Olive Garden Five Cheese Ziti al Forno is one of the most decadent pasta bakes at the famous restaurant! A creamy and cheesy pasta bake is topped with a crispy topping. Featuring five flavor packed cheeses, garlic, and a rich alfredo tomato sauce, this is a divine pasta dish you will love.
Olive Garden Five Cheese Ziti al Forno Recipe
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Having a delicious 30 minute dinner recipe in our weekly routine is a must! This quick and easy five cheese ziti al forno is one of the most flavor packed pasta dishes you can make in under 30 minutes. Our copycat Olive Garden recipe tastes just as good as the real deal and it is much more budget friendly to make it at home than going out.
What is Five Cheese Ziti al Forno
Five cheese ziti al forno is a classic meal from Olive Garden. It features a rich alfredo tomato sauce and ziti pasta. It's packed with five cheeses - ricotta, Fontina, mozzarella, parmesan and Romano. Perfect for cheese lovers! There is a crispy and cheesy topping that is the perfect complement to the creamy pasta. It's a fun and easy dinner you will be making on repeat.
What to Serve with
- Olive Garden Breadsticks
- Olive Garden Salad
- Olive Garden Stuffed Mushrooms
- Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana
- Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup
Ingredients
- Ziti - this recipe is made with ziti pasta at Olive Garden. You can also use any tube shaped pasta (ex. penne or rigatoni).
- Marinara Sauce - store bought or homemade works great for this recipe. Using store bought makes it an even quicker weeknight dinner.
- Alfredo Sauce - we love the combination of the marinara sauce and alfredo sauce.
- Ricotta - this is stirred into the pasta sauce which gives it a rich and creamy texture.
- Fontina - this cheese is perfect for melting. It's stirred into the pasta bake. You can swap for mozzarella cheese.
- Mozzarella - shredded mozzarella is baked over top of the pasta for a crispy and cheesy topping.
- Parmesan - part of the topping for the pasta.
- Romano - this can be swapped for additional parmesan cheese. It is baked on top of the pasta.
- Breadcrumbs - seasoned Italian breadcrumbs are baked over top of the pasta. It gives the pasta bake a great flavor and crispy topping.
- Garlic - adds a great flavor to the crispy topping, it makes the crispy topping taste like a cheesy garlic bread!
- Parsley - used to garnish the pasta bake.
How to Make Olive Garden Five Cheese Ziti al Forno
Full Printable Recipe at Bottom of page
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta one minute less than package directions. Once cooked, drain and set aside. Prepare the other ingredients while the pasta cooks.
- In a medium sized bowl combine the mozzarella, breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, Romano cheese and garlic together. Set aside.
- In an oven safe 9 x 13" baking dish, add the alfredo sauce, marinara sauce, fontina cheese, and ricotta cheese. Stir until evenly combined.
- Add the cooked and drained pasta to the baking tray. Stir until the pasta is evenly coated in the sauce. Spread in an even layer in the baking tray.
- In a medium sized bowl combine the mozzarella, breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, Romano cheese and garlic together. Set aside.
- Evenly spread the topping over the pasta.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and the pasta sauce is bubbly.
- Remove from oven and sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley. Serve and enjoy!
Tips for the Best Recipe
- Pasta - be sure to cook the pasta al dente according to package directions. The pasta will continue to cook when it is baked in the oven so you don't want to overcook the pasta when boiling it or else it will be completely over cooked once it's been baked.
- Flavor Variations - you can change up the recipe to keep it fun and unique each time you make it. You can add a cooked protein such as chicken, shrimp, mild Italian, honey garlic, or a hot Italian sausage. For a spicy version use hot Italian sausage and add a tablespoon of sriracha to the tomato sauce. You can even top the pasta bake with a shredded spicy Havarti cheese!
- Cheeses - this recipe is made with five cheeses. To keep the recipe more budget friendly you can make the following swaps. Shredded Fontina cheese can be swapped for shredded mozzarella. Shredded Romano cheese can be swapped for shredded parmesan. This will make a three cheese recipe with ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan cheese and it is incredibly delicious!
FAQ
Oven Baked - you can reheat leftovers covered in the oven at 350°F for about 8-10 minutes, then uncover for 2-3 minutes to crispen the top.
Microwave - reheat leftovers on a microwave safe plate for about 2-3 minutes, stirring halfway through.
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Yes! This recipe is freezer friendly. Transfer cooled leftovers to a freezer safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat individual servings from frozen in the microwave for about 5-6 minutes, or in the oven at 350°F for about 20-25 minutes, then uncover for 5 minutes to crispen the top.
Yes, you can prepare the full recipe a day in advance and reheat before serving. Undercook the pasta by about 1-2 minutes as the pasta will continue to cook while cooling down.
This recipe is vegetarian.
For a gluten free recipe use gluten free pasta and gluten free bread crumbs. If using store-bought shredded cheeses, ensure they are gluten free.
More Easy Pasta Recipes
Enjoy!
- Sab
Olive Garden Five Cheese Ziti al Forno
Ingredients
- 1 lb ziti pasta (uncooked)
- 2 cups alfredo sauce (homemade or store bought)
- 4 cups marinara sauce (homemade or store bought)
- ½ cup Fontina cheese (shredded)
- ½ cup ricotta cheese
Topping
- 1 ½ cups mozzarella cheese (shredded)
- ¼ cup seasoned Italian breadcrumbs (or panko breadcrumbs)
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese (grated)
- ¼ cup Romano cheese (grated)
- 1 tablespoon garlic (finely minced or grated)
Garnish (Optional)
- fresh parsley (chopped)
- fresh basil (chopped)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the 1 lb ziti pasta one minute less than package directions. Once cooked, drain and set aside. Prepare the other ingredients while the pasta cooks.
- In an oven safe 9 x 13" baking dish, add the 2 cups alfredo sauce, 4 cups marinara sauce, ½ cup Fontina cheese, and ½ cup ricotta cheese. Stir until evenly combined.
- Add the cooked and drained pasta to the baking tray. Stir until the pasta is evenly coated in the sauce. Spread in an even layer in the baking tray.
- In a medium sized bowl combine the 1 ½ cups mozzarella cheese, ¼ cup seasoned Italian breadcrumbs, ¼ cup parmesan cheese, ¼ cup Romano cheese and 1 tablespoon garlic together. Set aside.
- Evenly spread the topping over the pasta.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and the pasta sauce is bubbly.
- Remove from oven and sprinkle with fresh chopped fresh parsley. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
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