Olive Garden Five Cheese Ziti al Forno Copycat recipe with two Italian sauces and 5 melty cheeses baked together with a crispy panko topping.
Baked Ziti is the ultimate Cheesy, crowd-pleasing Italian Dish. Try my Baked Million Dollar Spaghetti and Ultimate Meat Lasagna for more potluck favorites.
Sabrina’s Olive Garden Five Cheese Ziti al Forno Recipe
This is the best baked ziti recipe you’ve ever had! It takes a classic dish and kicks it up about ten more notches. A mixture of marinara and Alfredo sauce along with five (yes, five!) additional cheeses make an over-the-top, flavorful pasta. And you don’t have to wait for a trip to Olive Garden to enjoy it!
Recipe Card
Ingredients
PASTA
- 1 pound ziti pasta
- 4 cups marinara sauce
- 2 cups Alfredo sauce
- 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup fontina cheese , shredded
TOPPING
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese , shredded
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup Romano cheese , grated
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese , grated
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Cook the pasta one minute shy of the directions on the box and drain.
- In a large metal bowl add the pasta, marinara sauce, Alfredo sauce, ricotta cheese, and fontina cheese and mix well.
- Add to a large oven safe skillet or 9×13-inch pan.
- Mix the mozzarella, panko, Romano, parmesan, and garlic together and add the topping over the pasta.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes uncovered until golden brown and bubbly.
Nutrition
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Table of Contents
About this Recipe
Traditional baked ziti is made with marinara sauce, mozzarella, and ricotta cheese, but this Olive Garden version is even more indulgent. With a mix of two sauces, you’d think that all the flavors would be muddled, but they work so well together that you’ll find yourself routinely mixing marinara and Alfredo even when making a simple spaghetti dinner.
Let me know if you have any Copycat Recipe requests. I have a lot more on the site, some from Olive Garden, in fact! If you have a specific recipe you’d like to see let me know in the comments below.
Can this be made ahead of time?
- Yes, sort of. I tried freezing this recipe for meal prep and ended up with dry pasta. But, then I tried adding the cooked pasta to a baking sheet in a single layer, and freezing it on its own. Once the pasta was frozen, I combined it with the other ingredients, and froze the whole recipe in a freezer-safe container to bake later.
- Why freeze the pasta, you ask? Pasta has this annoying quality where it sucks up all the liquids, drying out your leftovers. By freezing the pasta before assembling, you prevent the pasta from acting like a sponge, and maintain the amazing texture and flavor. To serve, pop the frozen recipe in a 375 degree oven and bake until warmed through.
Frequent Questions
YES and I love the way you think. If you prefer lasagna, you can swap out the ziti pasta for lasagna sheets, and layer the sauce and cheese between the pasta layers. You may want to add seared ground beef to give it some more substance than the cheese and sauce.
This Olive Garden recipe is vegetarian but you can absolutely add meat or seafood to the dish. Adding shrimp is a fantastic option, sliced and seared chicken would be great too.
Related Recipes
More Copycat Recipes
Images used in a previous version of this post:
I made the first time for friends. We loved it! I made it later for my family and added 3cups of shredded chicken. My granddaughter, who has decided recently that she does not like pasta loved it and said we need to make it again. What a wonderful recipe. Thank you so much for doing this!
The added chicken sounds super tasty, and what a great way to add some protein to this dish. I’m glad you won over your granddaughter too! I hope this recipe continues to bring you joy, and thank you for the 5 star review.
This is a good recipe and super easy.
The topping is very overwhelming with garlic, if I make it again I’ll likely use only one clove.
Is it Olive Garden? No. Very tasty nonetheless.
Thanks for your great feedback. You’re right, everyone’s tastes vary greatly so good call and tweaking to meet your spicy levels! Appreciate your feedback and please come back for more recipes!
This is my go-to dish at Olive Garden. I made it myself tonight and this is better!!! Thank you for empowering me— I can now enjoy something super comforting at home 🙂
This recipe is “comfort food”, right?!! Thanks for the kind review and five stars, Rachel 🙂
I only had one problem. The pasta was very dry and not creamy like Olive Garden. Not sure how to have it come out creamy.
If anyone know how to keep it creamy I would really appreciate it.
Thank you.
Hey Mike, I’m sorry your ziti didn’t turn out as planned. I haven’t had anyone else experience this. My thoughts with where it went wrong- The pasta was undercooked more than directed. Not enough sauce was used. The oven was set higher than 375 degrees. Let me know if any or some of these were the culprit so I can help you enjoy this recipe next time.
