Olive Garden 5 Cheese Ziti Recipe

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4.98 from 42 votes

Published on September 2, 2022

, Updated on May 21, 2024

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by Carrie Barnard

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Olive Garden 5 Cheese Ziti is loaded with cheese and layered with Marinara and Alfredo Sauce. This gooey cheesy copycat dish is simple to prepare but so hearty and delicious.

Olive Garden 5 Cheese Ziti

If you love Olive Garden Five Cheese Ziti al forno, this copycat recipe is a must try. We make it easy to enjoy your favorites at home any day of the week. Not only is this recipe amazing but it costs a fraction of the price to make it at home. If you love copycat recipes, also try Olive Garden Fried Lasagna Recipe.

There is so much cheese and it really takes this dish up a level. The various cheese blends make this so cheesy and gooey. Another family favorite is this Baked Ziti with Chicken.

What is Olive Gardens 5 cheese ziti?

Each bite is a tasty blend of pasta, numerous cheeses and lots of sauce. The blend of Marinara and Alfredo give this dish a unique flavor. Everything combines for a fabulous pasta dish.

This recipe is definitely a crowd pleaser. Let’s prepare the ziti. Your friends and family will enjoy this pasta dish.

Why we love this copycat recipe:

Easy to make.
Budget friendly alternative to dining at Olive Garden.
It tastes delicious with so many blends of cheese combined with the pasta and sauce.

Ingredients:

For the Pasta and Sauce:

Ziti Pasta
Marinara Sauce
Alfredo Sauce
Ricotta Cheese
Fontina Cheese, shredded
Mozzarella Cheese, shredded

Topping:

Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
Romano Cheese, grated
Parmesan Cheese, grated
Minced Garlic
Panko Breadcrumbs

Olive Garden 5 Cheese ziti in a casserole dish.

How to make Olive Garden 5 Cheese ziti:

Warm up the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and spray a 3 quart baking dish or 9X13 baking pan with a non-stick cooking spray.

Cook the pasta. Boil the ziti based on the package instructions to al dente. Drain and set aside.

Process photos of making Olive Garden 5 Cheese ziti and baking.

Combine the pasta ingredients. In a large mix bowl, stir together the remaining pasta ingredients (marinara sauce, Alfredo sauce, ricotta cheese, mozzarella fontina). Then gently fold the cooked ziti into this sauce mixture. Then gently pour this mixture into the prepared baking pan.

Mix together the topping ingredients. In a separate bowl, stir together the topping ingredients. Evenly sprinkle the topping mixture on top of the pasta in the pan.

Place in the preheated oven. Bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes until the top is golden brown, the cheeses are melted and the sauce is bubbly.

Serve warm and enjoy! Olive Garden Ziti is delicious.

What to serve with 5 cheese ziti al forno:

Salad. Make your favorite salad or try this Copycat Olive Garden Salad Recipe. We love it with Olive Garden Salad dressing.
Breadsticks. You definitely need something to dip into the delicious sauce. Try making Copycat Olive Garden breadsticks.

Tips for 5 cheese ziti olive garden:

Cheese. If you cannot find fontina cheese in your area, you can use Monterey Jack Cheese instead.
Topping. You can use a blend of Parmesan Romano if you prefer instead of the individual cheeses.
Pasta. Make sure that the noodles are not cooked all the way through as they will cook further in the oven. This will ensure they do not get mushy once baked with the other ingredients.
Pasta Water. Salt your pasta water and it will make a huge difference in the flavor of the dish.

Make in advance:

Sometimes if I have a busy week planned, I like to go ahead and make this ahead of time. Then when we are running around from numerous activities, I don’t have to worry about dinner or being tempted to get take out.

Just go ahead and assemble the dish as normal. Cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours.

When ready to bake, allow to come to room temperature. Then bake as normal or until the ziti is heated through. This is extremely helpful to utilize during busy seasons.

How to store leftovers:

Refrigerate the leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave or oven until heated through. You may need to add a little bit of water to prevent it from drying out.

You can also freeze this recipe. Cover with plastic wrap and foil prior to baking.

Freeze up to 3 months. Then just thaw in the fridge overnight when ready to bake.

Sometimes, we double the recipe to have one for the freezer. It is beneficial when we are tempted to get takeout.

Variations:

Meat. While the traditional recipe is meat free, you can easily add your favorite protein. Try adding ground beef, ground turkey, shrimp or chicken to the dish.

You can easily add a pound of browned ground beef when combining the pasta and sauce. You can really add any meat you prefer.
Pasta. Substitute penne, bow tie or anything you have in your pantry.

Gluten free:

If you need to make a gluten free pasta dish, substitute gluten free pasta in this recipe. You will also need to use gluten free breadcrumbs as well.

You can use store bought or make your own using gluten free bread. It is pretty easy to make this gluten free.

Another suggestion is to check the ingredients in the Alfredo sauce to ensure it is suitable for a gluten free diet. I always like to check to make sure.

This recipe is delicious.

We enjoy preparing this at home for an easy weeknight dinner. Our family gets to enjoy all the delicious flavors of Olive Garden without leaving our house.

It is one of our favorite comfort food dishes without much work at all. Not to mention we are saving money cooking this at home.

Give it a try for a crowd pleasing meal. It is so delicious that you might enjoy this copycat version better. We sure love it and keep it on the regular menu plan rotation.