Five Cheese Ziti Al Forno {Copycat Olive Garden!} Gonna Want Seconds (2024)

Five Cheese Ziti Al Forno is always such a hit at the family dinner table. It’s in my regular, year-round dinner rotation. Who doesn’t love copycat Olive Garden recipes? All the great flavors without going out!

We’re talking five ooey gooeycheeses! Ricotta, mozzarella, fontina, parmesan, and romano are mixed with ziti pasta and topped with a crunchy, zesty, spiced-up topping!

This is one of those pasta recipes that has it all! Sharpen your cheese graters and start rehearsing your best Italian accents — we’re going full-on pasta crazy! Try my baked ziti with ricotta, baked ziti with mini meatballs, creamy Tuscan sausage pasta, and my stuffed shellsnext!

Mama mia, let’s make this!

What I Love About Five Cheese Ziti Al Forno Recipe

• Easy prep and assembly
• Make-ahead friendly to the MAX
• All the flavors of Olive Garden at half the cost!
• Comfort with an Italian flair
• Dean Martin appropriate!

What Is Ziti?

Ziti is an Italian, hollow-shaped, smooth-sided, short-length pasta. It’s shaped like a short straw. If you can’t find ziti, penne pasta is a good substitute. My favorite brand is Barilla.

What Does Al Forno Mean?

Al forno just means, “in the oven.” In the Italian language, recipes that are baked in the oven are often referred to as, “al forno”. Think of chicken lasagna, smoked gouda mac and cheese, or baked spaghetti.

Five Cheese Ziti Al Forno Ingredients

For The Ziti:

• Ziti Pasta
• Marinara Sauce
• Alfredo Sauce
• Ricotta Cheese
• Mozzarella Cheese
• Fontina Cheese
• Parmesan Cheese

For The Toppings:

• Mozzarella cheese
• Italian Bread Crumbs
• Parmesan Cheese
• Garlic
• Olive Oil

Five Cheese Ziti Al Forno Ingredient Notes

• Not all pasta is created equal.Believe it or not, the myriad of shapes that pasta comes in isn’t just for aesthetic appeal. Certain shapes, thicknesses, and ridges were designed to hold up to certain dishes — and ziti was designed to hold its own against the high heat of baked recipes. Other types of pasta may lose their structure under the sauce’s moisture and the oven’s temp. Go for the ziti, trust me!
• Brand of Pasta: It’s important to use a quality brand of pasta. If you do just a tiny bit of research, you will find that Barilla and De Cecco come highly recommended by many professional chefs. Pasta brands of higher quality hold up better than generics. Check out this article for more on Real Simple, The Best Dried Pasta Brands.
• Homemade Marinara! Forgot to snag jarred marinara sauce? Fear not! You can make my quick and easy homemade marinara sauce. I promise you’ll love the fresh, rich taste of this sauce!
• Sunday Gravy: As with most Italian dishes, the sauce here is the star of the show! This is a great dish in which to utilize mySunday Gravy. A homemade sauce made completely from scratch, Sunday Gravy is a bit time-consuming but so flavorful and worth every second. When I make it, I make a big batch because it freezes well, and its flavor is unbeatable.
• Parmesan imposter: I know a lot of people like to reach for the dried, shake-on parmesan cheese from the round green container, when recipes call for it — but try going for the refrigerated, pre-shredded containers of parmesan cheese instead. Their much creamier, and it’ll make your pasta dish taste that much more like you’re sitting at Olive Garden!
• Pan Size:I’ve always made this in a ceramic 9X13X2 inch baking dish. The recipe comes up to the tippy top but has never overflowed. It’s very heavy, so I put it on a rimmed baking sheet, then it’s easier to get in and especially, out, of the oven when it’s hot. One reader made a version of this recipe, omitting some of the sauces because she was concerned it would not fit in a standard 9X13 inch pyrex dish. I’ve written the instructions so you can make the recipe work with the pans you have at home. I hope this helps ♥

Storing + Freezing + Make-ahead

• How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge? Dishes like this fall into the “casserole” category and should be stored in refrigerators for no more than four days. After that, not only has the dish lost a lot of its textural integrity, you run the risk of bacteria growth. Which is definitely notthe sort of garnish you want!
• Can You Freeze This? This is a dish I prefer fresh, not frozen.
• Make-Ahead Tips: Baked ziti recipes were designed to be made ahead! Follow the recipe below through step five. Cover in an airtight container and refrigerate until you’re ready to bake. Then finish up the topping, sprinkle it on the ziti base, and bake to perfection!

Serving Recommendations

This is delicious served with a simple garden salad tossed with balsamic vinaigrette or my Mediterranean salad. I also like to serve copycat Olive Garden breadsticks or this amazing garlic bread.

How To Make Five Cheese Ziti Al Forno

1. Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Drain well.

2. In a large bowl, mix together the marinara sauce (or Sunday gravy), alfredo sauce, ricotta cheese, 2 cups mozzarella cheese, 1 cup fontina cheese, 1 1/2 cups parmesan, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder.

3. Mix the pasta and the sauce. Pour ziti into the prepared baking dish. Spread the remaining 1 cup of Mozzarella over the top.

4. Mix the topping ingredients, and sprinkle evenly over top of the ziti.

5. Bake in the preheated oven until the topping is golden brown and the sauce is bubbly about 30-40 minutes.

***see full instructions on the recipe card below.

More Delicious Baked Pasta

• Cannelloni
• Million Dollar Spaghetti
• Smoked Gouda Mac And Cheese
• Baked Spaghetti with Cream Cheese
• Buffalo Chicken Lasagna
• Turkey Tetrazzini
• Lasagna Casserole

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