Stuffed Ziti Frittarn

a close up shot of Stuffed Ziti Fritta in a bowl with sauce on the side

Our copycat stuffed ziti fritta are filled with a cheesy filling and fried to perfection, giving them the best crunchy coating and making them a tasty appetizer option.

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Table of Contents

Stuffed Ziti Fritta Ingredients
Substitutions And Additions
How To Make This Stuffed Ziti Fritta Recipe
How To Serve
Storage
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These cheesy stuffed ziti fritta are bite-size pieces of awesomeness that make the perfect appetizer. This fantastic recipe creates a copycat Olive Garden treat that is ooey, gooey, and crunchy, thanks to the deep-fried coating.

overhead shot of Stuffed Ziti Fritta in a bowl with sauce on the side

Stuffed Ziti Fritta Ingredients

Stuffed Ziti Fritta raw ingredients that are labeled

This savory Italian dish is packed with flavor and texture, making it an instant classic. The crispy exterior of the fried pasta gives way to a velvety smooth filling of ricotta, mozzarella, and herbs.

Every bite explodes with a burst of cheesy goodness that is both indulgent and satisfying.

The ziti fritta is complemented perfectly by a tangy marinara sauce that adds just the right amount of acidity to the dish.

You’ll need:

½ pound of ziti pasta, cooked and drained (about ½ of a standard package)
2 ounces of cream cheese, softened
¼ cup of ricotta cheese
¼ cup of grated mozzarella cheese
½ cup of grated Italian cheese blend (Parmesan, Romano, Asiago)
1 cup of all-purpose flour
3 large eggs
1 cup of breadcrumbs
5 to 6 cups of vegetable or canola oil (for frying)

PRO TIP:

Use finely grated cheese for this Olive Garden stuffed ziti fritta recipe so that it is easy to pipe it into the pasta.

Substitutions And Additions

PASTA: Rigatoni pasta can alternately be used for this Olive Garden copycat stuffed ziti fritta, particularly if you’re using a Ziploc bag to fill the pasta without a piping tip.

CHEESE: Our favorite cheese for this stuffed ziti fritta Olive Garden recipe is an Italian blend that combines parmesan cheese, Romano cheese, and Asiago cheese, but if you prefer to use a different kind of cheese, just make sure it is finely grated so that it will pipe into the pasta tubes easily.

How To Make This Stuffed Ziti Fritta Recipe

Making this delicious fried pasta is fairly straightforward and worth the time it takes to stuff the noodles. Let’s walk through the steps together.

STEP ONE: Cook pasta to al dente in a large pot of salted, boiling water. Drain the pasta and run cold water over it to cool and prevent it from sticking together.

STEP TWO: In a small bowl, mix together the cream cheese, ricotta, mozzarella, and Italian cheese.

OUR RECIPE DEVELOPER SAYS

You can microwave the cream cheese and ricotta for 20-30 seconds so that it mixes smoothly and easily with the other cheeses.

cream cheese, Ricotta, Mozzarella, and Italian cheese mixed together

STEP THREE: Transfer the cheese mixture to a piping bag fitted with a filling tube tip. Alternately, place the cheese mixture in a Ziploc freezer bag and snip the corner off to make a piping bag.

PRO TIP:

PRO TIP: The piping tips we used here (Amazon: https://amzn.to/3FeS74y) work especially well to fill the narrow tube of ziti.

STEP FOUR: Place the tip of the piping tip into the tube of the pasta and fill it with the cheese mixture. Fill as many pieces of pasta as possible until the cheese mixture is used.

piping tip placed into the tub of the pasta and fill with cheese mixture

STEP FIVE: Set up a dredging station by setting out three bowls and filling one with flour, one with the beaten egg, and one with breadcrumbs.

STEP SIX: Roll the filled ziti in the flour, shaking off the excess. Dip into the beaten eggs, and then roll with breadcrumbs to fully coat each piece of pasta.

filled ziti rolled in the flour, then eggs and the rolled with breadcrumbs to coat each pasta

STEP SEVEN: Spread the breaded pasta on a sheet pan and place in the freezer for about 30 minutes while heating the oil.

PRO TIP:

Freezing the breaded pasta is not mandatory. It firms up the cheese enough that it is less likely to leak out of the breaded pasta while frying. Even when frozen going into the hot oil, the cheese inside is hot and melty after just a quick minute of cooking. If you’re short on time and have already heated the oil, you can transfer the breaded ziti right into the oil. During testing, there was only one piece of a handful that started to seep out the cheese filling.

STEP EIGHT: Fill a deep frying pan or pot with several inches of oil. Heat over medium-high heat until the oil temperature reaches 350°F. Maintain the oil temperature between 350°F and 375°F.

PRO TIP:

Be sure that you have enough oil so that it is at least 3 to 4 inches deep.

STEP NINE: Remove the breaded ziti from the freezer and transfer several pieces at a time into the hot oil. Use a slotted spoon to turn the pasta so that the pieces cook evenly on all sides, and then lift from the oil when the pieces are golden brown on all sides (less than 1 minute).

using slotted spoon turn pasta and lift all side from the oil

STEP TEN: Transfer the cooked ziti to several layers of paper towel to drain any excess oil.

STEP ELEVEN: Serve this fried stuffed ziti fritta recipe hot with marinara sauce for dipping.

How To Serve

Serve these tasty cheesy fried ziti as an appetizer with your favorite dipping sauce. We like using a homemade marinara sauce, ranch dressing, or even a bowl of our copycat Olive Garden alfredo sauce recipe.

Some delicious ideas to accompany your pasta include a fresh cucumber tomato salad, roasted vegetables, or a side of garlic bread to help soak up every last drop of sauce.

For more dippable cheesy appetizers, try our cheese sticks or bacon-wrapped mozzarella sticks.

MORE APPETIZER RECIPES

Vegetarian Appetizers

Cauliflower Breadsticks

Cold Appetizers

Chicken Tortilla Roll-Ups

Storage

You can make a large batch of these pasta bites and store them in the fridge or freezer to enjoy later.

IN THE FRIDGE: This stuffed ziti fritta Olive Garden copycat recipe is best eaten right away while hot. It will lose the crispy texture if you try to save it for any length of time in the fridge.

IN THE FREEZER: Stuffed and breaded pasta can be prepared and stored in the freezer in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Cook in the hot oil straight out of the freezer.

a close up shot of Stuffed Ziti Fritta being dipped into sauce

These yummy copycat Olive Garden stuffed ziti fritta taste almost like eating fried mozzarella sticks. The cheesy filling is hot and gooey, and the crispy breaded pasta has a little crunch. Now you don’t need to drive to the local Olive Garden restaurant to indulge in these bites of deliciousness.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Can I freeze these ziti cheese sticks?

This Olive Garden’s stuffed ziti fritta can be kept in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Does it matter what kind of cheese I use for this stuffed pasta?

This easy recipe will work with a finely grated Italian cheese blend, cheddar, mozzarella, or any other types of cheese you find at the grocery store.

What kind of hot oil is best for deep frying this Olive Garden stuffed ziti fritta copycat Recipe?

Fry only with oils that have a high smoking point. The smoking point is the temperature it takes for the oil to start to break down and smoke. Once it smokes, it’s not suitable for frying. Good oils to use are peanut oil, canola oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, corn oil, or vegetable oil. On the other hand, olive oil is not a good oil to fry in.

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