Sunday isn’t always the best day for writing a tech blog.  So instead of trying to shoehorn a technical topic in on the weekend, I thought I would do Recipe Sundays where I share a recipe from my family cookbook.

The first recipe I’m going to share is one that I’ve been making for over 10 years.  It is one of the first things that I learned to cook when I was in college – baked mostaccioli.

This recipe is very simple to put together, stores well, and can easily be scaled up to feed a small army. 

Ingredients:

1 pound of lean ground beef or ground turkey
1 pound box of Mostaccioli or Penne
1 45 oz.  jar of Ragu Old World Style Traditional Spaghetti Sauce or generic equivalent
16oz shredded Mozzeralla Cheeze
Seasonings
1 9×13 baking pan
Onion Powder
Garlic Powder

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cook pasta per package instructions for 8-9 minutes so that it is slightly undercooked.  Drain, but DO NOT rinse pasta.
3. Season ground meat with onion and garlic powder and brown over medium heat until cooked thoroughly, drain
4. Spread about 1/2 cup of sauce on the bottom of the pan
5. In a large mixing bowl or pot, combine the meat, pasta, remaining sauce and a half cup of shredded cheese.  Mix until pasta and meat are coated with sauce.
6. Pour the pasta and meat mixture into the baking pan and top with remaining cheese.
7. Bake for approximately 35 minutes until cheese is slightly browned and a thermometer reads 165 degrees when inserted into the center.
Note: Cooking times may vary depending on oven and if it was frozen before going into the oven.
8. Allow to stand and cool for 5-10 minutes.