Mostaccioli — The Sunday Batch-Cook That Gets My Family Through the Whole Week

Brayden came home from his first week of school with a drawing. It was labeled (by Mrs. Patterson) "My Family." The drawing showed: a tall person (me, with what appears to be a spatula), a less-tall person (Dustin, with a tool — he thinks it's a wrench, I think it's a spatula, the debate continues), a medium person (Brayden, self-portrait, enormous head), a small person (Harper, holding a book — already, at three, Harper is defined by books), a very small person (Wyatt, basically a circle), and a four-legged blob (Biscuit, who is apparently as tall as Dustin in Brayden's artistic universe).

I put it on the fridge. Next to the whiteboard (still says "20K" — I should update it but the whiteboard has become a time capsule). Next to Mama's plaque photo. Next to the ultrasound photos. The fridge gallery in the new house is the same collection as the apartment fridge, plus the drawing of a family where everyone has enormously round heads and the dog is taller than the father. Art imitates life.

The food bank fall curriculum launched this week: "Back to School Meals." How to pack lunches for under $1.50 per kid. How to make breakfast for four in under ten minutes. How to batch-cook weeknight dinners on Sunday so school-week mornings don't require cooking. The class was full — twenty-two families, mostly moms, mostly young, mostly looking at me with the same expression I used to see in the mirror: exhausted, determined, broke. I stood in front of them and said, "A packed lunch costs $1.42. A school lunch costs $3.25. Over a school year, that's a savings of $329.40 per kid." They wrote it down. Twenty-two women, writing down the number $329.40, because that number means something when you're counting every dollar.

I stood in front of twenty-two families this week and told them that Sunday batch-cooking is the single biggest thing they can do to survive the school-week scramble — and when I got home, I proved it by making a big pan of mostaccioli that lasted us three dinners without anyone complaining once. It’s the recipe I keep coming back to: cheap enough to feel responsible, filling enough to satisfy Dustin after a long day, and easy enough that Brayden can help stir the sauce while Harper reads a book three feet away and Wyatt tries to eat a wooden spoon. If $329.40 in annual lunch savings is the number I teach, this pasta is the proof that the Sunday cook-ahead life actually works.

Mostaccioli

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 45 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour | Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 1 lb mostaccioli pasta (or penne)
• 1 lb ground beef or Italian sausage
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 jar (24 oz) marinara or pasta sauce
• 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat & prep. Preheat your oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish and set aside.
2. Cook the pasta. Boil the mostaccioli in salted water according to package directions until just al dente, about 8–9 minutes. Drain and set aside — do not overcook, as it will continue to bake in the oven.
3. Brown the meat. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the ground beef (or sausage) with the diced onion until the meat is no longer pink, about 6–8 minutes. Drain excess fat. Add the minced garlic and cook 1 minute more.
4. Build the sauce. Stir in the marinara sauce, diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes if using. Let the sauce simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, so the flavors come together.
5. Combine. Add the drained pasta to the skillet and stir well to coat every piece in sauce. Fold in 1 cup of the shredded mozzarella.
6. Assemble. Pour the pasta mixture into the prepared baking dish and spread into an even layer. Top evenly with the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella and all of the Parmesan.
7. Bake. Bake uncovered for 25–30 minutes, until the cheese is melted, bubbly, and lightly golden at the edges.
8. Rest & serve. Let the mostaccioli rest for 5 minutes before serving. Leftovers keep refrigerated for up to 4 days and reheat well, covered, at 350°F for 15 minutes or in the microwave.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 420 | Protein: 26g | Fat: 15g | Carbs: 45g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 680mg