Olive Garden’s got competition because this stuffed ziti fritta is spot-on perfection. Creamy ricotta, mozzarella, and more, all packed into tender ziti, coated in crispy breadcrumbs, and fried to golden bliss. It’s everything you love about those restaurant appetizers but homemade, and trust me, it’s even better.
Serve these up with marinara or alfredo, and watch them vanish in seconds. This is one copycat recipe that might just outshine the original!
Recipe Overview For This Olive Garden Copycat Recipe
Main Ingredients: Ziti pasta, ricotta, mozzarella, Italian cheese blend, cream cheese, flour, eggs, breadcrumbs.
Quick Steps: Fill ziti with cheese mixture, coat in flour, egg, and breadcrumbs, deep-fry.
Total Time & Yield: 55 minutes, makes 60 pieces.
Why Choose Our Recipe
- Unbeatable flavor: Our recipe adds an extra layer of flavor with an Italian cheese blend that includes parmesan, Romano, and asiago.
- We stick to the classic: Many recipes opt for rigatoni as a shortcut due to its wider opening, but sticking with ziti offers an authentic texture and bite.
- Pro tips: We include an essential freezing step before frying, which keeps the cheese intact and prevents any filling from leaking out.
Stuffed Ziti Fritta Ingredients
This savory Italian dish is packed with flavor and texture, making it an instant classic.
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)
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.
You can microwave the cream cheese and ricotta for 20-30 seconds so that it mixes smoothly and easily with the other cheeses.
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 end 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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
If you love making restaurant-style Italian favorites at home, pair this crispy ziti with my creamy copycat Olive Garden Alfredo sauce for a complete dinner menu. It’s also great dipped in homemade marinara sauce or ranch dressing for extra flavor.
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.
If you like bringing restaurant-style meals into your kitchen, you’ll find more ideas on my full copycat recipes page.
MORE APPETIZER RECIPES
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.
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
This Olive Garden’s stuffed ziti fritta can be kept in the freezer for up to 3 months.
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.
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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Stuffed Ziti Fritta
Ingredients
- ½ pound ziti pasta, cooked and drained (about ½ of a standard package)
- 2 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup ricotta cheese
- ¼ cup grated mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup grated Italian cheese blend (Parmesan, Roman, and Asiago)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- 5 to 6 cups vegetable or canola oil, for frying
Instructions
- Cook pasta in a large pot of salted, boiling water. Drain pasta and run cold water over it to cool and prevent it from sticking together.
- In a small bowl, mix together cream cheese, ricotta, mozzarella, and Italian cheese.
- 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.
- Place the tip of the piping tip into the tube of the pasta and fill it with cheese mixture. Fill as many pieces of pasta as possible until the cheese mixture is used.
- Set up a dredging station by setting out three bowls and filling one with flour, one with beaten eggs, and one with breadcrumbs.
- 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.
- Spread breaded pasta on a sheet pan and place in the freezer for about 30 minutes while heating the oil.
- 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.
- Remove 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).
- Transfer cooked ziti to several layers of paper towels to drain any excess oil.
- Serve hot with marinara sauce for dipping.
Notes
- You can microwave the cream cheese and ricotta for 20 to 30 seconds so that it mixes smoothly and easily with the other cheeses.
- The piping tips we used here (Amazon: https://amzn.to/3FeS74y) work especially well to fill the narrow tube of ziti.
- 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.
- Be sure that you have enough oil so that it is at least 3 to 4 inches deep.
Nutrition
Comments
Deb Reimer says
A little effort for a big pay off. This version was so good. my brother goes to Olive Garden just for these so I made this for his birthday — BIG hit. THANKS for sharing!