Four Cheese Baked Mostaccioli Recipe

This casserole comes together quickly and freezes well.

Why This Casserole Works

• Ricotta adds creaminess
• Parmesan adds a nice sharpness
• Tangy goat cheese
• Fresh mozzarella pools of melty goodness.

What to Know Before You Start

• This recipe makes enough to fill 2, 9×13 pans. I always make two so we can enjoy one for dinner and have one in the freezer. You could also half the recipe.
• You can use any shape of pasta you’d like in this recipe. If you like a deeper casserole you could make this recipe in a 2.5-quart casserole. I have one from Corningware that is perfect for recipes like this.
• You could also make this recipe in 1 large and 1 small casserole dish.
• Be sure to follow my tip about undercooking the mostaccioli to avoid mushy pasta.

Four cheese baked mostaccioli is a dinner for a crowd, a meal you’ll happily pull from the freezer on a crazy weeknight and a dish you can whip together on a weekend afternoon.

I love a casserole with multiple cheeses and this dish checks the box with ricotta for creaminess, parmesan for a nice sharpness, tangy goat cheese and pools of melty goodness from fresh mozzarella on top.

This recipe takes an hour from start to finish, including oven preheat time, but most of that time you’ll be standing at the stove giving your meat sauce a stir. There are only about 30 minutes of hands-on time to toss it all together.

A half-and-half meat combo of Italian sausage and ground beef creates a flavorful and hearty meat sauce that isn’t overly greasy (like all-Italian sausage) or lacking in flavor (like all-beef sauces). Adding heavy cream takes the edge off canned tomatoes.

It’s a win/win sauce and pairs perfectly with pasta and four different cheeses.

Mostaccioli gets slightly undercooked because it will continue to cook in the oven and soak up that amazing meat sauce. Then you’ll bake the casserole until bubbly and golden and pull out a family-friendly casserole that’ll have everyone asking for seconds.

Pasta and Meat Sauce

• 1 lb. mostaccioli pasta, also called penne rigate

NOTE: Any kind of pasta will work, but I like to use a pasta with a tube shape that picks up more of the meat sauce. Flat noodles won’t hold the meat sauce as well.

1/2 lb. Italian sausage – either hot or mild, decased (without casings) or in bulk

1/2 lb. 80/20 ground beef NOTE: I wouldn’t recommend using a leaner ground beef because it will turn out dryer.

• 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 2 (14.5 oz. cans) petite diced tomatoes
• 1 (6 oz. can) tomato paste
• 2 tsp. Italian seasoning
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

NOTE: You will need to use heavy whipping cream for this recipe as other types of cream or even half and half do not contain the same fat content.

Cheese Layer

1 (15 oz. carton) whole milk ricotta cheese, not part-skim – I’ve tried it and it doesn’t melt as well

1 cup shredded parmesan, separated into two 1/2 cup measures – half is added to the cheese mixture and half is used on top of the casserole

• 1 large egg, lightly beaten with a fork
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 8 oz. mozzarella cheese, cubed

NOTE: I highly recommend using fresh mozzarella cut into cubes instead of pre-shredded mozzarella as it will give you those dreamy creamy bits of melty goodness when baked.

• 2 to 4 oz. goat cheese log (see note below)

About the Goat Cheese: If you’re on the fence about using goat cheese in a recipe, or if there’s black sheep at your dinner table who refuses to eat it, go ahead and add only 2 oz. If you’re a goat cheese lover, use all 4 oz.

I promise that it adds another level of flavoring to the recipe. The strong goat cheese flavor you get from eating it raw disappears in the recipe and really adds another level of complexity.

Trust me on this one, my family thought this was a “five star dinner” and didn’t even realize it contained goat cheese.

How to Make It

NOTE: If you’re making one dish to bake and one dish to freeze, please read the make-ahead directions below before assembling so you’re aware of the differences in the process.

Step 1: Cook the Pasta

Cover a large pot of water with a lid, season with lots of salt and bring to a boil on high. Remove lid and boil pasta for 1 minute less than directions.

Drain pasta (don’t rinse) and set aside.

Step 2: Build the Meat Sauce

In a Dutch oven or a large skillet, brown sausage, ground beef and onion over medium heat for 8-10 minutes, breaking up the sausage as it cooks and stirring frequently, until meat is browned and no longer pink. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.

Drain fat. Stir in cream.

Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, stir to combine and simmer for another 5 minutes, or until sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Season with salt, to taste. Remove from heat.

Step 3: Make the Cheese Mixture

In a medium-sized bowl, add ricotta cheese, ½ cup parmesan cheese, goat cheese cut into small pieces, egg, salt, pepper. Mix until combined.

Set aside.

Step 4: Layer and Bake

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly oil a 9×13 baking dish and set aside.

When pasta is cooked, toss together the mostaccioli pasta with meat sauce until pasta is well-coated with sauce. Place 3 cups of mostaccioli mixture into oiled baking dish.

