Mostaccioli - A Family Tradition

Mostaccioli is something that just reminds me of my grandmother. While she's a fabulous cook and everything she makes is stellar, Mostaccioli is something that always makes me think of her love, the way she hugs us girls, the way she smiles; it's a dish that purely represents my grandmother's loving embrace and warmth, a comfort food made for every occasion, always prepared in a batch big enough to feed an army or two.

Christmas late-afternoon lunches, long weekends with my sister, short visits on our birthday's, she makes it almost every time my family gets together, making the dish that much more of a tradition...

Today I want to share my version of her recipe, which is almost the same as hers, but prepared with Mama's Special Garden Sauce from Ragu! Using Ragu makes this dish so easy to prepare, it's almost mindless - so whenever I have a big event coming up that I need to cook for or I just need some comfort food, this is the recipe I turn to.

Did you know that Ragu started out as a family tradition as well? Assunta Cantisano is the lady behind Ragu, who braved the economy during The Great Depression and started selling jars of her delicious, fresh from the garden sauce from the front porch of her home. That same delicious, fresh from the garden taste is what makes Ragu so great to this day, with tomatoes from family farms and a commitment to quality in every jar - Assunta's tradition lives on.

With fresh vine ripe tomatoes and perfectly combined herbs in every glass jar of Ragu, it's almost just like my grandmother's sauce. Since my Mostaccioli recipe is a tradition and it simmers in Ragu almost all day in the crockpot, I like to refer to this recipe as simmered in tradition.

When I mention Mostaccioli to most people, they ask me what I'm talking about and I've even been told it "sounds like a funny dish"... so while Mostaccioli may not be commonly know, it's a tradition for my family and one that I love sharing, especially because I've adapted the recipe and even made it gluten-free so that my hubby can enjoy it as well.

Surprising my friends that don't know about the delicious ways of Mostaccioli yet with a bowl full of delicious pasta, coated in a beautifully seasoned red sauce, with mushrooms, onions, and a dense handful of Italian cheese sprinkled over the top is always a fun thing to do... It's funny to me how quickly people go from questioning my cooking skills and saying a dish sounds funny to asking for the recipe when they see and taste this recipe!

Not only is this pasta dish incredibly delicious, it's such an easy recipe to prepare! Trust me, you'll want to make Mostaccioli a tradition in your home and I guarantee everyone will love it.

Ingredients:

Mama's Special Garden Sauce from Ragu
1/2 lb ground beef or turkey
1/2 lb Italian sausage
Gluten free penne rigate pasta
1 can of mushrooms
1/2 onion, chopped finely
1 tbsp oil
Italian cheese

You'll want to start boiling the water for your pasta first... then brown the ground beef and italian sausage with the onion and olive oil in a large pan. Boil the pasta until al dente and cook the meat and onion mixture until brown, drain both items.


Combine your pasta, meat, onions, can of mushrooms, and Mama's Special Garden Sauce together in a crock pot. Simmer for 3-4 hours, or until ready to serve on low heat. When everyone is ready to eat, serve up in a bowl with a large helping of cheese sprinkled over the top!

Enjoy!

Now that I've shared a family tradition in my home, I'd love to hear all about the traditions your family follows...? Does your family have a certain pasta dish on special occasions? Does your crew always go eat at a certain restaurant when everyone is together? Tell me one of your favorite family traditions (or recipes) in the comments below, I can't wait to hear all about it!