Always hold out some of your pasta water. After mixing all the ingredients together add a 1/4 cup pasta water and stir. You can add more if needed to the consistency you like. The starch in the water will help make the sauce creamy and help the dish not dry out.
A solid 10/10. Would make again
Looks delicious! Thank you Isa and thanks for the great review!
Does this recipe have parsley?
This recipe is awesome! If fully cooked, and still in the 9×13, do you have oven reheating suggestions?
Really good and simple recipe.
Glad you enjoyed it Mary and thank you for the five star review.
Amazing! My family wants me to make this all the time!!
Glad to hear you guys enjoyed the recipe and thanks so much for the five star review, Robin!
If I could leave more than 5 stars I would. This is absolutely amazing. I made the homemade Alfredo it called for and that was absolutely amazing as well. I did however use jarred marinara and whipping cream because that’s what I had on hand and my goodness!! My family has no requested this every week. Thank you for sharing this and I can’t wait to try your other recipes.
What a yummy comment Jennifer! Thanks for your kind words and five star review!
This looks delicious. I had never had this from the Olive Garden or anywhere, for that matter. Now, I can’t get enough. I will certainly make it. Do you have a recipe for alfredo sauce? Thank you.
We do! Click here: https://dinnerthendessert.com/creamy-classic-alfredo-sauce
This recipe is AMAZING!!! I love the five cheese ziti from Olive Garden and this was amazing, if not better. I did make my own alfredo sauce (using another creators recipe) and I think that was important. I also shredded all of my own cheese. When I mixed everything together, I was very skeptical as I thought it seemed really soupy, but it wasn’t soupy at all in the end result. So delicious
Roughly how long does it take to reheat from frozen?
If uncooked, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C), place the covered dish in the oven, and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, then remove the foil and cook until bubbling and the cheese is melted and slightly browned, an additional 15 to 20 minutes
Can you use any premade Alfredo sauce? Do you have one you’d recommend?
I haven’t used premade Alfredo sauce in this recipe. I really don’t have a recommendation for a preferred sauce. Let me know what you decide to use and how the recipe turns out!
Rao’s is pretty good!
I am planning to make this (hopefully tonight or tomorrow night if I can get this answered on time). Anyways, my family is not big on Ricotta cheese, is there anything I can use to substitute for that? I CANNOT wait to try this!!!!
Hey Shannon, there’s a few substitutes that I would recommend. Cottage cheese is the closest to ricotta, and you could blend it for a similar texture. If you want a creamier option there’s mascarpone, and you may want to add a pinch of salt. For these two options you’ll use the same amount as you would ricotta. Finally, you could use cream cheese. Make sure it’s softened, and add a splash of milk to loosen it up. If you use cream cheese, use 3/4 of the amount since it is richer. Hopefully I caught you in time before dinner tonight, but if not, you’ve got these ready for your next meal!
I had to use several substitutions so my recipe didn’t taste like Olive Garden’s. It was good, but if I make it again, I will try to follow the recipe more closely.
Girlllll lemme tell y’all, my boyfriend loved it, his family loved it and omg am I shocked at how easy this was. The hardest part was the baking and actually waiting lol. And I made it again tonight, leftovers for 3 days I’ll tell ya
I’m laughing so hard right now! Love love loved your comment and so glad you all enjoyed the recipe!
What is the serving size? I get it serves 8, but how much does each person get with this recipe. Thanks!!!
Our nutrition values are created by a nutrition calculator. Feel free to use your own nutrition calculators with the recipe ingredients. Serving sizes become an issue because people will have ingredients of different sizes. Packaged products are weighed and measured at the time of creation which makes their measurements accurate. The only way to accurately know the measurements of meals is to weigh and divide.
Could I add hamburger to the ziti?
Sure!
I would like to make this. Could I add another to it?
Add “another”?
I made this recipe tonight and it was amazing! Taste just like Olive Gardens.this is a keeper.and its so easy.You will not be disappointed! Promise!
Best home recipe and tastes just like the original, three teens loved it. Thanks for sharing
You’re welcome Sandy and thanks for the five star review!
Could you make this in a crockpot? I need to take it for a potluck, but if I bake it the night before I’m worried it will be too dry. Any suggestions?
I haven’t tried this recipe using a crock pot. if you’re looking for Chicken crock pot options, check these recipes out! https://dinnerthendessert.com/?s=chicken+slow+cooker
This recipe is awesome! I’ve made 4 times now, and it is my go to when I want a cheesy Ziti. Tastes great the next day too. Leftovers don’t last long.
So glad you enjoyed this recipe Ezequiel! Thanks for the five star review.
My kids take turn cooking once a week, and when it was my son’s turn he wanted to make the Five Cheese Ziti he had at Olive Garden. I found your recipe and it was a huge it! He said it tasted just like the original.