Top pasta mixture with half of ricotta and parmesan cheese mixture and spread it evenly over pasta mixture. Spoon the remaining pasta mixture over the cheese.

Bake pasta for 25 minutes in preheated 350 degree oven uncovered. Remove pasta from oven and top with mozzarella cheese cubed and remaining parmesan cheese.

Return pasta to oven and bake an additional 5 minutes. Remove from oven, allow to sit for a couple of minutes before serving.

Helpful Tips

Cook the mostaccioli 1 minute less than directed. The pasta will continue to cook in the oven.

If fully cooked on the stovetop the pasta will be too soft when it comes out of the oven. Don’t rinse the mostaccioli after draining.

This will allow the starches to remain on the pasta and will help the pasta to better soak up the meat sauce. Cut the goat cheese into small pieces.

It will melt into the ricotta and parmesan cheese mixture as it bakes.

• Salt your pasta water adequately; this will be your only opportunity to season the pasta. Under-salted pasta will result in an under-seasoned dish.
• Drain the sausage and beef after browning, as the combination of Italian sausage and 80/20 ground beef will yield a lot of fat and will result in a greasy sauce. Removing some of the fat will also give the sauce a chance to absorb the cream.
• Don’t stress about spreading the ricotta cheese evenly. Just dollop it here and there. It will incorporate into the dish as it bakes.
• Season the pasta sauce to perfection. Taste for seasoning and make adjustments as necessary. It’s easier to do this before you assemble the dish.
• Let it sit. Allowing this dish to sit for 5 minutes post-baking helps everything come together and makes for neater servings.

Storage, Make-Ahead, and Freezer Instructions

• Refrigerator: To store leftovers, cover them well with plastic wrap or transfer to an airtight container. Leftovers can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To reheat individual portions in the microwave, add a splash of water and cover with a damp paper towel to keep from drying out. To reheat an entire container, cover with aluminum foil and bake in a 325° F oven for 20 to 25 minutes until heated through.
• Make-Ahead: If you’d like to prepare this dish in advance, assemble everything except for the mozzarella in a baking dish. Cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Allow the dish to come to room temperature for 30 minutes before baking. Add an additional 5-10 minutes to the original baking time.
• Freezer: To make a batch for the freezer, line a baking dish with aluminum foil that has been coated with a non-stick cooking spray. Add pasta, ricotta and sauce. Cover tightly and chill in refrigerator for a couple of hours or overnight. Remove from refrigerator and lift pasta mixture from baking dish using aluminum foil as a sling. To freeze, wrap tightly with 2-3 additional layers of aluminum foil, label, and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow frozen casserole to defrost in the refrigerator overnight (or up to 24 hours) before baking. Allow the dish to come to room temperature for 30 minutes before baking. Bake in a 350° F oven, uncovered, for 30 to 35 minutes or until bubbly and heated through. Add mozzarella and remaining parmesan during the last 5 minutes of baking.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I taste the goat cheese in the finished dish?

I’d highly recommend at least 2 oz. The tanginess mellows when combined with the ricotta and baked.

But it adds another dimension to the dish.

Can I use a different type of pasta?

Mostaccioli is very similar to penne except mostaccioli doesn’t have ridges, though penne with ridges is called penne rigate. Either one would be fine in a dish like this and the pasta really shines in dishes with a good, saucy meat mixture, like this one.

Use whatever is less expensive or what’s available.

Can I use half-and-half in place of the cream?

Heavy cream helps to cut down on the acidity of the canned tomatoes and tomato paste. Half-and-half isn’t as thick and won’t yield as good results.

The cream helps the sauce to thicken up to make sure the sauce is coating the pasta and not too runny so it separates/pools.

Can I use cottage cheese instead of ricotta?

You can. Ricotta has a thicker, more consistent texture where cottage cheese will be a bit more loose and granular since cottage cheese is wetter.

For best results, place cottage cheese in a fine-mesh strainer to drain off some of the excess moisture for 15-20 minutes before adding to the recipe.

My sauce is still runny after it’s cooked.

What can I do?

Different brands of diced tomatoes vary in the amount of liquid so if needed, cook the sauce another 3 to 5 minutes uncovered to thicken up the sauce. Alternatively, stir in another tablespoon of tomato paste and continue to cook until desired consistency is reached.

Tomato paste is great for helping thicken up sauces.

Related Recipes

• Italian Sausage Pasta
• Easy Weeknight Dinners

Tips for Success

• Undercooking the pasta by 1 minute keeps it from getting too soft when baked. The pasta will finish cooking in the oven.
• Adding fresh mozzarella towards the end of baking will help it to melt but not overcook.
• Allowing the pasta to set for 5 minutes before serving will make it easier to get nice portions.
• The meat sauce combined with the addition of whipping cream helps to enhance the flavor of the meat and helps to bind the meat sauce to the pasta.