Authentic Mostaccioli Italian Food

ITALIAN MOSTACCIOLI BAKE

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in spaghetti sauce and salsa. Drain pasta; stir into meat mixture., Transfer to a greased 13x9-in. baking dish (dish will be full). Cover and bake at 350° for 40 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with cheese. Bake 8-12 minutes longer or until heated through and cheese is melted.

MOSTACCIOLI

Steps:

• Brown meat; add vegetables and cook until tender.
• Stir in spaghetti sauce and garlic.
• In casserole dish, layer half the cooked noodles, meat sauce, and Velveeta. Repeat the layers. Sprinkle the top with Parmesan.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, until heated through and cheese begins to bubble and brown on top.

MOSTACCIOLI

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.

MY FAMOUS 'BAKED' MOSTACCIOLI

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!

MOSTACCIOLI

Steps:

• Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.
• For the cookies: In a food processor, pulse together the flours, cocoa powder, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg and the lemon and orange zests. Add the olive oil and butter and pulse until blended.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, milk, rum and egg until smooth. Gradually stir the flour mixture into the egg mixture until a stiff dough forms. With damp fingers, shape the dough into 1-inch balls and place about 1-inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake until the cookies are firm to the touch, 10 to 11 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes, then transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool completely, about 15 more minutes.
• For the icing: Put the chocolate chips and cream in a heatproof medium bowl and place the bowl over a pan of barely simmering water. Stir frequently until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth.
• Dip the cookies halfway into the icing, then return them to the racks and let set at room temperature until firm, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

BAKED MOSTACCIOLI

Steps:

• 1. To make the sauce: Heat 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef, garlic, salt to taste, and the pepper and cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until the beef is browned. Set aside.
• 2. Heat the rest of the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring a bit, until soft. Stir in all of the tomato products. Fill the tomato puree can with hot water, and stir in the beef and chicken base to dissolve. Add the mixture to the saucepan along with the Parmesan, steak seasoning, garlic salt, basil, and parsley, and bring to a simmer.
• 3. Add the beef to the sauce, reduce the heat to low, and simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Taste and add salt, if necessary.
• 4. To make the baked pasta: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil a 10-inch deep-dish pie plate.
• 5. Toss the cooked pasta with 2 cups of the meat sauce and 11/2 cups each of the mozzarella and Cheddar cheeses. Mound the mixture in the pie dish and top with the rest of the meat sauce and the mozzarella and Cheddar. Place the pie dish on a baking sheet, and bake until bubbling and golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Top with the Parmesan cheese and serve hot.

MEXICAN MOSTACCIOLI

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook mostaccioli at a boil until cooked through yet firm to the bite, about 11 minutes; drain.
• Cook and stir ground beef in a large pot over medium-high heat until crumbly, evenly browned, and no longer pink, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain and discard any excess grease.
• Add picante sauce and stewed tomatoes to the ground beef; cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes soften completely, about 10 minutes. Gently stir the cooked mostaccioli into the ground beef mixture. Add Mexican-style cheese; cook and stir until the cheese is melted, about 5 minutes.

MOSTACCIOLI

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.