Mostaccioli Supper
2013 – Gluten Free Living
Mostaccioli Supper is a delicious pasta recipe that’s so easy to make. Our family has always loved Italian dishes with meat, marinara sauce, noodles, and cheese in almost any combination imaginable. This one uses a cheddar cheese for the topping instead of the more traditional provolone, mozzarella, parmesan, or asiago cheeses.
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Still this is a wonderfully satisfying meal especially with the changes I’ve made to increase the flavor. While the original recipe is a good start, I found the taste rather bland. I added oregano, basil and Italian seasoning. Those spices dressed up the taste exceptionally well. Thyme, marjoram, and fennel seed would also be good additions if you have them on hand.
By now, you’ve probably realized I love Taste of Home’s Ground Beef cookbook! The link I have here doesn’t have the 1999 Reiman publication that so many of my recipes come from. This is another delicious and satisfying recipe from that collection. You can use the American cheese slices if you wish, but I prefer real cheese and not processed cheese.
I’ve made wholesale changes to the original recipe which was titled, “Mom’s Mostaccioli.” Besides adding the spices I changed out the American cheese recommended in the recipe for real cheese. I use either cheddar, Colby-Jack, Monterey Jack, or a combination of any of these cheeses. Taste of Home’s original recipe was the inspiration for my Mostaccioli Supper. But my changes are so dramatic that you would barely recognize the original.
If you’re looking for a quick and easy ground beef casserole recipe that’s kid friendly, consider trying out this simple recipe. It’s a great go-to recipe for days when you have to whip up something quickly. It can then be stashed in the oven where you don’t have to be checking it constantly, like you would for stove-top meals.
My version of this recipe is gluten free because I used gluten free noodles. If you don’t have gluten intolerance regular wheat noodles will obviously work as well. Because the casserole is layered, the cheese is mixed in with each layer which allows for a really rich, cheesy taste and texture. Our family enjoys this recipe and hope you will too.
When I initially posted this recipe in June 2012, it was the very early days of my blog. My pictures back then were of such poor quality as to be embarrassing! I recently remade this recipe (December 2014) for our family. I updated the recipe as well as the pictures. That way, you can have a better depiction of what this casserole is supposed to look like.
Mostaccioli Supper is such a tasty pasta dish. I have used this recipe with almost any kind of noodle but it works exceptionally well with ziti and tubular noodles. These ones are gluten free.
The main difference with this casserole over most Italian pasta dishes is this uses a cheddar or Colby-Jack cheese rather than mozzarella or parmesan.
If you’re looking for a tasty, kid-friendly pasta recipe, Mostaccioli Supper is it.
Here’s what I did.
I used these ingredients.
Brown ground beef in a large skillet. Add diced green or yellow bell pepper and onions while browning beef. Stir ingredients to combine and keep browning until cooked through. Drain off the grease.
Add diced tomatoes, water, tomato paste, bay leaves, oregano, basil, Italian seasoning, fennel seed, salt and pepper.
Stir ingredients to combine and simmer over low to medium heat for about 10 minutes. After cooking through, remove bay leaves from tomato sauce mixture.
Meanwhile, cook pasta according to directions and drain. I used gluten free noodles for this recipe.
To assemble casserole: Place one-third of the cooked noodles in bottom of a glass casserole dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray.
Spoon one-third of the tomato sauce mixture over top of the noodles.
Sprinkle sauce with cheese.
Repeat layers again.
Repeat layers one last time.
Cover with foil so noodles don’t burn and dry out. Bake at 350 for about 30-40 minutes or until cooked through.
Mostaccioli Supper is a quick and easy casserole that’s kid friendly. It’s terrific for weeknight suppers.
Mostaccioli Supper is a delicious ground beef dish. It’s economical, too.
Every bite will have you licking your chops!
Here’s the recipe.
MOSTACCIOLI SUPPER
(Recipe inspired from Taste of Home Ground Beef Cookbook)
Mostaccioli Supper
Equipment
- 1 large Dutch oven with lid
- 1 hamburger chopper to break meat down into tiny pieces while frying
- 1 sharp knife to cut vegetables
- 1 stock pot with lid
- 1 colander
- 1 wooden spoon
- 1 spatula
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- 1 9x13" deep dish glass baking dish not the clear pyrex baking dishes with only a two-inch side
- aluminum foil
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs. 93% to 96% lean ground sirloin
- 1 large onion chopped
- 1 whole green pepper seeded, diced, I used a yellow bell pepper
- 15 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained Italian style is good
- 12 oz. can tomato paste
- 16 oz. water
- 3 whole bay leaves
- 1 1/2 tsp. salt
- 3/4 tsp. ground black pepper
- 1-2 tsp. dried basil or more to taste
- 1-2 tsp. dried oregano or more to taste
- 1-2 tsp. Italian seasoning or more to taste
- 1-2 tsp. fennel seed
- 16 oz. box gluten free mostaccioli, cooked and drained or substitute rotini, ziti, penne, fusilli or any pasta of your choice
- 12 oz. Colby-Monterey Jack cheese shredded, or sharp cheddar cheese shredded
Instructions
- In a small Dutch oven, cook beef, onion and green or yellow pepper over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.
