The ULTIMATE Baked Ziti – copycat Olive Garden Baked Ziti Al Forno. SUPER easy to make and tastes AMAZING! Ziti pasta, Italian sausage, spaghetti sauce, Alfredo sauce, mozzarella, provolone, ricotta, parmesan, panko bread crumbs, garlic, and olive oil. It can make in advance and refrigerate or freeze for later. Hands down the best pasta casserole we’ve ever eaten! #pasta #casserole #olivegarden #bakedziti #freezermeal
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Pin This RecipeCopycat Olive Garden Baked Ziti Al Forno
I have a confession, I haven’t eaten at the Olive Garden in years. I’m talking maybe 20 years. I’m not really sure why. I droll over the commercials. The food looks amazing. I came across a copycat recipe for Olive Garden’s Baked Ziti Al Forno and had to give it a try. O-M-G! This is The ULTIMATE Baked Ziti recipe. It is hands down the best I’ve ever eaten. The sauce, the yummy topping, and all the CHEESE! This is definitely a new family favorite!
How to Make the Ultimate Baked Ziti
The Ultimate Baked Ziti is super easy to make. Start with boiling some pasta. While the pasta is cooking, brown some Italian sausage in a large skillet or Dutch oven. Drain the fat. Add spaghetti sauce, Alfredo sauce, mozzarella cheese, ricotta cheese, provolone cheese, and parmesan cheese. Drain the cooked pasta and stir into the sauce mixture. Pour the pasta into a large baking dish. Combine parmesan cheese, panko bread crumbs, garlic, and olive oil. Sprinkle over the pasta and bake. I like to garnish the casserole with some dried parsley for color. I think it makes it look pretty.
Can Baked Ziti Be Made Ahead of Time and Frozen?
You can make this casserole ahead of time and refrigerate overnight or freeze for later. Since there are only two of us, I will sometimes split the pasta between two foil pans. Bake one now and freeze one for later. To bake the casserole after freezing, thaw completely in the refrigerator and bake as directed below.
You can also freeze the casserole after baking. To reheat, thaw completely and cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350ºF for 30 to 40 minutes, until warm.
What to Serve with The Ultimate Baked Ziti
This baked ziti has quickly become a favorite at our house. I made this over the holidays and I might like it better than our traditional homemade lasagna. It tastes great and is SUPER easy to make! Serve this with a salad and some garlic bread and you are in for a treat! Here are a few of our favorite recipes from the blog that go great with The ULTIMATE Baked Ziti:
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Green Jacket Salad
Green Jacket Salad – original recipe from the Green Jacket restaurant in Augusta. SO simple and it tastes great! Lettuce,…
The ULTIMATE Baked Ziti
Ingredients:
- 1½ lb ziti pasta
- 2 lb Italian sausage
- 2 (24-oz) jars spaghetti sauce
- 1 (15-oz) jar Alfredo sauce
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese divided
- ½ cup ricotta cheese
- ½ cup shredded provolone cheese
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese divided
- ½ cup panko bread crumbs
- 1½ tsp jarred minced garlic
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350ºF degrees. Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
- In a large skillet or Dutch oven, cook sausage until no longer pink. Drain fat.
- Add spaghetti sauce, Alfredo sauce, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, ricotta, provolone, and ½ cup parmesan cheese. Simmer until cheeses are melted. Stir in cooked pasta and pour into prepared baking dish. Top with remaining 1 cup of mozzarella cheese.
- Combine remaining ½ cup parmesan cheese, panko bread crumbs, garlic, and olive oil. Sprinkle over pasta.
- Bake uncovered for 30 to 40 minutes, until bubbly and topping is golden brown.
Notes:
Steph
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I made this tonight. Very good but I couldn’t get all of it to fit into one pan! I followed directions to a T too
Tried this last night. We all loved it! The bread crumb topping adds so much flavor, and the use of multiple cheeses in the sauce was a perfect combination. Thank you for this delicious recipe! We will be repeating this one for sure!
What can I replace ricotta instead?
Cottage cheese
This was THE BEST Ziti recipe. It was easy to make too. My husband loves baked ziti, and this was his absolute favorite. It makes a ton, so I divided it up into three portions, baked one and froze the other two. When I finally baked one of the frozen ones, it tasted just as good as the first unfrozen one. Wonderful.
Looks delicious Steph and I'm looking forward to some post hip surgery pasta.