When I was growing up, there was one kid on the block (by the name of Georgie Color), who had the dubious distinction of being the only kid with an above ground swimming pool in his backyard. Of course, summers at the Color house were a given. Now Georgie’s father was I think of German descent but his mother was Southern Italian all the way. Mrs. C always had a pot of something on the stove; Marinara sauce, some sort of stew and of course a baked pasta dish in the oven. Her favorite, which of course became everyone’s, was a baked dish called Mostaccioli. It got so popular that I begged my mother to go get Mrs. C’s recipe and even she started making it quite often as well.
For those not familiar with this dish, Mostaccioli is a baked pasta dish similar to baked Ziti. Think of it as a cross between spaghetti and lasagna. Mostaccioli itself is a type of tubular pasta, known in Italy as Penne Lisce. It has the same basic shape as Penne Rigate, which is probably more recognizable. However, the two differ in almost every other way. Penne is from Northern Italy and made from durum wheat. It has ridges that tend to hold the sauce its combined with. Mostaccioli is primarily a Penne from the south of Italy, is smooth in texture and is made from semolina wheat. Each is designed for a specific purpose although truth be known, they are both interchangeable in my opinion. In fact, I can’t really find Mostaccioli in my local grocery store so this recipe was actually made with Penne.
So, for those who love baked pasta dishes like lasagna, this recipe is one of my very favorites going back to those summers and more simpler times. It harkens back to swimming pools, horsing around and sitting down at Mrs. C’s kitchen table eating a bowl full of Mostaccioli. I like it so much that I chose it as my first baked pasta dish in this Italian Classics series.
Let’s go ahead then and make a big batch of Mostaccioli and make Mrs. C. proud !!
Mostaccioli
Course. Lunch or Dinner.
Cuisine. Italian-American
Makes. 10 to 12 servings
Takes. 60 minutes prep, 60 total minutes cooking time
Ingredients
16 ounces Mostaccioli (or Penne) pasta
2 pounds bulk Italian sausage (mild, hot or mixed)
2-28-ounce cans whole tomatoes (like San Marzano’s)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 medium onion chopped
6-8 garlic cloves finely chopped
15 ounces ricotta cheese
1 large egg beaten
1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
2-3 cups grated Mozzarella cheese
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
1/4 cup white wine
Oil for sauté
Directions
In a large Dutch oven, brown off the Italian sausage for 6-8 minutes. Remove the cooked sausage to a separate bowl and set aside. Drain most of the fat from the sausage leaving a small amount for sautéing or supplement with cooking oil. Add the onions to the pot and sweat them down for about 5 minutes until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another minute or so until fragrant. Also add the Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and red chili flakes.
During the sauté, add the white wine to the pan. Scrape the fond from the bottom of the pot and continue to cook off the alcohol. When complete, add back all of the cooked sausage and stir to combine.
Next, either hand crush or pulse in a blender the contents from the cans of whole tomatoes. Add them to the pot with the other ingredients. Add to that the tomato paste, continue to stir and bring to a low simmer. While stirring, add in all but a small handful of parsley (for garnish) to the sauce. Continue to simmer low, stirring occasionally.
In the meantime, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta to a firm al dente finish. Do not overcook, the eventual baking process will finish it off. Drain in a colander and set aside.
As the pasta is cooking, combine the ricotta, the beaten egg, 1 cup of the mozzarella and the Romano cheeses in a separate bowl mixing well.
Assembly
Fire up your oven to 425*F.
Add some non-stick cooking spray to a large baking dish. Begin by ladling a layer of meat sauce to the bottom of the dish. Follow that by adding all of the pasta in another even layer on top of the sauce. Next ladle the remaining sauce over the top of the pasta. Work the sauce down into the pasta to insure an even disbursal of sauce coating and covering the pasta.
Next, take a rubber spatula and spread the ricotta cheese mixture over the top of the pasta sauce. Finally, sprinkle the remaining mozzarella over the top of the ricotta cheese layer, adding more if necessary to cover the entire dish.
Place the baking dish onto a baking sheet and place in the oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese topping is golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes before serving.
