Chicago-style baked mostaccioli (or rigatoni)

As some of you know, I grew up in the Chicagoland area, which has such a rich culinary history. Many foods (yes, beyond pizza) have a distinct Chicago-style version that is not easily forgotten. For me, one of those foods is baked mostaccioli, which was occasionally served for lunch both at my daycare and my grade school. It was so good, but it wasn’t a dish we ever made at home.

After some internet searching, I came across this recipe at One Perfect Bite, which is awesome! I made just a few modifications, which are reflected below. Give it a try – you won’t regret it!

Cheesy pasta goodness in a dish

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound mild Italian sausage (bulk; if only links are available, remove sausage from casing)
• 2 15-oz. cans unseasoned tomato sauce
• 1.25 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1.25 teaspoon onion powder
• 1.25 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 pound mostaccioli (or rigatoni, or penne)
• 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (or 2 cups mozzarella cheese and 1 cup Italian blend)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan or ~3.5 quart baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Heat olive oil in a large dutch oven or skillet (~4 or 5 quart size). Add sausage to dutch oven and brown.
3. Add tomato sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano and black pepper to skillet. Stir to mix well. Bring contents of dutch oven to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, cook mostaccioli (or rigatoni or penne) according to package directions. Drain and return to pot.
5. Add 4-5 ladle-fulls of tomato sauce mixture to drained pasta. Toss to lightly coat.
6. Place half of cooked pasta in baking pan, making sure bottom of pan is completely covered. Cover with half of remaining tomato sauce mixture and half of cheese. Create another layer using remaining mostaccioli and the last of the tomato sauce and cheese.
7. Cover baking dish with non-stick foil. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until top layer of cheese is completely melted. If desired, brown under broiler. Serve immediately. Yield: 4 to 6 servings.