Olive Garden Five Cheese Ziti al Forno copycat recipe made with marinara, alfredo, mozzarella, fontina, romano and parmesan cheese baked together with a crispy panko topping.
This baked ziti recipe is a huge hit with crowds and potlucks just like my super popular Baked Million Dollar Spaghetti and Ultimate Meat Lasagna.
Olive Garden Five Cheese Ziti al Forno (Copycat)
This Ziti al Forno is like the best baked ziti recipe you’ve ever had kicked up about ten more notches. A mixture of marinara and alfredo sauce along with five (yes, I mean five) additional cheeses maked this dish an over the top extravagant recipe you won’t have to wait for a trip to Olive Garden to enjoy.
This baked ziti is different than the traditional baked ziti which is made with marinara sauce, mozzarella and ricotta cheese. With a mix of two sauces and five cheeses you’d think that all the flavors would be muddled, but they work so well together that you’ll find yourself routinely mixing marinara sauce and alfredo sauce even when making a simple spaghetti dinner.
Can you make this ziti al forno lasagna?
YES and I love the way you think. We had a girls night in recently and experimented with this recipe as lasagna. Let me tell you, it was probably the best lasagna I’ve EVER eaten. We did add ground beef to the recipe because it needed more substance than just cheese. We also definitely added the crispy topping.
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.
Can you freeze/reheat Ziti al Forno?
Yes, sort of. We tried this a couple of times and ended up with dry pasta. Then we tried something we’ve seen in frozen pastas and cooked the pasta, freezing it on a sheet in a single layer. Once frozen we made the recipe as directed.
Why freeze the pasta you ask? Pasta has this annoying quality where it sucks up all the liquids in a dish when there are leftovers. This means the next day your pasta is all dried out. By freezing the pasta before assembling we prevent the pasta from acting like a sponge.
Looking for more Copycat pasta recipes?
- Cheesecake Factory Pasta Da Vinci
- CPK Chicken Tequila Fettuccine
- Cheesecake Factory Pasta Da Vinci
- Cheesecake Factory Louisiana Chicken Pasta
- Boston Market Mac and Cheese
Let me know if you have any copycat recipe requests. I have a lot more coming, some from Olive Garden in fact! If you have a recipe you’d like to see let me know in the comments below.
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 9x13 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
Could you please get the recipe for Cafe Rio tomatillo ranch? And the sweet pork?
I am *actively* working on both of those. I have fallen in love with Cafe Rio.
What I did – I made it all the night before without baking. Made the marinara, alfredo, boiled the noodles, shredded all the cheeses, mixed the “topping” ingredients together.
The next day when you’re ready to cook it… You just mix up the noodles and sauces, add the ricotta and fontina, pour into a pan, top with the topping i already had mixed up.
Thanks for the advice.
This looks great! Can you make ahead of time and put in the refrigerator or does it dry out?
I prefer to serve it immediately but if you want to reheat it, I’d add more sauce to it at that time to help keep it moist. Enjoy!
Making this right now as I type it’s in the oven. I was throwing it together for a quick dinner so i got jar sauce. I could not find fontina cheese only the mixed Italian cheese blend (says it had fontina) so hopefully that works as well. This is my favorite dish from Olive Garden and I’m hoping it turns out great.
Made this last night for the first time, making both the marinara and the Alfredo sauce from scratch using the linked recipes. This is every bit as good as what I order at the restaurant, delicious! It makes a lot, though…the recipe says 8 servings, but my husband and i together only made a small dent in the total. Next time I make it will be when we have company for dinner…whenever we’re able to do that again!
I’m so glad you both enjoyed it!
This was very good. Did the freezing method you suggested and I was surprised it worked. My family loves sauce so I made extra to serve on the side.
I have been trying for years to obtain the recipe for POLLYS back burner soup,
Any chance you would have a copycat of it?
No yet, but I’ll add it to my research list. Thanks for the suggestion.
Every recipe I have “copied”.from you has been fantastic! I let my grand kids help grind the cheeses ! Each cheese separate bowl. They both were so excited they could not wait to eat. They ate well are aged (B) 5
(G) 4. We made the 5 cheese ziti
I doubled the sauce put it in jars
Thank you. Delicious easy to follow
I’m so glad you’re loving the recipes so much, Susan.
I’m interested in making this for a family meal. I have a couple of meat lovers attending and I’m wondering if I can add ground beef to it. If so, when would I incorporate the ground beef? When I mix the pasta and sauces together?