Once again, this dish is something I recommend you try, it will not disappoint. Serve this for large gatherings with a fresh spring salad, a nice bottle of Chianti and I guarantee you’ll be a hero!! This recipe has Mrs. C’s seal of approval, I know she would be proud !! Give it a try!
Buon Appetito !!!
For those not familiar with this dish, Mostaccioli is a baked pasta dish similar to baked Ziti. Think of it as a cross between spaghetti and lasagna. Mostaccioli itself is a type of tubular pasta, known in Italy as Penne Lisce. It has the same basic shape as Penne Rigate, which is probably more recognizable. However, the two differ in almost every other way. Penne is from Northern Italy and made from durum wheat. It has ridges that tend to hold the sauce its combined with. Mostaccioli is primarily a Penne from the south of Italy, is smooth in texture and is made from semolina wheat. Each is designed for a specific purpose although truth be known, they are both interchangeable in my opinion. In fact, I can’t really find Mostaccioli in my local grocery store so this recipe was actually made with Penne.
So, for those who love baked pasta dishes like lasagna, this recipe is one of my very favorites going back to those summers and more simpler times. It harkens back to swimming pools, horsing around and sitting down at Mrs. C’s kitchen table eating a bowl full of Mostaccioli. I like it so much that I chose it as my first baked pasta dish in this Italian Classics series.
Let’s go ahead then and make a big batch of Mostaccioli and make Mrs. C. proud !!
Mostaccioli
Course. Lunch or Dinner.
Cuisine. Italian-American
Makes. 10 to 12 servings
Takes. 60 minutes prep, 60 total minutes cooking time
Ingredients
16 ounces Mostaccioli (or Penne) pasta
2 pounds bulk Italian sausage (mild, hot or mixed)
2-28-ounce cans whole tomatoes (like San Marzano’s)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 medium onion chopped
6-8 garlic cloves finely chopped
15 ounces ricotta cheese
1 large egg beaten
1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
2-3 cups grated Mozzarella cheese
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
1/4 cup white wine
Oil for sauté
Directions
In a large Dutch oven, brown off the Italian sausage for 6-8 minutes. Remove the cooked sausage to a separate bowl and set aside. Drain most of the fat from the sausage leaving a small amount for sautéing or supplement with cooking oil. Add the onions to the pot and sweat them down for about 5 minutes until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another minute or so until fragrant. Also add the Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and red chili flakes.
During the sauté, add the white wine to the pan. Scrape the fond from the bottom of the pot and continue to cook off the alcohol. When complete, add back all of the cooked sausage and stir to combine.
Next, either hand crush or pulse in a blender the contents from the cans of whole tomatoes. Add them to the pot with the other ingredients. Add to that the tomato paste, continue to stir and bring to a low simmer. While stirring, add in all but a small handful of parsley (for garnish) to the sauce. Continue to simmer low, stirring occasionally.
In the meantime, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta to a firm al dente finish. Do not overcook, the eventual baking process will finish it off. Drain in a colander and set aside.
As the pasta is cooking, combine the ricotta, the beaten egg, 1 cup of the mozzarella and the Romano cheeses in a separate bowl mixing well.
Assembly
Fire up your oven to 425*F.
Add some non-stick cooking spray to a large baking dish. Begin by ladling a layer of meat sauce to the bottom of the dish. Follow that by adding all of the pasta in another even layer on top of the sauce. Next ladle the remaining sauce over the top of the pasta. Work the sauce down into the pasta to insure an even disbursal of sauce coating and covering the pasta.
Next, take a rubber spatula and spread the ricotta cheese mixture over the top of the pasta sauce. Finally, sprinkle the remaining mozzarella over the top of the ricotta cheese layer, adding more if necessary to cover the entire dish.
Place the baking dish onto a baking sheet and place in the oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese topping is golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes before serving.
Once again, this dish is something I recommend you try, it will not disappoint. Serve this for large gatherings with a fresh spring salad, a nice bottle of Chianti and I guarantee you’ll be a hero!! This recipe has Mrs. C’s seal of approval, I know she would be proud !! Give it a try!
Buon Appetito !!!
Trout Signing Out !!
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