- Use a hamburger chopper to break the meat down into tiny pieces while frying.
- Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, water, bay leaves, salt, pepper and seasonings.
- Cover and simmer for 10 minutes; discard bay leaves.
- Meanwhile, cook gluten free pasta in a large stock pot in boiling water according to package directions.
- Drain in colander.
- Spray a 9x13” baking dish with cooking spray.
- Layer one-third of the pasta into dish.
- Top with one-third the meat mixture and layer a cup of shredded cheese over top to completely cover.
- Repeat layers two more times.
- Bake, covered at 350° about 30-40 minutes until heated through.
- Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Recipe inspired from Taste of Home.
© Can’t Stay Out of the Kitchen
Nutrition
- 1 ½ lbs. lean ground sirloin
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 whole green pepper, seeded, diced (I used a yellow bell pepper)
- 1 can diced tomatoes, undrained (Italian style is good)
- 12-oz. can tomato paste
- 16-oz. water
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 1/2 tsp. salt
- 3/4 tsp. pepper
- 1-2 tsp. basil, or more to taste
- 1-2 tsp. oregano, or more to taste
- 1-2 tsp. Italian seasoning, or more to taste
- 1-2 tsp. fennel seed
- 1 16-oz. box gluten free mostaccioli, cooked and drained (or substitute rotini, ziti, penne, fusilli or any pasta of your choice)
- 12-oz. shredded Colby-Monterey Jack or sharp cheddar cheese
- In a small Dutch oven, cook beef, onion and green or yellow pepper over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.
- Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, water, bay leaves, salt, pepper and seasonings.
- Cover and simmer for 10 minutes; discard bay leaves.
- Meanwhile, cook pasta for two minutes at a rolling boil.
- Turn off heat.
- Allow noodles to stay in hot water for 15 minutes. (Noodles will continue cooking in the hot water).
- Drain.
- Spray a 9×13” baking dish with cooking spray.
- Layer one-third of the pasta into dish.
- Top with one-third the meat mixture and layer a cup of shredded cheese over top to completely cover.
- Repeat layers two more times.
- Bake, [u]covered[/u] at 350° about 30-40 minutes until heated through.
- Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
Sprinkle additional cheese on top of individual servings of Mostaccioli Supper, if desired. I used gluten free noodles in this dish which is an ideal option for those with gluten intolerance.
This dish is easy to adapt to your family’s tastes. If you want the dish hotter, add about 1/8 tsp. of red pepper flakes when cooking the sauce. If you want more seasoning, increase the salt and pepper slightly, and increase the seasonings to 2 teaspoons of each (my recommendation). You may also include minced garlic, thyme or marjoram in amounts you desire to increase the flavor. Taste the tomato sauce after about 5 minutes to check for seasoning and add seasonings as you desire then.
If you enjoy pasta, consider trying out this tasty recipe.
You may also enjoy these delicious recipes!
Mostaccioli Supper
Equipment
- 1 large Dutch oven with lid
- 1 hamburger chopper to break meat down into tiny pieces while frying
- 1 sharp knife to cut vegetables
- 1 stock pot with lid
- 1 colander
- 1 wooden spoon
- 1 spatula
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- 1 9×13" deep dish glass baking dish not the clear pyrex baking dishes with only a two-inch side
- aluminum foil
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs. 93% to 96% lean ground sirloin
- 1 large onion chopped
- 1 whole green pepper seeded, diced, I used a yellow bell pepper
- 15 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained Italian style is good
- 12 oz. can tomato paste
- 16 oz. water
- 3 whole bay leaves
- 1 1/2 tsp. salt
- 3/4 tsp. ground black pepper
- 1-2 tsp. dried basil or more to taste
- 1-2 tsp. dried oregano or more to taste
- 1-2 tsp. Italian seasoning or more to taste
- 1-2 tsp. fennel seed
- 16 oz. box gluten free mostaccioli, cooked and drained or substitute rotini, ziti, penne, fusilli or any pasta of your choice
- 12 oz. Colby-Monterey Jack cheese shredded, or sharp cheddar cheese shredded
Instructions
- In a small Dutch oven, cook beef, onion and green or yellow pepper over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.
- Use a hamburger chopper to break the meat down into tiny pieces while frying.
- Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, water, bay leaves, salt, pepper and seasonings.
- Cover and simmer for 10 minutes; discard bay leaves.
- Meanwhile, cook gluten free pasta in a large stock pot in boiling water according to package directions.
- Drain in colander.
- Spray a 9×13” baking dish with cooking spray.
- Layer one-third of the pasta into dish.
- Top with one-third the meat mixture and layer a cup of shredded cheese over top to completely cover.
- Repeat layers two more times.
- Bake, covered at 350° about 30-40 minutes until heated through.
- Let stand 10 minutes before serving.