You Must Try This New Take on Mostaccioli

Four cheeses and basil pesto send the whole dish over the top with comforting goodness. (JeanMarie Brownson/TNS)

Pans full of tomato-sauced mostaccioli grace nearly every family party. Little wonder, as the dish fills the bill of delicious-yet-approachable, crowd-pleasing fare.

This fall, a creamy four-cheese and pesto version changes up the tried and true. Chunks of Italian sausage and fresh spinach add flavor to a sauce made from cream, garlic, and a little spicy red pepper. Four cheeses—mozzarella, Parmesan, mascarpone, and ricotta cheese—and basil pesto send the whole dish over the top with comforting goodness.

Here, orecchiette stands in for the customary penne or rigatoni. These little ear-shaped noodles capture tiny pools of sauce—a real pleasure to eat. Whatever pasta shape you choose, be sure to hold back a minute or two on the initial cooking so the noodles retain some texture. They’ll finish cooking while they bake, covered in sauce.

For the sausage, use mild Italian pork sausage sold in bulk—that is, without the casings for easy browning. If desired, swap in spicy Italian sausage and skip the crushed red peppers from the ingredient list below. Another idea, to help reduce fat a bit, is to swap in thinly sliced fully cooked Italian-style chicken sausage; skip the sausage browning in step one and just lightly brown the onion with the garlic.

Use up the last of the garden’s basil by making a simple, speedy homemade pesto sauce to layer in among the pasta and sausage. Put fresh basil leaves, picked from their stems, into a blender with fresh garlic and extra virgin olive oil. After the mixture is whirled smooth, season it with Parmesan cheese. (The recipe that follows omits the traditional addition of nuts to accommodate guests with allergies.) To save time, swap in store-bought pesto, sold in the refrigerator case, for the homemade.

Working in advance takes the pressure off of any meal. Here, the pasta can be cooked in advance and the sausage can be fully cooked a few days ahead, too. Make the pesto several days in advance; use at room temperature. Mix the ricotta and pesto at the last minute for the brightest flavor and color.

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Use a smear of pesto on garlic bread for an accompaniment. Offer a romaine and arugula salad, dressed with a fresh lemon vinaigrette to offset the richness of the baked pasta.

Four Cheese and Pesto Baked Orecchiette with Sausage and Spinach

Makes 8 servings

• 1 to 1 1/4 pounds bulk mild Italian sausage (no casings)
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 4 large cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 pound orecchiette, farfalle, or small shell-shaped pasta
• 1 cup (1/2 of a 16-ounce carton) ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup speedy pesto sauce, see recipe, or refrigerated, store-bought pesto
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 carton (8 ounces) mascarpone cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1/4 teaspoon each: freshly ground black pepper, thyme
• 1 bag (4 or 5 ounces) baby spinach, large stems removed
• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Cook sausage and onion in a large skillet until browned, about 10 minutes. Use a wooden spatula to break sausage into small bits as it cooks. Drain off any fat. Add garlic and crushed red pepper flakes to the sausage; cook 1 minute. Remove from heat. (Cooked sausage can be refrigerated for several days, if desired.)

Heat a large pot of salted water to the boil. Add pasta and cook until just shy of al dente (still slightly toothsome in the center), 8 to 10 minutes. Scoop out and reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water. Drain pasta in a colander and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking. Drain well. (Pasta can be cooked, drained, and refrigerated up to several days in advance.)

Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Generously oil a 13-by-9-inch oven-to-table baking dish. Mix the ricotta and pesto in a small bowl.

In a large bowl, whisk together the cream, mascarpone, salt, pepper, and thyme until smooth. Stir in cooled pasta, sausage mixture, spinach leaves, 2/3 of the mozzarella and 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan until pasta is coated. Add dribbles of the reserved pasta cooking water if mixture seems dry.

Scoop half of the pasta mixture into the prepared baking dish. Spread 2/3 of the pesto mixture over the pasta. Top with remaining pasta mixture. Dollop on the remaining pesto mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella and the remaining Parmesan.

Bake until cheese is golden and sauce bubbles nicely, 20 to 30 minutes. Let rest a few minutes before serving.

Speedy Pesto Sauce: Put 2 cups tightly-packed fresh basil leaves into a blender along with 2 or 3 cloves fresh garlic. Add 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil. Process with on/off turns until nearly smooth. Add a little more oil if needed to make a thick sauce. Add 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Process to reduce cheese to very fine pieces. Spoon into a container and season with a bit of salt. Refrigerate covered up to several days or freeze for a couple of months. Makes about 1 cup.

Garlic Bread With Pesto and Red Pepper

Makes 8 pieces

• 1 loaf (8 ounces) take-and-bake French bread
• 4 to 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1/4 cup Speedy pesto sauce or store-bought refrigerated pesto
• 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Slice bread horizontally in half and place on a baking sheet. Spread butter over cut sides of bread. Spread pesto over butter. Sprinkle with cheese and pepper flakes.

Bake until bread is crusty and browning at the edges, 5 to 10 minutes. Let rest a minute before cutting into serving portions.