I would cook it and add it in with the pasta portion. Enjoy!
I wouldn’t use ground beef I would use ground sausage, spicy or mild depending to your preference. Brown it cut it up into small pieces and drain it, mix it in with the sauce portion of this meal and cook as advised.
OMG!!! Just did this tonight (had to sub penne since I couldn’t find ziti) and it is AWESOME!!!
How many can this feed?
This yields 8 servings.
Before baking, we mix the cheeses and pasta up versus just pouring on top and it really works great for us. Thank you for the great recipe.
Whats a good substitute for fontina cheese i can’t find it at my local grocery stores?
Bummer! You can substitute with a mild provolone, gruyere and gouda. Good luck on your search!
I made this for my daughter. She would have never tried it (incredibly picky) if she didn’t know it was an Olive Garden copy cat. She loved it. We all loved it. This will definitely be a family favorite!!
I love when a picky eater is won over! A total success!!
I made this for my daughter-in-law, she loves Olive Garden’s Baked Ziti. It was delicious and easy to make. I will definitely make this again (maybe tomorrow!!)
I made this recipe exactly as written EXCEPT added some shredded rotisserie chicken…. It was delicious! The kids (and especially) the husband loved it! And it’s fairly easy. This will be in the regular dinner rotation. Thank you!
Amazing! Loved this recipe, even better than Olive Garden! Thank you!! Looking forward to making more of your dishes!
Thank you so much for this recipe I don’t think we will ever go back to Olive Garden
You’re welcome, Katina.
Looks delicious! I’ll be making it for New year’s Eve tomorrow! Do you make yours in a baking pan or glass casserole dish? Will it make a difference?
You’ll be fine either way. 🙂
I made this for our Christmas dinner this year and my family gave raving reviews. It’s such a simple recipe for everyday but my family thought it was so good they want it for Christmas every year! I used store bought sauces and made no recipe alterations and it was BOMB dot com! Thank you so much Sabrina!
You’re welcome, Katie. Happy holidays!
I have been making this kopy Kat recipe for years (since this is my favorite O.G. dish!)! I do exactly as you have, but I love cottage cheese in all my Italian dishes, just like the flavor better than ricotta, I use a little less Alfredo to avoid a chef-boy-r-dee flavor lol, and sometimes I use a little olive oil when I mix the topping. This is one of my families favorite recipes and pairs wonderfully with breaded chicken (they insist on meat so I add it to the SIDE!)!! ?
So glad you enjoy it!
This sounds amazing! Can I leave out the ricotta or substitute it with something else? My husband and I don’t like ricotta. Thanks!
I haven’t substituted anything for ricotta in this recipe, but I know you can substitute cottage cheese or mascarpone in most recipes. I’d love to hear how it turns out if you do!
I’ve substituted cream cheese and it works great! I don’t always have ricotta, but I do always have cream cheese in the fridge. In a pinch, give it a try. Delicious!!
Is it still good after bring reheated next day?0
Absolutely. 🙂
Can we make in crockpot. If so can u provide cooking instructions
You definitely can, for cooking, cook like the Slow Cooker Mac and Cheese, adding the Ziti sauces and cheeses and using the Mac & Cheese cook times.
I’d love to hear how this turns out for you!
Great recipe with no changes. This sauce is the bomb on lobster ravioli!
Thanks! Lobster ravioli sounds amazing!
Baked this beauty copy cot today . Only substitution we did was gouda cheese for Fontina cheese . Delicious ?. Thank you
You’re welcome!
Yum!!! I added Italian sausage and did a pre-grated blend of 6 Italian cheeses! Turned out great!
Fantastic! So glad you enjoyed it!
Where can I find the fontina cheese? I have looked everywhere with no luck.
Oh no! I’m able to find it at any local grocer around here. You can use a mild provolone, gruyere, or gouda cheese to substitue if needed. Good luck!
Can I freeze this? Should I bake first or freeze before baking? Can I make ahead (like in the morning) and
Yes, I would freeze it unbaked. When you’re ready to serve it, thaw it in the refrigerator overnight and bake the next day.
What is the green stuff sprinkled on top? I notice that ingredient in the recipe posted but I see it in the photo!
I just sprinkled a little parsley on top for presentation. Totally optional. I hope you enjoy the dish.
What about a copycat recipe for Longhorn Steakhouse’s Steakhouse Mac and Cheese?
Thanks for the suggestion!
Can I use shredded Parmesan cheese instead of grated?
Sure 🙂
I currently have a batch of this in the oven and it’s my second time making it! It’s absolutely delicious!
