Five Cheese Ziti Al Forno
This Five Cheese Ziti al Forno is my copycat version of the Olive Garden favorite, made with ziti tossed in a creamy five-cheese marinara and baked under a layer of mozzarella and buttery Italian breadcrumbs. The sauce combines marinara and Alfredo with ricotta, Asiago, Parmesan, and Romano, giving it a rich, creamy tomato flavor that reminds me a little of vodka sauce.
I use store-bought marinara and Alfredo here because the sauces are being combined with several cheeses anyway, and it keeps the recipe much more practical. The exact flavor will vary somewhat depending on the brands you use, so this won’t be identical to Olive Garden’s version, but it gets close to the same creamy, cheesy style.
How to Make Five Cheese Ziti al Forno
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and prepare a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Start the five-cheese marinara. Add the marinara sauce to a saucepan or pot over medium-low heat. Stir in the Alfredo sauce, ricotta, and Italian cheese blend.
- Heat until as smooth as possible. Continue stirring over medium-low heat so the ricotta and Italian cheeses melt into the marinara and Alfredo. The sauce may still have a slightly gritty texture from the packaged cheese blend at this stage.
- Season the sauce. Taste before adding salt. Because the sodium level of jarred marinara, Alfredo, and packaged cheese can vary by brand, add only as much salt as the sauce needs.
- Cook the ziti. Boil the pasta in salted water until al dente, then drain it.
- Combine the pasta and sauce. Add the hot drained ziti directly to the five-cheese marinara and toss until every piece is well coated.
- Assemble the ziti. Transfer the sauced pasta to the 9×13-inch baking dish and spread the shredded mozzarella evenly across the top.
- Add the breadcrumb topping. Mix the Italian breadcrumbs with 2 tablespoons of melted butter, then scatter the mixture over the mozzarella.
- Bake for 15 minutes. Bake at 400°F until the mozzarella is completely melted and the breadcrumb topping has begun to brown.
- Cool briefly and serve. Let the ziti sit just long enough to cool from piping hot before serving.
Tips for the Best Five Cheese Ziti al Forno
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What are the five cheeses in Five Cheese Ziti al Forno?
This recipe uses ricotta, Asiago, Parmesan, Romano, and mozzarella. I use an Italian cheese blend that already contains the Asiago, Parmesan, and Romano, which keeps the recipe much more affordable than buying each cheese separately.
What is Five Cheese Ziti al Forno?
Five Cheese Ziti al Forno is a baked ziti dish made popular by Olive Garden. Their version combines pasta with five-cheese marinara, then finishes it with cheese and a breadcrumb topping. This recipe is my homemade copycat version using marinara, Alfredo, ricotta, an Italian cheese blend, and mozzarella.
Does Five Cheese Ziti al Forno have meat?
No. I keep this recipe meatless because I’m recreating the Olive Garden dish, which is served without meat.
More Pasta Recipes
- Baked Ziti with Ricotta – Classic baked ziti layered with tomato sauce, ricotta, and plenty of melted cheese.
- Chicken Broccoli Ziti – A creamy pasta dinner made with chicken, broccoli, and ziti.
- Meatless Baked Ziti – A cheesy baked ziti made without meat for an easy comfort-food dinner.
Five Cheese Ziti Al Forno
Equipment
- 9×13 baking dish
Ingredients
- 16 ounce ziti pasta dry
- 3 cups marinara sauce
- 1 cup alfredo sauce
- 1/2 cup ricotta cheese whole milk
- 1 cup Italian cheese blend
- 1/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs add 2 TB melted butter
- 2 cup whole milk mozzarella grated
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and prepare a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Add the marinara sauce to a saucepan or pot over medium-low heat. Stir in the Alfredo sauce, ricotta, and Italian cheese blend.
- Continue stirring until the cheeses have melted into the sauce and the mixture is as smooth as possible.
- Taste the sauce and add salt as needed. The amount will depend on the sodium in the jarred sauces and cheese.
- Cook the ziti in the salted water until al dente, then drain.
- Immediately add the hot drained ziti to the sauce and toss until evenly coated.
- Transfer the pasta and sauce to the 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Spread the shredded mozzarella evenly over the top.
- Mix the Italian breadcrumbs with the melted butter and sprinkle the mixture over the mozzarella.
- Bake for 15 minutes, until the mozzarella is melted and the breadcrumbs have begun to brown.
- Allow the ziti to cool briefly before serving.
Notes
- The five cheeses are ricotta, Asiago, Parmesan, Romano, and mozzarella.
- A packaged Asiago-Parmesan-Romano blend keeps the recipe more practical than buying all three cheeses separately.
- The cheese mixture may seem slightly gritty before baking. Stir it until as smooth as possible; it smooths out further in the oven.
- Different brands of marinara and Alfredo will change the finished flavor, so always taste the sauce before adding salt.
- This recipe is meatless to stay close to Olive Garden’s version.