Sharing another pantry pasta recipe today in the form of pantry baked mostaccioli. It’s really versatile, full of simple staple ingredients, and comes together in just about 45 minutes. Perfect way to wind down at home after a long week!
While things are (very) slowly getting back to normal in the world, I’m still finding myself trying to make my grocery runs last a LONG time. I’ll use up all of my fresh produce and then slowly start to turn to my pantry. By the last day or so before I make my way back out to the store, dinners are looking a lot like this baked mostaccioli.
If you’re in the same boat, I’m hoping this recipe can come in handy for you! It mainly uses pantry staples, plus some fresh cheese, and can easily be modified to work with what you have on hand.
Don’t have an ingredient? Leave it out. Have a few other random things sitting around that you’d like to use up? Throw them in!
pantry baked mostaccioli – the details
Lately, one of the most popular recipes on the blog has been this roasted red pepper pantry pasta. I’m so glad everyone has been loving it right now and while it’s an absolute go-to of mine, I wanted to change it up. With this baked mostaccioli, I made things a little bit heartier with the addition of onions, crushed tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, and lots of mozzarella.
The sauce comes together right in the skillet. It’s flavored simply with a little oregano and crushed red pepper. While the sauce is simmering, you’ll cook off some mostaccioli and then add it right on in. Once everything is combined, lots of mozzarella gets added on top and it’s baked until golden. To make this baked mostaccioli even more substantial, you could cook off some ground pork or chicken sausage before cooking the onions. Brown it, remove it from the skillet, and then add it back in when you’re simmering the tomatoes.
When the baked mostaccioli comes out of the oven the cheese should be melted with slightly crisped brown edges. From there, nothing left to do but dig in!
PrintPantry Baked Mostaccioli
a comforting pantry baked mostaccioli with onions, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, and fresh mozzarella
servings: 4
Ingredients
- kosher salt
- olive oil
- 1 small onion, thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp crushed red pepper
- 2 (14.5 oz) cans crushed tomatoes
- ½ lb mostaccioli
- 2 oz sun-dried tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 4 oz castelvetrano olives, halved
- 1 tbsp butter
- 4 oz fresh mozzarella, drained + sliced ¼”
- 4 oz shredded mozzarella
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F and bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- Meanwhile, heat a 12” skillet over medium heat. Add enough olive oil to coat the bottom. Once hot, add the onion, Saute for about 6 minutes until tender and slightly caramelized. Season with a pinch of salt. Stir in the garlic, oregano, and crushed red pepper. Cook for another minute or so.
- Add the crushed tomatoes to the skillet. Stir well and bring to a simmer. Turn the heat to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring often. After 20 minutes, drop the mostaccioli in the boiling water. Cook according to the package instructions.
- Add the sun-dried tomatoes and olives to the sauce, along with 1 cup of starchy pasta water. Simmer for a few more minutes while the liquid reduces. Stir in the butter and let melt. Drain the mostaccioli and add it to the sauce. Stir well.
- Spread the pasta into an even layer. Top with the slices of fresh mozzarella (season each slice with a pinch of salt) and the shredded mozzarella. Bake for 6 minutes until the cheese has melted. Turn the oven temp to high broil. Broil for 1-2 minutes until the cheese is golden brown. Garnish with a pinch of crushed red pepper if you’d like.
shop the dish: pantry baked mostaccioli
