Stuffed Ziti Fritta

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.

Prep Time45

Cook Time10

Total Time55

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Stuffed Ziti Fritta Recipe

Servings:

Calories: 207kcal

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