My Mostaccioli Recipes

Steps:

• Heat the 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, a good pinch of salt and several grinds of black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is tender and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the ground beef and sausage; cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until crumbled, golden brown and no longer pink, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic, tomato paste, 1/2 teaspoon oregano, crushed red pepper flakes (if using), 1 teaspoon salt and several grinds of black pepper; cook, stirring, until the garlic is tender and the tomato paste is thoroughly combined, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes, parsley sprigs and 1/4 cup water and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer, then cover partially with a lid and reduce the heat to medium low. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened slightly and the flavors have melded, about 15 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and black pepper.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the pasta and cook according to the package directions, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain well.
• Meanwhile, stir together the ricotta, 1/4 cup of the Pecorino Romano, the egg, remaining 1/4 teaspoon oregano, pinch of salt and a couple grinds of black pepper in a medium bowl until smooth and combined; set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and lightly grease the bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with olive oil. Once the meat sauce is finished cooking, remove the parsley sprigs and discard. Stir in the al dente mostaccioli until well coated.
• Transfer half of the pasta and sauce to the prepared baking dish, then spread the ricotta mixture on top in an even layer with a rubber spatula or small offset spatula. Top with the remaining pasta and sauce, followed by the mozzarella, then the remaining 3 tablespoons Pecorino Romano.
• Cover the baking dish with foil and bake until heated through, about 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until the cheese is completely melted and the sauce is bubbling at the edges, 10 to 15 minutes more. Sprinkle with chopped parsley. Let rest for about 5 minutes before serving.

Steps:

• Heat the canola oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion and red pepper, and cook until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the pork sausage, cook and stir until the sausage is crumbly and browned, about 10 minutes. Drain off and discard any excess fat, then stir in the crushed tomatoes, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, sugar, salt, and pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer 20 to 30 minutes until the sauce has reached your desired consistency.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the penne pasta, and cook until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the penne, then toss with the red sauce and Italian cheese blend. Stir until the cheese has melted. Season to taste with salt and pepper before serving.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Cook mostaccioli according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook beef, green pepper and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in spaghetti sauce, soup, Italian seasoning and pepper., Drain mostaccioli. Add mostaccioli and 1-1/2 cups cheese to beef mixture. Transfer to two greased 11x7-in. baking dishes. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. , Cover and bake 20 minutes. Uncover; bake 5-10 minutes longer or until bubbly and cheese is melted. Freeze option:Cover and freeze unbaked casseroles up to 3 months. To use, thaw in refrigerator overnight. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 350°. Bake, covered, 50-60 minutes or until a thermometer reads 165°.

Steps:

• Brown the Italian sausage in large sauce pot, over low heat, then drain well. Add the chopped onion, and cook until slightly softened.
• Pour the pasta sauce over the sausage and onions, stir. Add the rest of the remaining ingredients, except the penne noodles. Mix well.
• Simmer over low heat, approximately 1 hour, until the onions are cooked through.
• Prepare the penne as directed by instructions on package. Drain penne, place in a large bowl, and pour your prepared meat sauce on top. Mix together.
• Always great topped with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Crumble sausage into a Dutch oven. Cook over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in spaghetti sauce and pasta. In a large bowl, combine the egg, ricotta cheese and mozzarella cheese. , Spoon half of the pasta mixture into a greased shallow 3-qt. baking dish; layer with cheese mixture and remaining pasta mixture. , Cover and bake at 375° for 40 minutes or until a thermometer reads 160°. Uncover; top with Romano cheese. Bake 5 minutes longer or until heated through.

Steps:

• Cook mostaccioli noodles according to box directions, drain and set aside.
• Place Italian sausage links in a large, deep skillet and add enough water to go half way up sides of sausage links and add 2 tablespoons of oil. Simmer until cooked through and water is almost evaporated (about 25-30 minutes).
• While the sausage links are simmering, in a large bowl combine the spaghetti sauce, tomato paste, picante sauce, garlic salt and Italian seasoning. Adjust seasonings to your preferred taste.
• When all water is evaporated and links are cooked though, brown on all sides in the remaining oil in the skillet (adding more if needed). Once browned, remove from skillet and set aside.
• Add ground beef, onion and bell pepper to the same skillet and brown the meat until just barely pink (do not over cook the beef). Drain any excess grease from the skillet with a large spoon while leaving the beef and veggies in there.
• Slice the Italian sausage links into 1/4" thick slices and add back to the skillet.
• Add the spaghetti sauce mixture to the skillet and gently simmer 30 minutes to blend the ingredients and flavors.
• Meanwhile, pre-heat the oven to 375*F.
• Pour the mostaccioli noodles into a large, deep aluminum baking pan (I use the big, deep rectangle, disposable ones because I don't want to wash the pan, and I'm usually asked to bring this dish to get-togethers).
• Sprinkle half (1 pound) of the shredded mozzarella cheese over the noodles. Pour the meat and sauce from skillet over the cheese. Gently mix until all noodles are coated and cheese is incorporated thoroughly. Smooth top surface and evenly sprinkle on remaining cheese.
• *Note: I've also used a couple of the smaller disposable pans and only bake one, while the other one I cover and freeze (without baking), to make later in the month (just thaw a bit before baking, stir, adding a touch of water if needed, then add final topping of cheese, bake).
• Bake uncoverd on center rack for 45 minutes.
• Serve with garlic toast, salad and Italian dressing. Enjoy!