Thanks for the 5 star rating, Maddi! So glad you love it so much!
Fontina cheese is not readily available to me as I am located in another part of the world. Would this recipe still work without it? I’m not fussed about replicating Olive Garden’s recipe, but instead, I want it to still taste good.
Yes, it would work to leave out but you could also substitue with a mild provolone, gruyere or gouda cheese. Enjoy!
I absolutely love Olive Garden’s ziti and this tastes exactly like it. It’s a family favorite and we’ve had it probably bout 4 times now in the past couple months and we’re making it again tonight! Thank you!
I’d definitely call that a winner! Thanks for the 5 stars.
You have some really great recipes. I see you listed servings and calories but I have the carbs. I am diabetic and I am on a stick diet. I have to know every carb so I can adjust my insulin. Can you please list carbs. I love these recipes!
I’m so glad you’re loving the recipes. 🙂 All of the nutritional content comes from a computer plug in not a nutritionalist. I would suggest calculating on your own to be sure it’s completely accurate since it has to be so precise.
I’m a Type2 diabetic. I’ve just made it using chickpea pasta (ziti, available at Target, $3 for 8oz box,, other shapes available as well), very good protein and fiber numbers to overcome what few sugars are present. Prego makes a no-sugar added pasta sauce that works very nicely. All that being said, my timer for letting it set up after coming out of the oven just went off, and if it tastes half as good as it smells, this is a real keeper.
Hi! I was wondering what brand or recipe you used for the marinara and alfredo sauces. Thanks!
I usually make my own marinara sauce. Here’s the link: https://dinnerthendessert.com/easy-marinara-sauce/
I’m not really tied to any brand so use whatever brand you prefer is store bought.
Hi! Is there a specific brand (or recipe) of marinara and alfredo you use? Mine didn’t come out quite right and I think it’s because of the sauces I used. Thanks!
This is the one I use. 🙂
https://dinnerthendessert.com/easy-marinara-sauce/
I just made this for company and everyone absolutely raved about it! I added sautéed mushrooms, zucchini, and tomatoes. Thank you for a fantastic recipe!
You’re welcome, Denise!
Do you have a recipe for Olive Garden Chicken Scampi? It’s my favorite!
It took me a bit to get to, sorry about that!
https://dinnerthendessert.com/olive-garden-chicken-scampi-pasta/
can you use rigatoni pasta instead of ziti pasta?
It won’t be authetic to Olive Garden but of course, use whatever pasta you’d like!
It’s best with rigatoni at olive garden! I am just here for the sauce ??
I made this recipe for a few of my friends and it was a huge hit!! Everyone went back for seconds and wanted to take some home. I highly recommend this recipe to anyone who loves a good 5 cheese ziti!! It tastes very similar to the Olive Garden 5 cheese Ziti al Forno!!
Thanks Kathryn!
can you make this recipe the night before and bake it the next day?
I would suggest making it all up to step 4 and then right before baking, complete step 5 and bake. Hope this helps!
Can you leave out the Alfredo sauce in recipe?
No, I’m sorry but that would completely change the recipe and it would no longer be a copycat of Olive Garden.
Can you leave out the Alfredo sauce in the sauce?
Leaving it out would completely change the recipe and it would no longer be a copycat, sorry.
What??? You tease us with reassurances that this drool-worthy dish can be turned into lasagna then give no specifics for added ingredients or changes in directions? Please, please give some details, or even a whole recipe. Thanks so much!
Sorry to tease you more but it’s coming soon! Stay tuned!!
Yay! In hopeful anticipation, I had added Dinner Then Dessert to my Bloglovin’ feed. I already know that 3 out of the 4 of us will love this, and the to-come lasagna. (My older son doesn’t like cheese! I know, right?) Anyway, have a fantabulous rest of the week.
Thank you so much Cheryl!
This looks really good! Perfect to try this weekend!
Thank you! I hope you enjoy it!
I can’t believe how good this looks!
I have to put this on my menu!
I hope you enjoy it!
This sounds so terrefic and I can not wait to get started
on it. Sounds as if it is right up my alley
Thank you! You’ll have to let me know what you think after trying it!
This is SO awesome!! My family would LOVE this!!
Thank you Katerina!
This is my favorite dish to order from Olive Garden, and I can’t wait to make it at home!!
Awesome…no need to go out for it anymore!
Love copycat recipes! Saving this one!
Thank you!
This is so so cheesy!
Yes!! So good!