Posts on Clarks Condensed contain affiliate links that give me a small commission. These are provided for your convenience and the price is not increased at all.
Olive Garden Five Cheese Ziti is one of those pasta dishes that you won’t soon forget! The homemade sauce mixed with Fontina cheese and other sauce ingredients will make your mouth water. this top secret recipe of the famous Olive Garden restaurant is so easy to do from home! Filled with meat sauce and other cheese mixes, you will have a high-quality meal in no time!
One of our favorite restaurants in Olive Garden – especially for our oldest child.
I always love to cook their original recipes at home (like their set chicken alfredo spaghetti cakes or huge filled rigatoni). thought i was up for the challenge. And it was a huge success!
As with most of my copycat recipes, I checked the Olive Garden website for clues as to the contents. I knew it needed a pasta mix base with a mix of marinara and tomato sauce.
It turned out SO delicious. It tasted just like the five cheese marinara our son always insists on when we go there. Next time, all I have to do is add the famous house salad to make this Olive Garden recipe a complete meal!
Which cheese should you buy?
This ziti pasta dish was so creamy with just the right amount of tomato flavor … but more importantly, loads of cheesy goodness!
I’ll be the first to admit that I do Not like ricotta cheese – but it gives this dish a wonderful creaminess that I couldn’t achieve otherwise.
Our recipe calls for an Italian cheese mix, but you can always add additional cheeses. For example, try adding a cup of mozzarella cheese with a cup of Italian cheese mixture. If you want it even creamier, you can add a few tablespoons of heavy cream or a pinch of parmesan cheese too!
Can you use homemade marinara and alfredo sauce?
I always use marinara in a glass and alfredo sauce. I just find it easier to grab a bottle or two in the grocery store. But you can absolutely make your own homemade alfredo sauce or marinara.
Here’s a great homemade alfredo sauce recipe!
What protein can you add to the sauce?
You can add meatballs, ground beef, chicken, sausage or just eat with the sauce – the sky is the limit!
Homemade cheese marinara recipe
ingredients
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1/2 cup chopped red onion
- 1 teaspoon of minced garlic
- 2 glasses of marinara
- 1 glass of Alfredo
- 2 cups of grated Italian Kraft cheese mixture
- 1/2 cup ricotta
- 1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning
Directions
- Heat the olive oil. Sauté the onion and garlic.
- Add marinara sauces and alfredo and mix. Bring to a boil
- Stir in ricotta, Italian cheese and Italian spices and stir until smooth. Let simmer for 10 minutes.
- Serve over pasta.
Olive Garden Five Cheese Marinara Recipe
Yield:
6 people
Preparation time:
5 minutes
Cooking time:
10 mins
Total time:
15 minutes
Olive Garden Five Cheese Marinara Recipe
ingredients
-
2 tablespoons of olive oil
-
1/2 cup chopped red onion
-
1 teaspoon of minced garlic
-
2 glasses of marinara
-
1 glass of Alfredo
-
2 cups of grated Italian Kraft cheese mixture
-
1/2 cup ricotta
-
1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning
instructions
- Heat the olive oil. Sauté the onion and garlic.
- Add marinara sauces and alfredo and mix. Bring to a boil
- Stir in ricotta, Italian cheese and Italian spices and stir until smooth. Let simmer for 10 minutes.
- Serve over pasta.
Nutritional information:
Yield: 6th
Serving size: 1
Amount per serving:
Calories: 279Total fat: 22gSaturated fatty acids: 11gTrans fats: 0gUnsaturated fat: 9gCholesterol: 55mgSodium: 441mgCarbohydrates: 8gFiber: 1gSugar: 4gProtein: 13g
What is the best way to store leftovers?
If you have leftovers, keep them in an airtight container in your refrigerator. Be sure to consume in around 3-5 days. Simply warm up in the microwave!
You can definitely freeze the sauce, too. Just put leftovers in a large freezer bag with Ziploc. It should stay good for about three months. If you freeze them with the noodles, be aware that they can get mushy as they thaw.
Which pasta do you use?
We used different types of pasta and it’s always delicious! Our favorite is ziti or penne pasta, but honestly, you can use anything you want! When you have a delicious ziti sauce like this, it doesn’t matter which pasta you use.
Variations for this dish are:
The sky is the limit with this one.
You can throw anything in a casserole dish or pan to make a stew meal and baked ziti. Or you can cook pasta in advance and just pour the sauce over it.
Add some fresh basil or breadcrumbs for a ziti topping and this cheese marinara sauce will go the extra mile.
Olive Garden Copy Cat Recipes
If you’re a huge Olive Garden fan, here are all of our copycat recipes from them:
This super easy recipe can be made in under 30 minutes – but it tastes like you’ve worked on it for hours! Serve it over your favorite pasta, in a baked pasta dish, or however you like!