I love hearing that the kids enjoyed the recipe! Thank you Kelly and thanks for the 5 stars.
This was the absolute BEST BAKED ZITI I HAVE EVER HAD!!!!!! Totally recommend. Family favorite now! ????
Yay! So glad you guys enjoyed the recipe. Thank you Madison for the five star review.
This is a simple recipe that everyone loves. I use a 48 oz jar of Prego sauce which makes it moister. I also add in 1 pound of browned ground meat and 1 pound of ground mild Italian sausage so the extra sauce is better. Add some onion and green pepper along with some basil and oregano. Tastes even better the next day!
I like your ideas! Sounds yummy Bertie!
I am confused about your comment regarding freezing the pasta before assembling. Probably a silly question, but does that mean to boil the pasta and then freeze or freeze it uncooked and then assemble everything and cook?
We tried something we’ve seen in frozen pastas and COOKED the pasta, then freezing it on a sheet in a single layer. Once frozen we made the recipe as directed. Let us know what you decided to do and how it turned out!
Did it all with your Alftedo and Marinara recipes (almost used Raos) but, this was great!!! It was a hit!
Great recipe! My family loved it. Only thing I changed was substituting Gruyere, since I couldn’t find the Fontina.
This was DELICIOUS! Tastes so much like Olive Garden and leftovers were delicious too!
I made that it was so good.
It turned out perfectly! Delicious!
Ive never been to Olive Garden and my husband has promised to take me. But in the mean time, I made this and it was sooo good. My only mistake was I couldn’t find fontina and I forgot the mozzarella. Othee than that, it was even a hit with friends I had over today
Absolutely delicious, and LOVE the fast Alfredo recipe too. I would recommend people budget 2 hours for this dish, or make your sauce ahead of time. Thank you for a great meal. 🙂 Lisa
You’re welcome! Thanks for the 5 stars Lisa!
This was probably one of the best pasta dishes I have ever had! It is just like olive garden’s I love love love it
That’s great Journey! Thanks for letting us know!
delicious so easy to make it i would eat this every day if I could
Can you make this a day or two before for a party?
Yes! Baked Ziti is the perfect make-ahead meal to either refrigerate and bake the next day or to assemble and freeze. Assemble and refrigerate. Enjoy!
this is the best ziti ever!!
Mine turned out good but very dry like all the sauce was pretty much gone
can i make this in the crockpot?
I haven’t tested it in the slow cooker so I couldn’t give you directions on how, I’m sorry.
I’m so excited to try this for my sister’s birthday. Can I assemble this the night before and cook it the next day?
I’m in the process of making this for the first time but trust that it will be delicious.
BUT – is anyone else as frustrated as I am with buying food in jars or containers and there being less than the packaging says!? I bought the jar sauce. On the Alfredo sauce, it says it is 16 oz.,1 lb. – which would be 2 cups. There was actually a little less that 1 3/4 cups of sauce! I really hope this won’t make a difference. If the jar had said it was 14 oz. I would have bought 2! Grrrrr!!
Alfredo sauce is really easy to make…melt a stick of butter add 2cups of crème..heat on low as you mix in grated parmesan cheese until thickened..add black pepper and salt to taste…always a hit at my house!!!
Can you use a 15 oz container of ricotta in this recipe?
We’re moving to a town where the nearest Olive Garden is overlap two hours away, so I NEEDED this recipe!
Now, could you figure out how to make Mei Wei’s Thai Coconut Soup?? I’ve been trying, but my turns out too sour or too sweet.
Just made this recipe for my husband and I and Oh My God!! It is so good and maybe even better then olive garden.LOVEEE. Definitely saving this recipe. Thank You!
I did this recipe a long time ago for a family reunion and everyone loved it!!! I did enough big portions (we are Cubans…) and it finished and people wanted more!!! There was about 20 people and I did enough for like 60 people thinking some of us could bring home some…DID NOT HAPPEN!!!
The bread crumbs burned and got hard? Any suggestions
Next time, maybe try covering for half the cook time and then uncover for the last 15 minutes.
I added the breadcrumbs on the very top and kinda mixed it into the cheese. I only cooked it for 30 minutes and it gave it a very nice crunch but not burnt.
This is such a good recipe! I’ve never had the actual Olive Garden version but tried this recipe because of the pictures. Such an easy meal to throw together after a busy day, and tastes like hours were spent working on it. I cannot say enough good things about this recipe!
Thank you Kayla!
This is amazing! So, so, good. My daughter requested for her birthday. Do you think it could be adapted to slow cooker??