterior and diagonal cut ends. The name comes from the Italian word for “little mustaches,” though the connection is a stretch if you’re staring at a box of this pasta, I’ll be honest. The shape, however, originated in southern Italy, where smooth pasta was paired with lighter sauces that could cling without the help of ridges.

When Italian immigrants settled in Chicago in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, they brought their food traditions with them. The neighborhoods on the Near North Side, the Near West Side, and across the southern suburbs became known for Italian-American cooking adapted to the ingredients that were available here. Mostaccioli, like a lot of Italian-American comfort food, got folded into big-batch dishes meant to stretch across a crowd.

By the mid-20th century, baked mostaccioli had become what it still is today: the default pasta dish for gatherings in the Chicago area. It shows up at wedding receptions (often alongside a big batch of Chicago Italian beef, sweet peppers, and Italian sausage, because that’s a whole other Chicago tradition), at school fundraiser dinners, in church basements, and at every family gathering where the expectation is that nobody leaves hungry.

So why isn’t it better known outside of Chicago? Part of it is that baked ziti absorbed the national attention. They are similar in structure, but baked ziti uses ziti pasta, which is smooth and tube-shaped but cut straight across rather than on a diagonal. The diagonal cut on mostaccioli noodles creates slightly different edges that catch sauce differently, and the overall texture of the finished dish has a subtly different character. In Chicago, the distinction matters. Most people here would not call them interchangeable.

This recipe stays true to the version that showed up at every party I grew up attending: a red sauce-based, meaty pasta bake with a ricotta layer in the middle and mozzarella on top. 

Ingredients

Pasta and Meat Sauce

• Mostaccioli pasta
• Lean ground beef (or hot Italian sausage)
• Yellow onion
• Garlic cloves
• Tomato paste
• Italian seasoning
• Red pepper flakes
• Salt
• Marinara sauce (two jars, or homemade marinara sauce if you have it)

Substitution notes: Hot Italian sausage or mild Italian sausage both work here in place of ground beef. Some people use a mix. If you go with cooked sausage, make sure it’s broken into small pieces before simmering with the red sauce. Pre-shredded cheese is convenient, but freshly shredded mozzarella melts more evenly and gives you better pull.

Ricotta Mixture

• Ricotta cheese
• Large egg
• Parmesan cheese
• Fresh parsley

Note: Full-fat ricotta holds up better in the oven than part-skim. The egg is not optional. It binds the cheese filling so it sets instead of turning watery.

Topping

• Mozzarella cheese, freshly shredded

How to Make Baked Mostaccioli

Step 1: Cook the Pasta

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook your mostaccioli pasta according to package directions, but pull it out 1 to 2 minutes before the recommended time per the package instructions. You want it just under al dente. Drain and set aside.

Step 2: Build the Meat Sauce

Heat a large skillet, Dutch oven, or large saucepan over medium heat. Add the lean ground beef and cook until browned, breaking it into small pieces as it goes. Add the diced yellow onion, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, and a pinch of salt. Cook on medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the onion softens.

Add the minced garlic cloves and tomato paste, then cook for about 1 minute over medium-high heat until the paste darkens slightly. Pour in the marinara sauce, stir the sauce mixture well, and let it simmer briefly until everything comes together.

Optional: A small drizzle of olive oil into the pan before browning the meat adds a bit of richness, though lean ground beef doesn’t need it.

Step 3: Combine

Remove the skillet from the heat. Add the cooked mostaccioli directly to the meat sauce and stir with a wooden spoon until the mostaccioli is evenly coated with the sauce.

Step 4: Make the Ricotta Mixture

In a large bowl or large mixing bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, egg, grated Parmesan cheese, and minced fresh parsley. Mix until smooth. Season with black pepper if you’d like.

Step 5: Assemble the Layers

Preheat your oven to 375°F. Grease a 9×13 casserole dish or prepared baking dish with a bit of olive oil.

Spread half of the pasta mixture into an even layer on the bottom of the dish. Spoon the ricotta mixture over the top in an even layer. Add a thin layer of mozzarella cheese over the ricotta. Add the remaining pasta mixture, then finish with the remaining mozzarella on top of the pasta so it covers the surface.

Step 6: Bake

Cover the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil and continue baking uncovered for another 20 minutes, until the top is bubbly and the cheese is golden.

Step 7: Rest and Serve

Let the baked pasta dish rest at room temperature for 10 minutes before cutting into it. This is not optional if you want clean portions. It also gives the creamy cheese time to set. Serve with my famous garlic bread focaccia and this Portillo’s chopped salad, and you’re officially eating like a Chicagoan. 

Tips, Variations, and Make-Ahead Notes

Make it ahead. This is one of the best pasta bakes for planning ahead. Assemble the whole casserole, cover it tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate it for up to 24 hours before baking. When you’re ready, remove the plastic wrap, cover with aluminum foil, and add about 10 minutes to the covered bake time since the dish is starting cold.

Storage. Leftovers keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. The next day, reheat individual portions in the microwave or warm the whole dish in the oven at 350°F, covered with foil.

Freezing. Baked mostaccioli freezes well either before or after baking. Wrap the assembled, unbaked dish tightly in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before baking.

Swap the protein. Use hot Italian sausage or mild Italian sausage in place of ground beef for a different flavor direction. Cook the sausage the same way, breaking it into small pieces, and drain off excess fat before adding the sauce.

What to Pair With Baked Mostaccioli

1. Salads- I love this classic Portillos style chopped salad recipe, or try mt Italian grinder salad as well for something flavorful and hearty.
2. Focaccia Garlic Bread, or make a deep dish cast iron pan pizza
3. Italian roasted vegetables with some roasted or grilled Italian sausage.
4. Authentic Chicago Italian beef with Chicago sweet peppers or hot giardiniera

More Recipes To Try

Crispy Ricotta Stuffed Eggplant

Marinated Mozzarella Balls

Grilled Branzino

Bruschetta Dip Recipe

Lemon Chicken Pasta Salad