Copycat Olive Garden Stuffed Ziti Fritta Recipe

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Among the many popular appetizers at Olive Garden is the Stuffed Ziti Fritta, which features bites of crispy breaded and fried pasta stuffed with cheese. Marinara and Alfredo dipping sauces are served alongside to complete the decadent starter. There's a lot to love about this appetizer, including a blend of five cheeses stuffing the pasta.

Recipe developer Michelle Bottalico has created a copycat Olive Garden Stuffed Ziti Fritta recipe that features rigatoni stuffed with ricotta, cream cheese, mozzarella, pecorino Romano, and Parmesan. Bottalico opts for rigatoni over actual ziti (the latter being longer and thinner) to stay true to the shape of the fried pasta pieces you'd get if you ordered the Ziti Fritta at an Olive Garden location (and, as an Italian speaker, she also notes that the name would be ziti fritti in Italian, not fritta). Using rigatoni in this copycat recipe provides extra space for more cheese filling while keeping the appearance true to the original, though you could easily use ziti if it's all you have on hand. Add this recipe to the list of your favorite Olive Garden recipes you can finally make at home and enjoy a restaurant-quality meal with the added satisfaction of having made it from-scratch.

For this recipe, you will need rigatoni pasta. You can also use ziti pasta if desired, but it will hold a little less filling. You will also need olive oil and five cheeses: ricotta, cream cheese, shredded mozzarella, grated pecorino Romano, and grated Parmesan. Make sure the cream cheese is softened before beginning the recipe. Gather breadcrumbs, Italian seasoning, all-purpose flour, and a beaten egg as well. You'll need a neutral frying oil and fresh minced parsley. The parsley and some of the grated Parmesan will be used to top the finished pasta. Finally, have marinara and Alfredo sauces on hand for dipping.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

Cook the rigatoni for 2 minutes less than the al dente cooking time listed on the package.

Drain the pasta and return it to the empty pot.

Pour ½ teaspoon olive oil into the pot and toss the pasta to evenly coat it in oil so it won't stick.

Transfer the pasta to a baking sheet, arranging it in a single layer. Set aside to cool.

Place the ricotta, cream cheese, mozzarella, pecorino Romano, and 1 tablespoon of the grated Parmesan in a bowl and stir until evenly combined.

Transfer the cheese mixture to a piping bag.

Pipe the cheese mixture into each piece of rigatoni, setting the filled pasta back on the baking sheet. Freeze for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, place the breadcrumbs and Italian seasoning in a shallow bowl and stir to evenly combine.

Place the flour and egg in two other shallow bowls.

Dip 1 stuffed pasta piece into the flour until evenly coated. Shake off the excess flour.

Coat the pasta piece in the egg, letting the excess drip off, and then place it in the breadcrumb mixture and turn until evenly coated.

Repeat the breading process with the remaining pasta pieces.

Heat the oil in a frying pan until it reaches 350 F. Use enough oil to cover the pasta halfway in height.

Carefully place a small handful of pasta in the oil with tongs and shallow fry for 3-5 minutes, flipping halfway, until golden brown.

Remove the pasta with the strainer or spoon and place on a paper towel-lined wire rack to drain excess oil.

Repeat the frying process until all of the pasta is fried.

Sprinkled the fried pasta with minced parsley and the remaining 1 tablespoon of grated Parmesan. Serve hot with marinara and Alfredo sauces.

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In this recipe, the stuffed ziti fritta are cooked with a method called shallow frying. Unlike with deep frying, in which food cooks while completely submerged in a larger quantity of oil, shallow frying uses less oil and the oil doesn't cover the food completely. The breaded pasta tubes are only covered halfway in the oil, which is why they need to be flipped in the middle of the cooking time so the other side cooks completely. However, shallow frying still uses a lot more oil than many other forms of cooking.

The best alternative to shallow frying or deep frying is air frying. This methods will melt the cheeses inside and make the outside crispy and browned. Although the result isn't quite as browned and rich as the fried version, the ziti fritta will still be delicious, and you won't need to use nearly as much oil.

Spray the air fryer tray with a small amount of oil and preheat the machine to 400 F. Place the stuffed pasta on the tray in a single layer and air fry tor 6-8 minutes until golden brown, flipping them halfway through the cooking time. Cook the pasta in batches to avoid overcrowding the tray.

It's possible to customize this stuffed ziti fritta recipe with other kinds of pasta or fillings. The filling from this recipe could be used as a delicious filling for ravioli, manicotti, cannelloni, tortellini, tortelloni, lasagne, agnolotti, and stuffed shells. The smaller types of pasta, like ravioli and tortellini, could be used in the same way the ziti fritta are — that is stuffed, breaded, and fried.

There are plenty of customization options when it comes to filling, and you don't have to stick to the five cheese filling used here. You can substitute other cheeses if desired (think fontina, asiago, or non-Italian cheeses like feta, goat cheese, cheddar, or cotija). Or, add fresh herbs like basil, parsley, mint, and tarragon to the cheese mix to add extra fresh flavors.

Make a fall version with a pumpkin filling. Just add Parmesan, garlic, and nutmeg to pumpkin puree. A spinach and ricotta filling adds some greens to the cheeses. Use just ricotta or add spinach to the five cheese mix from the recipe. Your favorite meat ravioli filling would work here as well. A mushroom filling with mushroom, garlic, grated cheese, and ricotta would also be delicious. Instead of mushrooms, artichokes would also work. Finally, specialty flavors like beets and cream, ricotta and pistachio, meat and savoy cabbage, and broccoli and anchovy would give a unique twist to this recipe.

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